PSE Masterclass - Professor Kirk Schanze

Conjugated polyelectrolytes: bridging the gap between fundamental properties and applications to biosensing and antimicrobial defense
By Professor Kirk Schanze

Abstract
Conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) featuring poly(phenylene ethynylene) and poly(thiophene) backbones substituted with ionic solubilizing groups are water soluble. These materials display a variety of interesting properties, including self-assembly into nanoscale aggregates, ability to process into nanostructured layer-by-layer films and optical/stimuli responsive behavior in the presence of ions, surfactants and biomacromolecules. We have explored the use of cationic CPEs as fluorescent sensors for polyphosphates (pyrophosphate, ATP and ADP). In addition, cationic CPEs exhibit profound light-activated biocidal activity vs. a broad spectrum of bioagents, including bacteria, virus particles and spores. The talk will give a high-level overview work in this area, including recent work concerning the interactions between cationic CPEs and mammalian cells.

[1] Jiang, H.; Taranekar, P.; Reynolds, J. R.; Schanze, K. S. “Conjugated Polyelectrolytes: Synthesis, Photophysics, and Applications”, Angew. Chem. 2009, 48, 4300-4316, DOI: 10.1002/anie.200805456.

[2] Li, Z.; Acharya, R.; Wang, S. S.; Schanze, K. S., “Photophysics and Phosphate Fluorescence Sensing by poly(Phenylene Ethynylene) Conjugated Polyelectrolytes with Branched Ammonium Side Groups”, J. Mat. Chem. C 2018, 6, 3722-3730, DOI: 10.1039/c7tc05081j.

[3] Huang, Y.; Li, Z.; Risinger, A. L.; Enslow, B. T.; Zeman, C. J., IV; Jiang, G.; Yang, Y.; Schanze, K. S. “Fluorescence Spectral Shape Analysis for Nucleotide Identification” Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 2019, 116, 15386-15391, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1820713116.

[4] Sun, H.; Barboza-Ramos, I.; Wang, X.; Schanze, K. S., “Phosphonium-Substituted Conjugated Polyelectrolytes Display Efficient Visible-Light-Induced Antibacterial Activity” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2024, 16, 20023-20033, 10.1021/acsami.3c16335.

[5] Tan, C.; Wang, S.; Barboza-Ramos, I.; Schanze, K. S., “A Perspective Looking Backward and Forward on the 25th Anniversary of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes” ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2024, 16, 19887-19892, 10.1021/acsami.4c02617.

About Prof. Schanze
Kirk Schanze earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Florida State University in 1979 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. He was appointed a Miller Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1984-1986 and began his independent faculty career at the University of Florida in 1986. Schanze was University Distinguished Professor and Prominski Professor of Chemistry at the University of Florida until 2016. He is currently the Robert A Welch Distinguished University Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He was a Senior Editor of the ACS journal Langmuir from 2000 - 2008. From 2008 - 2023, Schanze was Editor-in-Chief of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces and the ACS Applied Materials family of journals (7 titles). He is currently serving as Deputy Editor of ACS Central Science which is the flagship diamond open access journal published by ACS.

He has authored or co-authored more than 380 peer-reviewed articles on basic and applied research topics, with a primary focus on organic and organometallic materials chemistry, and is inventor or co-inventor in 20 patents or disclosures.

About King Abdullah University of Science & Technology
Established in 2009, KAUST is a graduate research university devoted to finding solutions for some of the most pressing scientific and technological challenges in the world as well as Saudi Arabia in the areas of food and health, water, energy, environment and the digital domain. KAUST is a curiosity-driven, interdisciplinary problem-solving environment, with state-of-the-art labs, distinguished faculty and talented students.

About the Physical Science and Engineering Division at KAUST
The Physical Science and Engineering Division offers a wide range of exciting research opportunities for both M.S. and Ph.D. students. We have a highly interdisciplinary research program that spans across the areas of chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering, applied physics and environmental science. Our students work on cutting-edge research projects that aim to address the world's most pressing challenges. Please click on the links below to learn more!

For additional information, visit:
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