Students in our group use multi-step organic syntheses, gain hands-on experience with handling of air-sensitive compounds by means of Schlenk techniques and inert-atmosphere glove boxes, and learn to apply state-of-the-art polymerization techniques.

Of paramount importance to our research program is the characterization of monomers and polymers. Techniques that we commonly apply include multinuclear NMR, IR and UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence and electrochemical measurements, X-ray crystallography, and mass spectrometry. We also use common polymer characterization techniques such as size exclusion chromatography (SEC/GPC), multi angle laser light scattering (MALLS), MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).

Some of the instruments that we commonly use are shown below: