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Role in the Centre
As a polymer chemist, Dr. Laura Delafresnaye is specialised in the design, the synthesis and the study of macromolecules obtained via various controlled polymerization techniques with a strong background on particle synthesis using emulsion, miniemulsion and precipitation polymerization in water and solvent media. She is conversant with a wide range of analytical techniques covering microscopic, spectroscopic, and macroscopic characterization methods applied to organic and polymer chemistry as well as material science. Over the last years, she also developed her expertise in photochemistry and chemiluminescence. Her work experience in highly renown worldwide companies such as Bluestar Silicones, Solvay and Boiron contributed to her awareness on industrial issues and interests. Within QUT’s Centre for Materials Science, Laura fuses the fields of advanced particle synthesis and chemiluminescence to produce on-demand degradable materials as well as self-reporting readout microspheres with an emphasis on solving real-world problems.
Short Biography
Laura received both her engineering degree in chemistry and her MSc in polymer chemistry in 2012 (CPE/University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France). During her studies, Laura worked as a junior engineer for one year at Bluestar Silicones in Barcelona, Spain. After a master thesis on controlled radical polymerization at the Chemistry, Catalysis, Polymers and Process laboratory (C2P2, Lyon, France), she pursued with a PhD in collaboration with Solvay under the supervision of Dr E. Bourgeat-Lami and Dr M. Lansalot. Her thesis on the synthesis of polymer/clay nanocomposites film-forming latexes for oxygen and water vapour films led to the publication of a patent as well as several high-impact research papers. In 2017, Laura joined the Soft Matter Materials Laboratory at QUT, Brisbane, under the supervision of Prof. C. Barner-Kowollik. While her research as a postdoctoral fellow focuses on photochemistry and chemiluminescent systems, she is also co-supervising HDR students and collaborating with various groups at the University of New South Wales. Her strong leadership skills and undeniable involvement led to her promotion as Head of the Laboratory Operations of the Soft Matter Materials laboratory in 2018 and Research Coordinator for the DVCRI Prof. C. Barner-Kowollik in December 2019.
Selected Publications
“Microspheres from light – a sustainable materials platform” Delafresnaye, L.; Feist, F.; Hooker Jordan P.; Barner-Kowollik, C. Nat Commun, 2022, 13, 5132.
“All Eyes on Visible‐Light Peroxyoxalate Chemiluminescence Read‐Out Systems” Delafresnaye, L.; Bloesser, F. R.; Kockler, K. B.; Schmitt, C. W.; Irshadeen, I. M.; Barner‐Kowollik, C. Chem.: Eur. J 2020, 26, 114-127.
“With polymer photoclicks to fluorescent microspheres” Hooker, J. P.; Delafresnaye, L.; Barner, L.; Barner-Kowollik, C. Mater. Horiz. 2019, 6, 356-363.
“A Photochemical Ligation System Enabling Solid‐Phase Chemiluminescence Read‐Out” Delafresnaye, L.; Schmitt, C. W.; Barner, L.; Barner‐Kowollik, C. Chem.: Eur. J 2019, 25, 12538-12544.
“A Simple and Versatile Pathway for the Synthesis of Visible Light Photoreactive Nanoparticles” Delafresnaye, L.; Zaquen, N.; Kuchel, R. P.; Blinco, J. P.; Zetterlund, P. B.; Barner‐Kowollik, C. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2018, 1800342.
“Synthesis of clay-armored poly(vinylidene chloride-co-methyl acrylate) latexes by Pickering emulsion polymerization and their film-forming properties” Delafresnaye, L.; Dugas, P.-Y.; Dufils, P.-E.; Chaduc, I.; Vinas, J.; Lansalot, M.; Bourgeat-Lami, E. Polym. Chem. 2017, 8, 6217-6232.