My research focuses on polymer physics and smart materials. Much of the work is centered on the molecular organisation of polymers including liquid crystal and crystalline systems and how such organisation is influenced and controlled by external fields such as electric, magnetic, extensional, shear and light. In parallel, there is strong programme on smart materials underpinned by a molecular understanding of the novel materials involved. Much of this work is performed within the scope of the Polymer Science Centre at Reading, an interschool activity involving both the School of Mathematics, Meteorology and Physics and the School of Chemistry, Food Biosciences and Pharmacy. and the wider Nanoscience and Materials Theme. Collaborative programmes also are in place with the Centre for Biomimetics, the School of Food Biosciences., Mathematics and the School of Biological Sciences.

There are strong international collaborative research programmes including with the University of Naples (Italy), the Rapid Prototyping Group at the  Instituto Politécnico de Leiria  (Portugal),  The Biomedical Polymer Group Chiang Mai University (Thailand) and within the UK with the University of Southampton and the University of Oxford.

The smart materials programme involves the development of novel materials which exhibit "intelligent" properties, for example the material can sense environmental changes and adapt by modifying its properties. A major strand involves liquid crystal elastomers. Liquid crystal elastomers are a fascinating new class of materials which combine an entropically driven network structure and the long range orientational ordering of the liquid crystal phase. The interaction between these two competing effects gives rise to materials with new phenomena which includes electrically induced shapes changes, mechanically induced director reorientation, piezoelectric effects and much more. A major current programme involves the development of novel actuator systems. We have discovered a new technology in the form of soft-imprinting and applied this to chiral structures with links to the life sciences. We have developed a new class of elastomers namely, ferrronematic and we are currently exploring their use across several applications as well as the basic physics involved. In addition to liquid crystal gels we have a major programme in the development of smart gels for vibrational damping.

The electronic and photonic properties of polymer based materials continues to receive much attention. A major interest is the exploitation of polymeric materials in supercapacitors. Supercapacitors are an essential technology for both electric vehicles and other hybrid power systems especially within the context of sustainable technologies. A variety of programmes exploit the non-linear optical properties of organic polymers and most recently work has focused on photorefractive polymers and photorefractive liquid crystal systems. We have discovered and developed the technique of photo-induced poling which allows patterns of non-linear optical activity to be written into thin polymer films. This gives rise to new devices including both modulators and waveguide systems.

Much of the focus of my research is the use of x-ray and neutron scattering techniques to explore the molecular organisation of polymers and how that molecular organisation can be modified by external fields. A major programme involves time-resolving x-ray and neutron scattering studies of polymers in flow fields (shear and extensional). Currently we are applying these techniques coupled with novel in-situ deformation stages to the study of crystallisation of polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene from sheared melts and to the behaviour of additives such as nucleating agents during flow. This work is complemented by optical studies including light scattering and Raman microscopy. A collaborative programme has developed with the School of Food Biosciences which focuses on the study of elastic proteins and in particular gluten networks within wheat dough. Here the emphasis is on biaxial extensional flow. We have developed new broad Q neutron scattering techniques coupled tightly to molecular modelling procedures which allow us to obtain detailed and realistic structures for even complex polymer systems. At present the focus of much of the work is an examination of the local interactions which stabilise miscible blends.

Each of these programmes involves the use of major international facilities for example neutron scattering experiments are performed at ISIS (UK), ILL (France) and at Studvisk (Sweden) while synchrotron-based x-ray scattering measurements are made at the Daresbury SRS and at LURE, ESRF and DESY. These are complemented by extensive in-house facilities.