Liam Palmer

About

Liam Palmer is a Research Professor of Chemistry and the Director of Research at the Center for Regenerative Nanomedicine (CRN) at Northwestern University. He holds a PhD from The Scripps Research Institute, obtained in 2005. His research focuses on using molecular design to control the structure and function of soft materials. He investigates directional intermolecular interactions, such as peptide hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking, which provide opportunities to tune the symmetry, morphology, and cohesiveness of materials from the nano to the macroscopic scale. These materials are applied to a wide range of biological and bio-inspired applications.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry
• Organic chemistry
• Artificial Intelligence
• Operating system
• Polymer chemistry
• Composite material
• Photochemistry

Selected publications

• Light-Driven Expansion of Spiropyran Hydrogels

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2020 · 331 citations

  The incorporation of molecular switches in organic structures is of great interest in the chemical design of stimuli-responsive materials that mimic the complex functions of living systems. Merocyanine dyes that convert to spiropyran moieties upon exposure to visible light have been extensively studied as they can be incorporated in hydrated covalent networks that will expel water when this conversion occurs and induce a volumetric shrinkage. We report here on a sulfonate-based water-soluble pho…

  DOI

• Supramolecular–covalent hybrid polymers for light-activated mechanical actuation

  Nature Materials · 2020 · 305 citations

  DOI

• Fast and programmable locomotion of hydrogel-metal hybrids under light and magnetic fields

  Science Robotics · 2020 · 282 citations

  The design of soft matter in which internal fuels or an external energy input can generate locomotion and shape transformations observed in living organisms is a key challenge. Such materials could assist in productive functions that may range from robotics to smart management of chemical reactions and communication with cells. In this context, hydrated matter that can function in aqueous media would be of great interest. Here, we report the design of hydrogels containing a scaffold of high-aspe…

  DOI

• Peptide programming of supramolecular vinylidene fluoride ferroelectric phases

  Nature · 2024-10-09 · 40 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Autonomous hydrogel locomotion regulated by light and electric fields

  Science Advances · 2023-08-02 · 40 citations

  articleOpen access

  Autonomous robotic functions in materials beyond simple stimulus-response actuation require the development of functional soft matter that can complete well-organized tasks without step-by-step control. We report the design of photo- and electroactivated hydrogels that can capture and deliver cargo, avoid obstacles, and return without external, stepwise control. By incorporating two spiropyran monomers with different chemical substituents in the hydrogel, we created chemically random networks th…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Samuel I. Stupp

  Northwestern University

  86 shared

• Hiroaki Sai

  Northwestern University

  27 shared

• Mónica Olvera de la Cruz

  Northwestern University

  22 shared

• H. Christopher Fry

  Argonne National Laboratory

  15 shared

• Subramanian K. R. S. Sankaranarayanan

  University of Illinois Chicago

  13 shared

• Michael J. Bedzyk

  11 shared

• Nicholas A. Sather

  10 shared

• Tristan D. Clemons

  University of Southern Mississippi

  9 shared

Education

• PhD, Chemistry

  The Scripps Research Institute

  2005

• B.S. in Chemistry, Chemistry

  University of South Carolina System

  1999

Similar researchers at Northwestern University

• Christos Malliakash-65
• Selim Alayogluh-55
• Ryan Youngh-46