Dr. Nicholas Ballard
Research Lines

Our research focuses on the development of polymerization processes for the production of polymers with controlled molecular weight and microstructure, tailored towards specific commercial applications. The research can roughly be divided into two research lines:

  1. Polymerization in dispersed media. Polymerization in aqueous media is an effective means of improving the sustainability of many polymerization processes that have traditionally been performed in organic solvents. By applying knowledge of the fundamental chemical and physical processes involved in polymerization in dispersed media we aim to tailor polymer structures for applications such as coatings and adhesives.
  2. Reversible deactivation radical polymerization (RDRP). RDRP has long been heralded for its ability to synthesize polymers with well defined molecular weights and a range of macromolecular architectures but has not been extensively commercialized due to issues with the scalability of the polymerization process. Through the development of new cost-effective control agents and new approaches to macromolecular reaction engineering we aim to improve the scalability of RDRP processes to realize their potential in a broad range of applications.