Dr. Kloxin`s research focuses on monomer and polymer synthesis, click polymer chemistry, self healing materials, stimuli-responsive polymers, and synthetic nucleic acids.
Dr. Kloxin`s group is interested in several polymer-based research areas including: (1) stimuli-responsive materials for materials-healing; (2) novel photopolymerization and photocoupling reactions for spatiotemporal materials fabrication; and (3) synthetic nucleic acids for gene diagnostics and therapies as well as nanoparticle assembly. In each case, Dr. Kloxin`s group designs and synthesizes the materials from the monomer up to precisely tune the molecular architecture. The group then utilizes an array of characterization techniques, such as rheometry, scattering, and microscopy, to understand the relationship between the underlying microscopic structure and the macroscopic property. This latter process informs the direction for monomer design and synthesis to optimize the desired property for a specific application.
