Kuenstler Lab

soft matter, materials discovery

Research / The Team / Updates / Openings
  1. Tailoring Pendant Group Chemistry and Thiol–Ene Network Structure of Thin-Film Composite Membranes to Optimize CO2 Gas Separation. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c18327
  1. Lee, E. S.; Jeong, B. C.; Ghasemiahangarani, P.; Meléndez-Bonet, K.; Ge, L.; Schoetz, T.; Statt, A.; Kuenstler, A. S. Spatiotemporal Regulation of Ion Transport via Photothermal Heating in Azobenzene-Based Polymer Networks. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c02412.
  1. Ghanta, R.; Abilova, A.; McAndrew, C.; S. Kuenstler, A. Harnessing Ene-Type and Stereochemistry to Control Reaction Kinetics and Network Architecture in Thiol–Ene Photopolymerizations Using Maleate and Fumarate-Derived Monomers. Polymer Chemistry 2025, 16 (16), 1829–1845. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4PY01361A.
  1. Becker, R.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Bowman, C. N. Photopolymerizable Semi-Crystalline Polymers for Thermally Reversible, 3D Printable Cast Molds. Dental Materials 2024, 40 (6), 976–983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2024.05.009.
  1. Hernandez, J. J.; Keyser, S. P.; Dobson, A. L.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Bowman, C. N. Modeling Degradation of Thioester Networks Controlled by Oligomer Structures and Thiol–Thioester Exchange. Macromolecules 2024, 57 (4), 1426–1437. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.3c02135.
  1. Kuenstler, A. S.; Hernandez, J. J.; Trujillo-Lemon, M.; Osterbaan, A.; Bowman, C. N. Vat Photopolymerization Additive Manufacturing of Tough, Fully Recyclable Thermosets. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2023, 15 (8), 11111–11121. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c22081.
  1. Kuenstler, A. S.; Bowman, C. N. Catalytic Control of Crystallization in Dynamic Networks. ACS Macro Lett. 2023, 12 (2), 133–139. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00703.
  1. Zhou, H.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Xu, W.; Hu, M.; Hayward, R. C. A Semicrystalline Poly(Azobenzene) Exhibiting Room Temperature Light-Induced Melting, Crystallization, and Alignment. Macromolecules 2022, 55 (23), 10330–10340. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01576.
  1. Hernandez, J. J.; Dobson, A. L.; Carberry, B. J.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Shah, P. K.; Anseth, K. S.; White, T. J.; Bowman, C. N. Controlled Degradation of Cast and 3-D Printed Photocurable Thioester Networks via Thiol–Thioester Exchange. Macromolecules 2022, 55 (4), 1376–1385. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02459.
  1. Chen, Y.; S. Kuenstler, A.; C. Hayward, R.; Jin, L. Formation of Rolls from Liquid Crystal Elastomer Bistrips. Soft Matter 2022, 18 (21), 4077–4089. https://doi.org/10.1039/D1SM01830B.
  1. Oh, S.-W.; Guo, T.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Hayward, R.; Palffy-Muhoray, P.; Zheng, X. Measuring the Five Elastic Constants of a Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastomer. Liquid Crystals 2021, 48 (4), 511–520. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678292.2020.1790680.
  1. Kuenstler, A. S.; Lahikainen, M.; Zhou, H.; Xu, W.; Priimagi, A.; Hayward, R. C. Reconfiguring Gaussian Curvature of Hydrogel Sheets with Photoswitchable Host–Guest Interactions. ACS Macro Lett. 2020, 9 (8), 1172–1177. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00469.
  1. Kuenstler, A. S.; Clark, K. D.; Read de Alaniz, J.; Hayward, R. C. Reversible Actuation via Photoisomerization-Induced Melting of a Semicrystalline Poly(Azobenzene). ACS Macro Lett. 2020, 9 (6), 902–909. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.0c00328.
  1. Korner, K.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Hayward, R. C.; Audoly, B.; Bhattacharya, K. A Nonlinear Beam Model of Photomotile Structures. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2020, 117 (18), 9762–9770. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1915374117.
  1. Kuenstler, A. S.; Chen, Y.; Bui, P.; Kim, H.; DeSimone, A.; Jin, L.; Hayward, R. C. Blueprinting Photothermal Shape-Morphing of Liquid Crystal Elastomers. Advanced Materials 2020, 32 (17), 2000609. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202000609.
  1. Nie, H.; Self, J. L.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Hayward, R. C.; Read de Alaniz, J. Multiaddressable Photochromic Architectures: From Molecules to Materials. Advanced Optical Materials 2019, 7 (16), 1900224. https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.201900224.
  1. Kim, H.; Kang, J.-H.; Zhou, Y.; Kuenstler, A. S.; Kim, Y.; Chen, C.; Emrick, T.; Hayward, R. C. Light-Driven Shape Morphing, Assembly, and Motion of Nanocomposite Gel Surfers. Advanced Materials 2019, 31 (27), 1900932. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201900932.
  1. Kuenstler, A. S.; Kim, H.; Hayward, R. C. Liquid Crystal Elastomer Waveguide Actuators. Advanced Materials 2019, 31 (24), 1901216. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201901216.
  1. Kuenstler, A. S.; Kim, H.; Hayward, R. C. Liquid Crystal Elastomer Waveguide Actuators. Advanced Materials 2019, 31 (24), 1901216. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201901216.