Prof. W. James Feast, CBE, FRS

(email at w.j.feast@durham.ac.uk)

Research Interests

Professor Feast reached formal retirement age in 2003 and now works as a Research Professor in the Department and also in the Technical University of Eindhoven. He does not recruit M.Sc. or Ph.D. students.

His interests include:

• polymers which control size and form of inorganic crystal growth;
• materials displaying novel electrical, magnetic and optical properties;
• fluoropolymers of various kinds, e.g. stereoregular fluoropolymers and fluorinated block copolymers;
• polymers of novel topology, dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers;
• self ordering systems;
• biomaterials, particularly related to urological applications.

In polymers, structure controls properties.  An important objective of polymer chemistry is increased precision in the control of size and stereochemistry in the synthesis of established and novel polymers.  The Durham group has made several contributions to this theme of research.  Examples of achievements include:

• synthesis of stereoblock copolymers via ligand exchange at the active chain end of a living ROMP system;
• demonstration that the mechanical properties of blends of dendritic and linear polymers are very sensitive functions of the size of the dendrimer;
• synthesis of self-ordering polyene and oligothiophene systems displaying enhanced charge carrier mobilities;
• demonstration that solid state photoluminescence efficiency is a sensitive function of cis/trans ratio in poly(arylene vinylene)s;
• control of branching ratio in an AB2 addition polymerisation, leading to dendritic solution behaviour.
• Synthesis of chiral self assembling sexithiophenes

References

1. Approaches to highly polar polymers with low glass transition temperatures. 2. Fluorinated polymers via ring-opening metathesis copolymerisation and hydrogenation. W. James Feast^*, Miquel Gimeno and Ezat Khosravi, J. Mol. Cat A: Chemical 213, 9-14 (2004).
2. About Oligothiophene Self-Assembly: From Aggregation in Solution to Solid-State Nanostructures Ph. Leclère, M.Surin, P.Viville, R. Lazzaroni, A.F.M. Kilbinger, O.Henze, W.J. Feast, M. Cavallini, F. Biscarini, A.P.H.J. Schenning and E.W. Meijer, Chem. Mater, 16, 4452-4466 (2004).
3. Supramolecular Electronic Coupling in Chiral Oligothiophene Nanostructures, S. Westenhoff, A. Abrusci, W.J. Feast, O. Henze, A.F.M. Kilbinger, A.P.H.J. Schenning and C. Silva, Adv. Mater, 18, 1281-1285 (2006).
4. Chiral Amphiphilic Self-Assembled α,α’-Linked Quinque-, Sexi-, and Septithiophenes: Synthesis, Stability and Odd-Even Effects, O.Henze, W.J. Feast, F. Gardebien, P. Jonkheijm, R. Lazzaroni, Ph. Leclère, E.W. Meijer and A.P.H.J. Schenning, J. Am. Chem.Soc, 128, 5923-5929 (2006).
5. Molecule-Molecule versus Molecule-Substrate Interactions in the Assembly of Oligothiophenes at Surfaces, M.Surin, Ph. Leclère, S. De Feyter, M.M.S. Abdel-Mottaleb, F.C. De Schyver, O.Henze, W.J. Feast and R. Lazzaroni, J. Phys. Chem. B, 110, 7898-7908 (2006).
6. Synthesis and Radical Polymerisation of 1,1-Difluoro-2-vinylcyclopropane: A Reexamination and Structural Reassignment, W.J. Feast, M. Gimeno and A.M. Kenwright, Macromolecules, 39, 4076-4080 (2006).
7. Anharmonic Magnetic Deformation of Self-Assembled Molecular Nanocapsules, O.V. Manyuhina, I.O. Shklyarevskiy, P. Jonkheim, P.C.M. Christianen , A. Fasolino, M.I. Katsnelson, A.P.H.J. Schenning, E.W. Meijer, O.Henze, A.F.M. Kilbinger, , W.J. Feast and J.C. Mann, Phys. Rev. Letters, 98, 146101 (2007).