Paul Topham

Head of School of Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering Aston University

  • Birmingham

Professor Topham's research is focussed on sustainable polymer science; making new plastics of the future for a wide range of applications.

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Biography

Professor Topham is the Head of School of Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering, Guest Professor at the South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, P.R. China, Secretary of the IUPAC Subcommittee on Polymer Terminology (SPT), Chartered Chemist (CChem), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). He joined the Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Department at Aston in August 2008 as a Lecturer in Chemistry, became a Senior Lecturer in August 2012, a Reader in Polymer Chemistry in August 2013 and a Full Professor in August 2017.

In addition to the above, he has been awarded the prestigious position of representing Hydrogen in the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists for the celebration of IUPAC100 and IYPT (2019): https://iupac.org/100/pt-of-chemist/, was the MacroGroup UK Young Researchers Medal 2014 recipient and is the Secretary for the Polymer Division of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC; https://iupac.org/).

Following the completion of a PhD in 2006 with Professor Anthony J Ryan OBE, he undertook a post-doctoral research position working for Unilever, under the supervision of Professor Steve Armes.

Professor Topham’s research involves the design and creation of new polymers to solve a wide range of real-world problems with a particular focus on sustainable polymers, water purification and biomedical applications. The group utilise advanced characterisation techniques to probe the nanoscale behaviour of the polymers, including x-ray scattering and neutron reflectivity amongst more traditional methods. Current research interests include microphase separation (polymer self-assembly), triggerable materials, biopolymers and biodegradable polymers, biomaterials, electrospinning (nanofibrous fabrics) and organic solar cells.

Areas of Expertise

Polymer Science
Block Copolymers
Electrospinning
Biodegradable Polymers
X-ray Scattering

Accomplishments

Aston University Early Career Researcher of the Year

2010

Education

University of Sheffield

MChem

2002

University of Sheffield

PhD

Polymer Science

2006

Aston University

Postgraduate Certificate

Professional Practice in Higher Education

2010

Affiliations

  • Higher Education Academy : Senior Fellow
  • Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) : Chartered Chemist

Articles

Heterotelechelic homopolymers mimicking high χ – ultralow N block copolymers with sub-2 nm domain size†

Chemical Science

Three fluorinated, hydrophobic initiators have been utilised for the synthesis of low molecular mass fluoro-poly(acrylic acid) heterotelechelic homopolymers to mimic high chi (χ)–low N diblock copolymers with ultrafine domains of sub-2 nm length scale. Polymers were obtained by a simple photoinduced copper(II)-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerisation (Cu-RDRP) affording low molecular mass (

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Temperature-Regulating Phase Change Fiber Scaffold Toward Mild Photothermal–Chemotherapy

Advanced Fiber Materials

Photothermal therapy (PTT) is a treatment that increases the temperature of tumors to 42–48 °C, or even higher for tumor ablation. PTT has sparked a lot of attention due to its ability to induce apoptosis or increase sensitivity to chemotherapy. Excessive heat not only kills the tumor cells, but also damages the surrounding healthy tissue, reducing therapeutic accuracy and increasing the possible side effects. Herein, a phase change fiber (PCF) scaffold serving as a thermal trigger in mild photothermal–chemo tumor therapy is developed to regulate temperature and control drug release.

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One-step Method to Fabricate Poly(ethylene terephthalate)/Gd(OH)3 Magnetic Nanofibers Towards MRI-active Materials with High T1 Relaxivity and Long-term Visibility

Giant

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-active polymers exhibit unique advantages for in vivo diagnosis. Here, in order to endow electrospun fibers with long-term T1 positive MRI visibility, MRI contrast agent (CA), Gd(OH)3, is introduced in a new, extremely convenient method. Crucially, GdCl3 is reacted with NaOH in situ during electrospinning, with flexibility to deliver both well-dispersed and aggregated Gd(OH)3 clusters within a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) matrix. T1 and T2 relaxivities of Gd(OH)3 in PET nanofibers are studied. Well-dispersed Gd(OH)3 (sub-nanometer in size) exhibits 34 times higher T1 relaxivity than aggregated nanoparticles when embedded within the fibers.

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