Department of Chemistry
Chemistry, the central science, is an integral part of modern life and forms the basis for advances in nearly all areas of science and technology. Students and faculty in Chemistry at the University of Maine work together to answer questions related to major societal issues: energy, the environment, modern materials, and health and medicine. We invite you to explore our undergraduate and graduate programs and to learn more about our research. If you have questions or would like to make arrangements for a tour of our department, please contact Dr. Alice Bruce, Chair, 152/271 Aubert Hall, 581-1168/ 581-1182, abruce@maine.edu
Congratulations, Chemistry Graduates!
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- PhD’s 2025
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- MS graduates 2025
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- BS 2025
Recent publications
A comprehensive review article on peptoid nanosheets has been published in the journal Small! The article is entitled “Uprising Unconventional Nanobiomaterials: Peptoid Nanosheets as a Multi-Modular Platform for Advanced Biological Studies“. This is a collaboration between the groups of Dr. Alessia Battigelli, and Dr. Biljana Mojsoska at Roskilde University (Denmark). Congratulations to graduate student Kalani Samarasekara on her first paper!
A new paper from the Gramlich research group explores the challenges of using Pickering emulsions to create barrier coatings on paper—and how to overcome them. The article, “Montmorillonite Pigment Effects on the Water Barrier Properties of Paper Coated with Latexes Synthesized Through Surfactant and Pickering Emulsion Methods”, highlights the collaborative efforts of Chidubem Uchefuna and Doug Bousfield. Well done to all involved!
Members of the Gramlich lab have published a new article demonstrating how to enhance the mechanical properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites using cellulose nanofibrils functionalized with poly(methyl methacrylate). The nanofibrils were prepared through grafting-through emulsion polymerization. The article, “Strengthening Polylactic Acid (PLA) Composites with Poly(methyl methacrylate)-Functionalized Cellulose Nanofibrils Created Through Grafting-Through Emulsion Polymerization”, appears in Royal Society of Chemistry. Congratulations to authors Hathaithep Senkumab, Peter V. Kelly, Ahmad A. L. Ahmad, Siamak Shams Es-haghi, and William M. Gramlich!
Robin Hurst, PhD, undergraduate alumnus Angel Nieves, and faculty member Dr. Matthew Brichacek have co-authored an article titled “Synthesis of Small Molecule Fluorescent Probes and Their Applications from Sensing to Imaging” in a special edition of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). The article explores the design and application of fluorescent probes in chemical sensing and imaging. Great work, all!