Frontiers in Nanotechnology Seminar Series Presents, Todd Emrick from UMass Medical School

“Functional Polymer Chemistry at Nanoscale and Mesoscale Interfaces”

This lecture will describe the polymer and materials chemistry of nano- and mesoscale structures and interfaces, with the objective of producing fundamental advances for critically important features of optoelectronics, dynamic surfaces, and surfactant/interface science. The topics to be presented arise from the merger of polymer chemistry and materials interfaces, such as the synthesis of novel polymer zwitterions that have generated a surprising breadth of new findings as interfacial layers in efficient solar cells and as adhesion layers between liquid droplets.

Specific topics to be presented will include: 1) the preparation of nanocomposite electronic materials composed of cesium lead halide perovskite nanocrystals and stabilizing polymer zwitterions as ligands, the combination of which boosts the thermal and solvent stability of this class of nanocrystals; 2) the synthesis of polymer zwitterions with embedded functionality that yields unexpected interfacial properties in fluids and at polymer-air or polymer-water interfaces, including petal-like effects in which hydrophobic surfaces retain water; and 3) new concepts in surfactant science, with focus on mesoscale structures that wrap fluid interfaces to afford micro-packaged droplets.

Get to know Todd

Todd Emrick is a Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and adjunct faculty member at the UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA. He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Juniata College in Pennsylvania (1992) and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with Professor Philip E. Eaton at the University of Chicago (1997). Following postdoctoral work in polymer synthesis at the University of California Berkeley with Professor Jean Fréchet, he began his independent position at UMass Amherst in 2001.

While at UMass, his research has focused on the intersection of organic and polymer synthesis, with outlets in materials science and engineering. Advances from Emrick’s group have been recognized by the Carl S. Marvel Award for creative polymer chemistry (ACS Polymer Division), election to the National Academy of Inventors, selection as the UMass Amherst College of Natural Sciences Outstanding Researcher and recipient of the 2026 Chancellor’s Medal at UMass.

He is the prior Director of the NSF-supported Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) on Polymers at UMass Amherst (2008-2017) and is currently an investigator in research programs supported by the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Petroleum Research Fund.