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The Ashby Group

One focus in the Ashby Group is the synthesis of functionalized dienes with groups ranging from ethers to amines. We have recently reported the use of tertiary amine functionalized poly(isoprene) materials as efficient gene transfection agents at low concentrations and current work is focused on developing guidelines for material design. Group members are also investigating new methods for fabricating poly(thiophene) based organic solar cells, and have developed a method for enhanced processing of poly(thiophene) by functionalizing the aromatic ring to maintain solubility after polymer formation. Films are then able to be solvent cast followed by thermolysis of the functional group to form insoluble films.

The Ashby Group

Members of the Ashby Group focus on the synthesis of functionalized materials with applications ranging from biology to alternative energy. We synthesize degradable polyester based material to take advantage of their enhanced biocompatibility and high degree of physical and chemical control. The materials we have synthesized range in applications from cell scaffolds to degradable shape memory devices.

A need in current biomaterials is the integration of functional groups into degradable polymers to impart properties for specialized applications. Two methods we employ utilize cyclization chemistry through "click" type reactions and Diels-Alder chemistry to integrate polar groups into a polyester backbone. Group members are also investigating functionalization chemistry based on aminooxy coupling reactions.