B.S. Chemistry, METU, Turkey (1998) Ph.D., Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts – Amherst (2004) Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Minnesota (2004-2006) Awards and Honors: UB Young Investigator Award (2012) Fellow of Polymer Chemistry Division, ACS (2012) Herman F. Mark Young Scholar Award, ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry (2011) National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2009) Valedictorian, METU, Turkey (1998)

Organic Chemistry/Materials Chemistry

Our research program embraces all the steps of a successful materials design, from building tailored polymer structures and architectures to analyzing their supramolecular organization and self-assembly to testing their final macroscale properties. The main thrust is centered around shape-persistent macromolecules as building blocks for nanoscale assemblies and functional materials. Our research efforts address ongoing challenges in the broad fields of nanotechnology and biomedical sciences, including nanodevice construction, DNA sequencing, drug delivery and molecular electronics. We develop novel synthetic methodologies and generate diverse libraries of unique polymeric structures that allow us to probe different aspects of molecular assembly and to fabricate materials with desired biological and electronic responses. The fundamental knowledge derived from the elucidation of structure-property relationships is applied to forge new avenues in rational materials design. Three specific areas of focus are organic nanotubes, b-peptide-based materials, and semiconducting polymers. The multidisciplinary nature of the program allows students to acquire diverse synthetic and analytical skills and develop broad scientific vision

Bolton, J.; Rzayev, J. “Tandem RAFT-ATRP Synthesis of Polystyrene-Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Bottlebrush Block Copolymers and Their Self-Assembly into Cylindrical Nanostructures”, ACS Macro Letters 2012, 1, 15. DOI: 10.1021/mz200003j

Huang, K.; Rzayev, J. “Charge and Size Selective Molecular Transport by Amphiphilic Organic Nanotubes”, Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 16726. DOI: 10.1021/ja204296v

Luo, K.; Kim, S. J.; Cartwright, A. N.; Rzayev, J. “Soluble Polyacetylene Derivatives by Chain-Growth Polymerization of Dienes”, Macromolecules 2011, 44, 4665. DOI: 10.1021/ma2004713. Highlighted in Synfacts 2011, 9, 0963. DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1261014

Huang, K.; Jacobs, A.; Rzayev, J. “De Novo Synthesis and Cellular Uptake of Organic Nanocapsules with Tunable Surface Chemistry”, Biomacromolecules 2011, 12, 2327. DOI: 10.1021/bm200394t

Bolton, J.; Bailey, T. S.; Rzayev, J. “Large Pore Size Nanoporous Materials From the Self-Assembly of Asymmetric Bottlebrush Block Copolymers”, Nano Letters 2011, 11, 998. DOI: 10.1021/nl103747m. Highlighted in MRS Bulletin 2011, 36(4), 242. DOI:10.1557/mrs.2011.76

Huang, K.; Canterbury, D. P.; Rzayev, J. “Synthesis of Segmented Polylactide Molecular Brushes and Their Transformation to Open-End Nanotubes”, Macromolecules 2010, 43, 6632. DOI: 10.1021/ma100971w

Huang, K.; Canterbury, D. P.; Rzayev, J. “Organosoluble Polypyrrole Nanotubes From Core-Shell Bottlebrush Copolymers”, Commun. 2010, 46, 6326. DOI: 10.1039/c002447c

Luo, K.; Rzayev, J. “Living Radical Polymerization of Bicyclic Dienes: Synthesis of Thermally Cross-linkable Block Copolymers”, Macromolecules 2009, 42, 9268. DOI: 10.1021/ma901645t

Huang, K.; Rzayev, J. “Well-Defined Organic Nanotubes from Multicomponent Bottlebrush Copolymers”, Am. Chem. Soc. 2009, 131, 6880. DOI: 10.1021/ja901936g. Highlighted in Synfacts 2009, 8, 0854. DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1217472

Rzayev, J. “Synthesis of Polystyrene-Polylactide Bottlebrush Block Copolymers and Their Melt Self-Assembly into Large Domain Nanostructures”, Macromolecules 2009, 42, 2135. DOI: 10.1021/ma802304y