Research Areas
Frustrated Helical Architectures: Helical structures are increasingly becoming commonplace in the modern technological world, attributed to their chiroptical and mechanical properties as well as their compact structures. Like a spring, helices can be reversibly deformed mechanically, affording emergent properties in the metastable state.
In the Greenfield Group, we are interested in self-assembled helices that can alter their properties under applied stimuli with a general outlook towards optoelectronics and energy storage materials.
Controlled Assembly
New approaches to controllably assemble helices: Achieving long/polymeric helices controllably with tailored properties is a key challenge in the field. Our lab is exploring a broad set of strategies to tackle this challenge, one of which utilises stimuli-responsive monomers.
Achieving Function
Exploiting out-of-equilibrium structures: Perturbing a system out of equilibrium into a higher energy state can give rise to emergent properties. We seek to harness the energy dissipated as the system relaxes to perform useful operations and work.
Molecular Exploration
Novel stimuli-responsive motifs: One can never have too many tools! In addition to the variety of switchable molecules already reported, a key area of our focus is in designing novel stimuli-responsive motifs that grant new properties and functionality.
