John Pojman
Professor & Chair Louisiana State University
- Baton Rouge LA
Dr. Pojman is known for researching frontal polymerization, nonlinear chemical dynamics, and polymeric systems.
Areas of Expertise
Biography
Research Focus
Frontal Polymerization & Fast‑Curing Polymer Composites
Dr. Pojman’s research focuses on frontal polymerization, nonlinear chemical dynamics, and macromolecular materials, developing rapid, cure‑on‑demand polymers and composites for repair, additive manufacturing, and microgravity processing. He couples thermal and photofrontal chemistries with hydrodynamic modeling and real‑time diagnostics to engineer fast‑curing systems; he is the William & Patricia Senn, Jr. Distinguished Professor and chair of LSU’s Department of Chemistry.
Education
University of Texas at Austin
Ph.D.
Chemical Physics
1988
Georgetown University
B.S.
Chemistry
1984
Accomplishments
LSU Alumni Association Faculty Excellence Award
2017
Media Appearances
LSU professor creates QuickCure Clay, combining science, art, aiding wide range of artists
LSU Reveille online
2020-05-13
QuickCure Clay was formed by the combination of two different worlds: art and science.
The science came from the award-winning scientist Dr. John Pojman and his knowledge of chemistry, and the art came from the creative sculptures all over the U.S.
The clay is unlike any other because of its ability to harden almost instantly with the application of heat. Most sculpting clays need to be set with a kiln for hours, which can be a pricey and tiresome process.
Thousands of gallons of good: LSU chemists help Louisiana prepare large batches of hand rub sanitizer
Phys.org online
2020-04-06
Last week, Mai and his advisor LSU Chemistry Chair John Pojman helped oversee the formulation of the first two batches of hand rub sanitizer, which were placed into 5,300 bottles for distribution through the state. The chemists followed the World Health Organization's recipe.
"We had to use our knowledge of chemical structures and purity and dilution," Pojman said. "Mixing 670 gallons of liquids and assuring uniformity is completely different than what we do in a research lab where we will typically deal with 100 milliliters at a time."
Articles
Bubble‐Free Frontal Polymerization of Acrylates Using 1, 1, 2, 2‐Tetraphenyl‐1, 2‐Ethanediol as a Free‐Radical Initiator
Journal of Polymer Science2025
We demonstrated that using 1,1,2,2‐tetraphenylethanediol (TPED) as the free‐radical initiator in the thermal frontal polymerization of acrylates produced samples without voids, as occurs with peroxide initiators, but with velocities ten times slower than most peroxides. Unlike persulfate initiators, which also produce void‐free materials, TPED is commercially available and allows very long shelf lives. TPED has been used for the radical‐induced cationic frontal polymerization of epoxies but has not been studied with acrylates alone.
A Novel Approach to Cure-on-Demand Coatings Using Ammonia to Catalyze Thiol-Acrylate and Thiol-Epoxy Reactions
ACS Omega2025
Cure-on-demand thiol-acrylate and thiol-epoxy coatings were developed by using ammonia as a catalyst. This novel method is a one-pot formulation that eliminates the need for volatile organic components and introduces a novel curing technique for coatings. Two ammonia sources were employed: a 30% aqueous solution of ammonia and ammonia generated by the urea-urease clock reaction with watermelon seed powder (WMSP) serving as a source of the urease enzyme. The pot lives were extended to at least 30 days by adding stabilizers. The use of the urea-urease clock reaction produced ammonia after a programmable delay, which allowed the coating to be covered with aluminum foil to prevent ammonia loss.
Frontal polymerization in thin layers: Hydrodynamic effects and asymptotic dynamics
The Journal of Chemical Physics2025
Buoyancy-driven convection currents arise from temperature gradients in thermal frontal polymerization (FP) when the spatially localized polymerization reaction travels perpendicularly to the gravity field. We propose a theoretical study of the system dynamics under adiabatic conditions. The polymer and the reactant mixture are considered to be in the same liquid phase, but the viscosity can increase with the degree of polymerization. We find that the reaction zone propagates as a hot spot-like pattern with a broken symmetry in both the vertical and horizontal directions. Furthermore, the system can reach an asymptotic dynamics characterized by a front with a steady shape that propagates at constant speed with a steady vortex surrounding it.
Frontal Polymerization of Phytic Acid Containing Hexaacrylate, Triacrylate, and Fillers
Journal of Applied Polymer Science2025
Frontal polymerization (FP) has been used in the application of coatings, adhesive, and composites. In this work, a new bio‐based phytic acid monomer, known as phyto‐urethane acrylate (PUA) with demonstrated flame retardant abilities, has been incorporated and frontally polymerized into a base formulation composed of trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA), a peroxide thermal radical initiator and fumed silica. This is the first report of a hexaacrylate monomer cured via FP. Four different fillers (magnesium hydroxide, nano zinc oxide, milled carbon fiber, and melamine), known for their flame‐retardant properties were also incorporated into the base formulation along with PUA resin. The front velocity, front temperature and viscosity were studied for all formulations in detail.
Thiol‐Acrylate Gel Systems For Frontal Polymerization
Journal of Polymer Science2025
A trithiol‐triacrylate gel system for frontal polymerization was explored to establish the gelation time, shelf life, and frontal kinetics. The free‐standing gels were created by triethylamine‐catalyzed Michael addition of trimethylolpropane tris(3‐mercaptopropionate) to trimethylolpropane triacrylate such that sufficient acrylate functional groups were left unreacted to allow free‐radical frontal polymerization with the initiator 1,1‐bis(tert‐butylperoxy)‐3,3,5‐trimethylcyclohexane (Luperox 231). Systems with gelation times between 30 and 60 min that support frontal polymerization after up to 28 days of storage were achieved. The front velocity was found to depend on the 1,1‐bis(tert‐butylperoxy)‐3,3,5‐trimethylcyclohexane concentration.
Affiliations
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
- Mississippi Academy of Sciences
- Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society
- Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society
Research Grants
Reduction of Volatile Organic Compounds Through Development of Novel Next Generation Cure-On-Demand Ultra High Solid Non-Skid Coating
Navy
2020-2021
Time-lapse and Cure-on-Demand Polymerization using Autocatalytic Reactions
National Science Foundation
2015-2019
Media
