Timothy M. Swager

Timothy M. Swager (born 1961) is an American Scientist and the John D. MacArthur Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the director of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation. His research is at the interface of chemistry and materials science, with specific interests in carbon nanomaterials, polymers, and liquid crystals. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Timothy M. Swager
Born
Timothy Manning Swager

(1961-07-01) July 1, 1961
Sheridan Montana
EducationMontana State University (B.S.)
California Institute of Technology (Ph.D)
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry, Materials science, Polymer science
InstitutionsUniversity of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ThesisPrecursor routes to conducting polymers from the ring-opening metathesis polymerization of cyclic olefins. (1988)
Doctoral advisorRobert H. Grubbs
Other academic advisorsMark S. Wrighton
Websitehttps://swagergroup.mit.edu/

Career and Research

A native of Sheridan Montana, Swager earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Montana State University, received a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology working with Robert H. Grubbs, and performed postdoctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under Mark S. Wrighton. He began as an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in 1990 and returned to MIT in 1996 as a Full Professor. Swager is best known for advancing new chemical sensing concepts based on molecular electronic principles. He introduced the concepts of charge and energy transport through molecular and nanowires as a method to create amplified signals to chemical events. [1] [2] These methods gave rise to the sensitive explosive sensors that have been commercialized under the trade name Fido.[3] He demonstrated the integration of molecular recognition into chemiresistive sensors, first with conducting polymers and later with carbon nanotubes, and these methods were commercialized by C2Sense.[4]

Swager also has pioneering contributions to the areas of liquid crystals demonstrating how novel molecular shapes can be used to introduce intermolecular correlations in structures and alignment.[5] In the area of high strength materials, by creating interlocking structures with enhanced ductility and strength.[6] In carbon nanomaterials he has developed methods for functionalizing and/or dispersing graphenes and carbon nanotubes.[7] Also he has designed novel radical materials in collaboration with Robert G. Griffin (MIT) for dynamic nuclear polarization to enhance the signal to noise ratio in NMR experiments.[8] A number of these enhancement agents are commercially available from DyNuPol Corp.[9] Swager has published more than 450 peer reviewed manuscripts and has more than 80 issued patents.

Notable Awards

2019 Polymer Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society[10]

2016 Linus Pauling Award

2016 Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest[11]

2013 Award for Creative Invention, American Chemical Society[12]

2008 Honorary Doctorate of Science, Montana State University[13]

2007 Lemelson-MIT Award for Invention and Innovation [14]

2005 Christopher Columbus Foundation Homeland Security Award[15]

2005 Carl S. Marvel Creative Polymer Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society[16]

Bibliography

Swager, T. M.; Xu, B. "Liquid Crystalline Calixarenes" pages 389-398. in Calixarenes 50th Anniversary: Commemorative Issue Vicens, J.; Asfari, Z.; Harrowfeild, J. M. (Eds.) Kluwer Academic Publishers, Holland, 1994

Swager, T. M. "Polymer Electronics for Explosives Detection" pages 29–38 in Electronic Noses and Sensors for the Detection of Explosives, Gardner J.; Yinon, J., (Eds.) NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, 2004

Tovar, J. D.; Swager, T. M. "Synthesis of Tunable Electrochromic and Fluorescent Polymers" Chapter 28, pp 368–376 in Chromogenic Phenomena in Polymers, Jenekhe, S. A.; Kiserow, D. J. (Eds.) ACS Symposium Series, Volume 888, 2004

Swager, T. M. "Semiconducting Poly(arylene ethylene)s" pages 233-258 in Acetylene Chemistry: Chemistry, Biology, and Materials Science, Diederich, F.; Stang, P. J.; Tykwinski, R. R. (Eds.) Wiley-VCH 2005

Swager, T. M. "Realizing the Ultimate Amplification in Conducting Polymer Sensors: Isolated Nanoscopic Pathways" pages 29–44 in Redox Systems Under Nano-Space Control, Hirao, T. (Ed.) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2006

Thomas, S. W., III; Swager, T. M. "Detection of Explosives Using Amplified Fluorescent Polymers" pages 203-220 in Detection of Illicit Chemicals and Explosives; Oxley, J. C.; Marshall, M., (Eds.) Elsevier: New York, 2008.

B. VanVeller, T. M. Swager, "Poly(aryleneethynylene)s" pages 175–200 in Design and Synthesis of Conjugated Polymers, M. Leclerc, J. Morin (Eds.) Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, 2010.

Andrew, T. L.; Swager, T. M. "Exciton Transport through Conjugated Molecular Wires" in Charge and Exciton Transport through Molecular Wires Siebbeles, L. D. A.; Grozema, F. C. (Eds.) Wiley-VCH: Weinheim 2010

Levine, M.; Swager, T. M. "Conjugated Polymer Sensors: Design, Principles, and Biological Applications" Chapter 4, Pages 81–133, in Functional Supramolecular Architectures: for Organic Electronics and Nanotechnology Vol. 1 Samori, P.; Cacialli, F. (Eds.) Wiley-VCH: Weinheim 2010

References
  1. Swager, T. M. "The Molecular Wire Approach to Sensory Signal Amplification" Acc. Chem. Res. 1998, 31, 201-207
  2. Fennell, J. F.; Liu, S. F.; Azzarelli, J. M.; Weis, J. G.; Rochat, S.; Mirica, K. A.; Ravnsbæk J. B.; Swager, T. M. "Nanowire Chemical/Biological Sensors: Status and a Roadmap for the Future" Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 1266-1281
  3. http://www.flir.com/threatDetection/display/?id=63353
  4. http://www.c2sense.com
  5. Serrette, A. G.; Swager, T. M. "Controlling Intermolecular Associations with Molecular Superstructure: Polar Discotic Linear Chain Phases" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 8879-8880.
  6. Tsui, N. T.; Paraskos, A. J.; Torun, L. Swager, T. M.; Thomas, E. L. "Minimization of Internal Molecular Free Volume: A Novel Mechanism for the Simultaneous Enhancement of Polymer Stiffness, Strength and Ductility" Macromolecules 2006, 39, 3350-3358.
  7. Collins, W. R.; Lewandowski, W.; Schmois, E.; Walish, J., Swager, T. M. "Claisen Rearrangement of Graphite Oxide: A Route to Covalently Functionalized Graphenes" Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2011, 50, 8848-8852.
  8. Song, C.; Hu, K-N.; Swager, T. M.; Griffin, R. G. "TOTAPOL—A Biradical Polarizing Agent for Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in Aqueous Media" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 11385-11390.
  9. http://www.dynupol.com
  10. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/awards/national/bytopic/acs-award-in-polymer-chemistry.html
  11. http://www.nesacs.org/awards_esselen.html
  12. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/funding-and-awards/awards/national/bytopic/acs-award-for-creative-invention.html
  13. http://www.montana.edu/news/5880/msu-sets-commencement-ceremonies-may-10
  14. http://lemelson.mit.edu/winners/timothy-m-swager
  15. http://www.christophercolumbusfoundation.gov/timothy-m-swager-ph-d-2005-homeland-security-award/
  16. http://www.polyacs.org/AWARDS.html
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