
Elizabeth Sterner
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
We make materials that display useful and surprising behaviors. I have three main project lines, all of which focus on controlling molecular structure, polymer structure, and polymer processing to achieve new material properties. The first project is working on rubber composites that could be used for puncture-resistant and inherently anti-microbial surgical gloves and gowning. The second project seeks to generate new impact-resistant plastics by engineering the way the polymer chains can vibrate on the molecular level. The third is designing all-solid-state rubbers that are super-soft (easy to stretch) and super-tough (hard to break) at the same time, with an eye toward applications in soft robotics and wearable sensors.
Peer-Reviewed
Im., J; Sterner, E. S.; Swager, T. M. “Integrated Gas Sensing System of SWCNT and Cellulose Polymer Concentrator for Benzene, Toluene and Xylenes” Sensors 2016 16 183
Bertani, F.; Riboni, N.; Bianchi, F.; Brancatelli, G.; Sterner, E. S.; Pinalli, R.; Geremia, S.; Swager, T. M.; Dalcanale, E. “Triptycene-Roofed Quinoxaline Cavitands for the Supramolecular Detection of BTEX in Air” Chemistry-A European Journal 2016 22 3312-3319
Li, H.; Rathi, S.; Sterner, E. S.; Zhao, H.; Hsu, S. L.; Theato, P.; Zhang, Y.; Coughlin, E. B. “Synthesis of photocleavable poly(methyl methacrylate-block-D-lactide) via atom-transfer radical polymerization and ring-opening polymerization” Journal of Polymer Science A: Polymer Chemistry 2013 51 4309-4316
Zhao, H.; Gu, W.; Thielke, M. W.; Sterner, E. S.; Tsai, T.; Russell, T. P.; Coughlin, E. B.; Theato, P. “Functionalized nanoporous thin films and fibers from photocleavable block copolymers featuring activated esters” Macromolecules 2013 46 5195-5201
Zhao, H.; Sterner, E. S.; Coughlin, E. B.; Theato, P. “o-Nitrobenzyl alcohol derivatives: Opportunities in polymer and materials science” Macromolecules 2012 45 1723-1736
Zhao, H.; Gu, W.; Sterner, E. S.; Russell, T. P.; Coughlin, E. B.; Theato, P. “Highly ordered nanoporous thin films from photocleavable block copolymers” Macromolecules 2011 44 6433-6440
Sterner, E. S.; Rosol, Z. T.; Gross, E. M.; Gross, S. M. “Thermal analysis and ionic conductivity of ionic liquid containing composites with different crosslinkers” Journal of Applied Polymer Science 2009 114 2963-2970
Sterner, E. S. “Three Ways to Polyamides: the Impact of Polymerization Mechanism on Polymer Properties” Journal of Chemical Education 2019 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b00650
Periodical
Sterner, E. S.; Swager, T. M. Synfacts monthly contributor from issue 3, 2014 to issue 2, 2015
- General Chemistry
- Freshman Chemistry Lab for Majors
- Constellation (FYE and Connective courses)