The University of Sheffield
Department of Chemistry

Stephen RimmerProf. Stephen Rimmer

Professor of Polymer and Biomaterials Chemistry

Room: C78

Tel: +44-(0)114-22-29565

Fax: +44-(0)114-22-29436

email:

 


 

General Research Teaching

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Rimmer obtained a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Manchester in 1988, which was followed by a Ph.D at Imperial College London in 1992. After his PhD he became a post-doctoral fellow at Lancaster University, where he was appointed Lecturer in 1995 and promoted to senior lecturer in 1999. In 2000 he was appointed to a senior lectureship at the University of Sheffield, where he was promoted to Reader in 2005 and professor in 2012.

Research Keywords

Polymer Synthesis, Biomaterials, Tissue engineering, Functional Polymers, Emulsion Polymerization, Smart Polymers, Drug delivery, Mass Spectrometry, Networks, Supported Synthesis

Teaching Keywords

Polymer Chemistry; Materials

Selected Publications:

  • Time-Resolved Fluorescence Anisotrophy Studies of the Cononsolvency of Poly(N-isopropyl Acrylamide) in Mixtures of Methanol and Water, C.K. Chee, B.J. Hunt, S. Rimmer, I.Souter. L.Swanson, Soft Matter, 7 1176 2011.
  • Highly-branched polymers with polymyxin end groups responsive to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. Sarer, J. Shepherd, K. Swindlells, I. Douglas, S. MacNeil, L. Swanson, S. Rimmer, Biomacromolecules, 12 1 2011.
  • Hyperbranched poly(NIPAM) polmers modified with antibiotics can both bind bacteria and reduce Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial burden in infected human tissue engineered skin. J. Spepherd, P. Sarker, S. Rimmer, L. Swanson, S. MacNeil, I. douglas, Biomaterials, 32 258 2011
  • Synthesis of Chain End Functionalized Linear and Branched Polymers by Non-Living Radical Polymerization in the Presence of a Silyl Enol Ether R.M. England, S. Rimmer Chem., 46 5767 2010
  • 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.
  • Development of a calcium-chelating hydrogel for treatment of superficial burns and scalds, A. J. Bullock, P. Pickavance, D. B. Haddow, S. Rimmer and S. MacNeil, Regen Med 2010, 5, 55-64.
  • Phosphate Functional Core-Shell Polymer Nanoparticles for the Release of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, L. Gilmore, S. MacNeil and S. Rimmer, Chembiochem 2009, 10, 2165-2170.
  • Sub-micron poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) particles as temperature responsive vehicles for the detachment and delivery of human cells, S. Hopkins, S. R. Carter, J. W. Haycock, N. J. Fullwood, S. MacNeil and S. Rimmer, Soft Matter 2009, 5, 4928-4937.
  • 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.
  • Cytocompatibility of poly(1,2 propandiol methacrylate) copolymer hydrogels and conetworks with or without alkyl amine functionality, S. Rimmer, S. P. Wilshaw, P. Pickavance and E. Ingham, Biomaterials 2009, 30, 2468-2478. 

 

Research Interests

My interests are in the area of synthesis of designed functional polymers for medical applications and the discovery of new synthetic methodology for the synthesis of polymers. A growing theme of our research is in the area of polymers for tissue engineering. Here we aim, through interaction with biologists, materials scientists, clinicians and surgeons, to solve the problems associated with the lack of organs for transplantation in the 21st century. New polymers with the capacity to deliver drugs specifically to sites within the body are being prepared. The work involves the use of polymers that undergo phase transitions in response to biological stimuli (such as pH or temperature changes). Molecular imprinted polymer colloids are materials that are able to recognize specific molecules within mixtures. We have now shown that these recognition processes can operate in water (i.e. the biological environment). Therefore, we are investigating the possibility of using these interactions to target particular organs with therapeutics.

Recent new synthetic methodology developed in our laboratories includes: the use of ozone to cleave high molecular polymers to give useful telechelic oligomers; the homopolymerization of very water insoluble monomers in emulsion by use of cyclodextrin additives; the preparation of new polymer supported reagents based on high performance polymers (poly(ether ketones) and the synthesis of telechelic oligomers via cationic polymerization in the presence of masked enolates (ab initio cationic polymerization).

Teaching Section

Organic Chemistry

Undergraduate Courses Taught

  • Functional Polymers (Year 4)
    This segment introduces ways of synthesizing polymers with useful functionality and introduces the basic concepts involved in carrying out these reactions.
  • Polymer Architectures (Year 4)
    This segment introduces the student to methods for preparing polymers of various predetermined shapes and monomer repeat unit distributions.

Postgraduate Courses Taught

  • CHM6106: "Fundamental Polymer Chemistry"
  • CHM6202: "Design and Synthesis of Polymers of Controlled Structure A"
  • CHM6202: "Design and Synthesis of Polymers of Controlled Structure B"

Tutorial & Workshop Support

  • First Year General Tutorials.
  • Third Year Literature Review.
  • Fourth Year Workshops.

Laboratory Teaching

  • Third Year Advanced Practical Chemistry Techniques
  • Fourth Year Research Project.