Dr Aline F. Miller 

Dr Alberto Saiani

The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester

School of Chemical Engineering 

School of Materials

a.miller@manchester.ac.uk

a.saiani@manchester.ac.uk

Characterising and controlling the properties of polymeric materials

This research work focuses on the characterisation of polymeric materials across the length scales. In particular we are interested in understanding the chemical architecture - thermodynamic - structure - physical property correlations in complex polymeric systems with the aim to control and tailor materials properties to specific applications. This work encompasses a variety of polymeric materials including: polyurethanes elastomers, poly(methyl methacrylate) gels, polyolefin and poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid copolymers.

Thin films at the air-water interface

We are interested in understanding and manipulating molecular behaviour at the air-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces. One avenue we are exploring focuses' on the ability of surfactants and polymers to promote, or inhibit, crystallization of small molecules. For example we are using surfactant and hydroxyl based polymers to promote ice crystallisation at the oil-water and air-water interfaces which has implications for the ice-cream industry. This work will be extended to investigate the effect of antifreeze proteins on ice crystal morphology with the aim of mimicking the way fish use macromolecules to prevent their blood freezing. The other area we are working in is trying to reduce water evaporation from for example reservoirs, from soil, or from vegetables during transit. To this end we are focussing on the organisation and mechanical behaviour of a variety of polymeric and peptidic materials at the air-water interface. In addition we are increasing the stability of our materials by cross-linking macromolecules in situ at this interface. Currently we are focussing on understanding the kinetics of the cross-linking reaction and the fundamental network structure and property relationships of dendrimer and graft macromolecules and a range of peptide surfactants.

From fibres to networks using self-assembling peptides

Our group is working towards understanding the fundamental link between building block structure, mesoscopic structure, material properties and cell response of self assembling oligopeptides. This work will give a fundamental understanding of self-assembly that will enable effective material design and application. Consequently we will be able to direct the morphology (e.g.: fiber size, porosity, roughness) and mechanical properties (e.g.: modulus, viscosity) of our materials and tailor them to specific application needs. In particular we are elucidating the molecular drivers for peptide self-assembly across the length scales by synthesising octa peptides with different amino acid sequences to systematically examine the effect of hydrophobicity, charge distribution and amino acid size/type. We are also fully characterising the structure and properties of the functional self-assembled networks and exploring their potential for therapeutic and clinical application.

Understanding and exploiting protein self-assembly

We are exploring the specific rules and general paradigms that govern protein self-assembly. In particular we are concentrating on how proteins un-fold, and self-assemble into fibrillar structures, and subsequently into an array of higher ordered supramolecular structures on the micro, meso and macroscopic length-scales. We are mapping out the phase behaviour of such systems to understand the influence of concentration, pH, ionic strength, temperature and presence of the denaturing agents. This has particular relevance for biopharmaceutical applications and we are also using the knowledge to design novel biomaterials for therapeutic and tissue engineering applications.