Water Interactions with Polymer

As most of our work has focused on emulsion polymerization, where the continuous phase is water, we felt obligated (and very interested!) to "dive in" to the world of water and to study this strange and important substance. In particular here, we focus on the mutual interaction of water with polymers (and vice versa). This has led us to learn how to predict degree of hydroplasticization, as well as to experimentally validate predictions, to understand how water beyond the saturation limit for a particular material can still enter a polymer film (and phase separate into water occlusions), as well as to understand and leverage polymeric structures with (lower) critical solution temperatures; thermoresponsive polymers. As I look back through my career thus far, it is WATER that has always been there in every project playing a plethora of roles ... so, WATER, is really the short answer to what I study the most!