Self-immolative polymers: Designing, synthesizing, and applying polymers that fall apart
Elizabeth R. Gillies
Professor, Department of Chemistry; Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
University of Western Ontario
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
11:00 a.m.
In-person: C2-361
Abstract: Degradable polymers are of growing interest for many areas, including biomedical applications, smart materials and devices, and to address the challenges associated with plastics pollution. Significant progress has been made using backbones such as polysaccharides, polyesters, and a growing number of bio-based polymers. However, in some cases it is desirable to be able to control precisely when and where polymers degrade and to access their degradation under a diverse range of conditions. Self-immolative polymers are a growing class of degradable polymers that undergo controlled end-to-end depolymerization following a stimulus-mediated backbone or end-cap cleavage. This presentation will describe the chemical foundations of self-immolative polymers including elimination-based spacers and low ceiling temperature polymers, followed by the rational design of different backbones and end-caps. Their incorporation into block copolymers and hydrogel networks will also be explored. Finally, the presentation will then cover examples of how these polymers can be applied.
Elizabeth Gillies is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Polymeric Biomaterials and a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario. She obtained her B.Sc. degree in Chemistry from Queen's University, Kingston, in 2000. She then moved to the University of California, Berkeley where she completed her Ph.D. degree in 2004 working under the guidance of Jean Fréchet. After postdoctoral work at the University of Bordeaux with Ivan Huc, she joined Western in 2006. Her research interests are in the development of biodegradable polymers, stimuli-responsive polymers, phosphorus-containing polymers, and polymer assemblies. Her team is applying these polymers via multidisciplinary collaborations with industry and academia to a range of applications including coatings, packaging, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and agriculture. Dr. Gillies is currently an Associate Editor at the journal Biomacromolecules. She has received a number of recognitions including an NSERC E. W. R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, the Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada, as well as membership in the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.