Professor Turner is Director of the Organic Materials Innovation Centre and Head of Materials Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Manchester.  He has extensive experience in the synthesis and characterisation of organic semiconductors with particular expertise in conjugated liquid crystals, conjugated oligomers or polymers and fused ring systems. Additional areas of interest include polymer nanoparticles, high performance polymers and the commercialisation of research.

Organic semiconductors are attractive synthetic targets as they can be deposited from solution using low-cost processing routes such as printing to fabricate organic electronic devices such as LEDs, solar cells, sensors and transistors. Integration of these devices into systems may deliver ubiquitious intelligent objects that can impact on our everyday lives. A variety of systems are under investigation including phenylenevinylene, thiophene, arylamine, donor-acceptor structures, telechelic oligomers and fused ring heterocyclic polymers. Well-defined polymers with good control of polymer microstructure and molecular weight are synthesised, including block copolymers and polymers of novel topology.

 

The research conducted involves extensive collaboration with Physical and Theoretical Chemists, Materials Scientists, Physicists and Engineers. Financial support comes from the UK government (RCUK and iUK), Europe and industry. The group is located in state of the art laboratories on the first floor of the Chemistry Building and has access to all of the infrastructure and equipment necessary to conduct leading edge research.

Professor Turner co-founded Chromition Ltd, a University of Manchester spin-out company that is seeking to commercialise research in conjugated polymer nanoparticles that began in his research group.