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Overview
Affiliations
AffiliationTelephone
Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry+44 (0) 191 33 42139

Biography

Richard Thompson studied Chemical Physics at the University of Edinburgh (1989-93) before undertaking a PhD on surfactant properties of semifluorinated alkanes with Profs Paul Fletcher and Bernie Binks at the University of Hull.  In 1997 he joined the Department of Chemistry in Durham University as a postdoctoral researcher in the Polymer IRC with Prof Randal Richards using neutron and ion beam scattering to study block copolymers and functional polymers.  Since then, he has held a number or roles and is currently an Associate Professor in Chemistry.  He works with industry from large multinationals to SMEs to address practical problems as well as RCUK, notably EPSRC and STFC.

He is currently Deputy Director of the SOFI2-CDT, and other departmental duties include Chair of the Chemistry Ethics Committee as well as Careers and Employability Officer.

Rheology and composites
NoPayne_MoreGain

The behaviour of materials under flow is essential to understand for many processing, manufacturing and product uses. We use controlled rheology experiments on well defined samples to study their behaviour in simplified flow conditions and combine with theory, modelling and other experimental techniques to understand the complex behaviours of modern materials.

Influence of solvents on polymer adsorption and diffusion

-why bake, when you could boil, steam or deep fry!?

Polymer processing frequently makes use of organic solvents and we have used ion beam and optical techniques to explore for the first time the relationship between the ingress of a penetrating solvent vapour or nonsolvent and the interdiffusion of polymer chains that can accompany this process. Not only does this allow us to understand how to make efficient use of organic solvents, but is leads to new opportunities in polymer self-organisation. We have also shown for the first time that polarity, pH and ionic strength of a contacting non-solvent can all be harnessed to deliver different kinds of surface modification.

References

1.             Hart JM, Carswell WD, García-Sakai V, Frick B, Boothroyd SC, Hutchings LR, et al. Structural and Dynamic Origins of Payne Effect Reduction by Steric Stabilization in Silica Reinforced Poly(butadiene) Nanocomposites. Polymer Composites.,2025, 1-11.

2.             Starck M, Fiandra EF, Binks J, Si G, Chilton R, Sivik M, et al. Surface Modification of Polyesters Using Biosourced Soil-Release Polymers. JACS Au. 2025;5(2):666–74.

3.             Kaur P, Bowen L, Hutchings LR, Chaudhry MU, Pugh T, Thompson RL. Reinforcement of GO composites using rigid and flexible crosslinkers. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects. 2025;709:136156.

4.             Bannister C, Guy A, Mihaylova R, Orgill J, Burg SL, Parnell A, et al. The influence of ambient cure chemistry and stoichiometry on epoxy coating surfaces. RSC Advances. 2022;12(44):28746–54.

5.             Litwinowicz M, Rogers S, Caruana A, Kinane C, Tellam J, Thompson R. Tuning the Bulk and Surface Properties of PDMS Networks through Cross-Linker and Surfactant Concentration. Macromolecules. 2021.

Research interests

  • Ion and neutron scattering techniques
  • Soft Matter
  • Polymer Blends
  • Surfaces and Interfaces
  • Nanocomposites

Esteem Indicators

  • 2025 - 2028: ISIS Facility Access Panel (Small-Angle Neutron Scattering):
  • 2025 - 2028: IOP Polymer Physics Group Committee:
  • 2025 - 2025: EPSRC SOFI2-CDT Showcase:
  • 2024 - 2024: ICANS Conference, Kerala, India:
  • 2021 - 2024: MSc Cosmetic Science, University of Sunderland:
  • 2020 - 2025: British Society of Rheology: Council Member and Hon. Bulletin Editor
  • ISIS Facility Access Panel (Spectroscopy) 2014-2018:
  • ISIS Facility Access Panel (Large Scale Structures) 2008-2011:

Publications

Conference Paper

Journal Article

Supervision students