Liberal Arts and Sciences
Sumerlin Lab
Led by Brent Sumerlin · Chemistry
What we study
The Sumerlin Lab uses organic chemistry to create and modify polymers—large chain‑like molecules—with precise shapes and functions. They develop controlled polymerization and depolymerization methods to tailor material properties and explore recycling and responsive applications.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- No organisms (data only)
- No coding
- Projects
- 6
- Papers
- 2
Current projects
Retrofitting PMMA with a Thermal Trigger for Efficient De‑polymerization
Designing PMMA polymers that break down when heated to enable easier recycling.
Bulk Depolymerization of Poly(methyl methacrylate) via Pendant Group Functionalization
The lab works on turning the plastic PMMA back into its building blocks by adding special chemical groups. Students partially break down PMMA, attach phthalimide esters, and then test how well the modified plastic can be depolymerized into monomers.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 422
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Polymers of Dynamic Sequence through Depolymerization
Researchers break down a specific vinyl polymer to recover its building blocks, then immediately rebuild it into a material with a random sequence, showing that polymers can be repeatedly reprocessed into new forms.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 384
Tandem Degradation-Depolymerization of Bio-derived Comb Copolymers
The lab made a new type of plastic that has a backbone and side chains that both break down when heated. The student synthesized the comb‑shaped polymers, added PLA side chains, and tested how heat triggers the two degradation pathways.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 363
Leveraging hydroxyl-yne ‘click’ chemistry as a versatile post-polymerization method to synthesize covalent adaptable networks
The lab develops new polymer materials that can change shape when stimulated. They attach alkynes to vinyl polymers and then react them with alcohols or phenols using a hydroxyl‑yne click reaction to make networks that can relax stress and be reshaped.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 317
Tuning Material Properties Through Depolymerization
The lab creates a new type of plastic that can be broken down into its original parts and then re‑made without losing strength. This is done by adding special bonds that can be swapped out when the material is heated.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 100
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Selective Depolymerization for Sculpting Polymethacrylate Molecular Weight Distributions
2025 · Journal of the American Chemical Society
Using targeted depolymerization to shape the size distribution of polymethacrylate chains.
- In Situ Monitoring of Droplet Behavior in Inverse Microemulsions
2025 · ACS Nano
Watching tiny droplets inside microemulsions in real time to understand polymer formation.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Brent Sumerlin hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.