Biographical Sketch
Dr. Swanson obtained a BSc in Chemistry from Heriot-Watt University in 1985, which was followed by a PhD from the same institution in 1989. In 1988 she became a senior research chemist at Royal Mail Research (Swindon). In 1991 she became a Leverhulme Fellow at Lancaster University. In 1995 she was appointed to a lectureship at Lancaster University and subsequently to a senior lectureship. In 2000 she was appointed to a senior lectureship at the University of Sheffield.
Research Keywords
Luminescence spectroscopy, water-soluble polymers, smart polymers, polymer dynamics
Teaching Keywords
Physical Chemistry; Polymer Chemistry
Selected Publications:
- Binding Bacteria to Highly Branched Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) Modified with Vancomycin Induces the Coil-to-Globule Transition, J. Shepherd, P. Sarker, K. Swindells, I. Douglas, S. MacNeil, L. Swanson and S. Rimmer, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 1736-1737.
- Conformational Behavior of a Series of N-Isopropylacrylamide-Bromostyrene Statistical Copolymers via Phosphorescence Measurements, I. Soutar, L. Swanson, P. G. Adamson and N. J. Flint, Macromolecules 2009, 42, 9153-9160.
- Manipulating the thermoresponsive behaviour of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) 3. On the conformational behaviour of N-isopropylacrylamide graft copolymers, C. K. Chee, B. J. Hunt, S. Rimmer, R. Rutkaite, I. Soutar and L. Swanson, Soft Matter 2009, 5, 3701-3712.
- Development of Three-Dimensional Tissue-Engineered Models of Bacterial Infected Human Skin Wounds, Joanna Shepherd, Ian Douglas, Stephen Rimmer, Linda Swanson and Sheila MacNeil, Tissue Eng Part C-Me 2009, 15, 475-484.
- Switching the conformational behaviour of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide), S. Rimmer, I. Soutar and L. Swanson, Polym. Int. 2009, 58, 273-278.
- The polymer physics and chemistry of microbial cell attachment and adhesion, M. Geoghegan, J. S. Andrews, C. A. Biggs, K. E. Eboigbodin, D. R. Elliott, S. Rolfe, J. Scholes, J. J. Ojeda, M. E. Romero-Gonzalez, R. G. J. Edyvean, L. Swanson, R. Rutkaite, R. Fernando, Y. Pen, Z. Y. Zhang and S. A. Banwart, Faraday Discuss. 2008, 139, 85-103.
- Fluorescence studies of pyrene-labelled, pH-responsive diblock copolymer micelles in aqueous solution, R. Rutkaite, L. Swanson, Y. Li and S. P. Armes, Polymer 2008, 49, 1800-1811.
- Conformation of poly(methacrylic acid) chains in dilute aqueous solution, L. Ruiz-Perez, A. Pryke, M. Sommer, G. Battaglia, I. Soutar, L. Swanson and M. Geoghegan, Macromolecules 2008, 41, 2203-2211
Research Interests
A major area of my research is concerned with investigation of the conformational behaviour of polymers in aqueous solution. Water-soluble polymers constitute an important class of material which find application in a wide variety of technologies. Within this overall class, water-soluble polymers which exhibit "smart" behaviour (i.e. which have the ability to change their conformation in response to an external stimulus (such as temperature or pH) are of particular importance. The past 20 years have witnessed increased activity involving luminescence techniques to probe the conformational behaviour of water-soluble polymers. The use of luminescence spectroscopy allows examination of ultra-dilute polymer solutions, permitting examination of purely intra-molecular effects.
For example, fluorescence anisotropy and energy transfer experiments have revealed that poly(methacrylic acid) PMAA undergoes a conformational transition from an uncoiled to hypercoiled state between pH 4 and 6. In the compact form PMAA is able to solubilise organic material which is of importance in controlled release applications. With poly(acrylic acid) on the other hand, the change in relaxation behaviour is much less dramatic: an essentially open coil conformation is adopted at all values of pH. Modification of PAA and PMAA with monomers such as styrene and vinyl naphthalene shifts the conformational transition of the resultant copolymers to higher values of pH. This has the overall consequence of extending the range over which these copolymers can solubilise organic probes. (This may have important uses in certain areas of analytical chemistry where a broader range of pH over which solutes remain in solution may be desired).
Building on the experience gained through investigation of polymers such as PMAA and PAA, work has continued into the investigation of another "smart" polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAM. PNIPAM displays lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behaviour at 32°C. Fluorescence anisotropy experiments have confirmed that the LCST occurs as a result of a two stage process: initially an intramolecular conformational transition results in coil collapse. The second stage involves intermolecular aggregation between collapsed coils. Current work in this area involves varying the temperature of the LCST by copolymerising NIPAM with monomers, which alter the macromolecules hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and topographical structure of the resultant polymer. Fluorescence energy transfer measurements allow us to monitor the degree of conformational change in the macromolecule. The resulting polymers could have potential in controlled release applications and in detection of biomaterial.
Other areas of research include investigation of the dynamic behaviour of polymers in the solid state; interactions of biopolymers and the conformational behaviour of polymers adsorbed at surfaces.
Dr. Linda Swanson