Talk as part of a colloquium in Polymer chemistry and technology.

Summary: Life has evolved elegant solutions to survive in frozen habitats, including ice-binding proteins (IBPs) that control ice formation and growth. IBPs have potential applications from agriculture to frost-resistant transport infrastructure, medicine storage and improved frozen food texture. However, these proteins are challenging to scale and deploy. My team has pioneered the discovery of synthetic polymers that modulate ice crystallisation, and we have developed fundamental understanding of how polymer composition and architecture control function. I will discuss how we use polymer synthesis and (macro)molecular design to engineer ice, with applications spanning ice-tolerant colloids, sustainable porous materials, cryopreservation of biologics, degradable additives for agritech, and even tools to reduce animal testing.