Professor of Supramolecular & Polymer Chemistry / Director of the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis

What we do

Our research interests include the synthesis of functional nanosystems, controlled polymer architectures and dynamic supramolecular assemblies through molecular recognition processes.

The underlying theme of our research lies at the interface between synthetic organic efforts on small molecules and macroscopic properties at the materials level, developing a macro-organic approach to chemistry. Dynamic supramolecular self-assembly of materials will be an area of great importance in the coming years, allowing for innovations in nanotechnology and at the biological and chemical interfaces.

We are particularly interested in exploring topics such as water-soluble and stimuli-responsive materials, template and imprinting technologies of functional polymers for use in chiral separations and enantioselective catalysis, and controlling material morphologies and architectures both in solution and in the solid state through rational design and a multi-step, hierarchical self-assembly process.

Watch Professor Scherman discuss his research

Take a tour of the Scherman Lab

Publications

Surface-immobilised micelles via cucurbit[8]uril-rotaxanes for solvent-induced burst release.
C Hu, Y Zheng, Z Yu, C Abell, OA Scherman
Chemical communications (Cambridge, England)
(2015)
51
Interfacial assembly of dendritic microcapsules with host–guest chemistry
Y Zheng, Z Yu, RM Parker, Y Wu, C Abell, OA Scherman
Nature communications
(2014)
5
Multifunctional supramolecular polymer networks as next-generation consolidants for archaeological wood conservation
Z Walsh, E-R Janeček, JT Hodgkinson, J Sedlmair, A Koutsioubas, DR Spring, M Welch, CJ Hirschmugl, C Toprakcioglu, JR Nitschke, M Jones, OA Scherman
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(2014)
111
Quantitative multiplexing with nano-self-assemblies in SERS.
S Kasera, LO Herrmann, J del Barrio, JJ Baumberg, OA Scherman
Scientific reports
(2014)
4
The control of cargo release from physically crosslinked hydrogels by crosslink dynamics
EA Appel, RA Forster, MJ Rowland, OA Scherman
Biomaterials
(2014)
35
Activation energies control the macroscopic properties of physically cross-linked materials
EA Appel, RA Forster, A Koutsioubas, C Toprakcioglu, OA Scherman
Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
(2014)
53
Facile method for preparing surface-mounted cucurbit[8]uril-based rotaxanes.
C Hu, Y Lan, F Tian, KR West, OA Scherman
Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
(2014)
30
Gold Nanorods with Sub‐Nanometer Separation using Cucurbit[n]uril for SERS Applications
ST Jones, RW Taylor, R Esteban, EK Abo-Hamed, PHH Bomans, NAJM Sommerdijk, J Aizpurua, JJ Baumberg, OA Scherman
Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
(2014)
10
Threading plasmonic nanoparticle strings with light
LO Herrmann, VK Valev, C Tserkezis, JS Barnard, S Kasera, OA Scherman, J Aizpurua, JJ Baumberg
Nature Communications
(2014)
5
Activation energies control the macroscopic properties of physically cross-linked materials.
EA Appel, RA Forster, A Koutsioubas, C Toprakcioglu, OA Scherman
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
(2014)
53

Head of group

Telephone number

01223 334372 (shared), 01223 331797

Email address

College