Karen I. Winey Group

We are always seeking creative and dedicated engineers and scientists!  More information here.


The Winey Lab at the University of Pennsylvania employs a variety of experimental and computational tools to probe the structural and physical properties of advanced polymers.  We are studying and designing functional polymers to improve ion and proton conductivity targeting a variety of energy applications.  In polymer nanocomposites our current interests focus on nanoparticle dynamics across a range of time and length scales.  Our newest project focuses on polymer-to-polymer upcycling to convert waste polyolefins to higher value polymers.


Recent Publications

Increasing Branching and Functionalization Decreases Crystallinity and Crystallization Rate in Linear EVOH

Eli J. Fastow, Anne N. Radzanowski, E. Bryan Coughlin, Karen I. Winey*, ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2025.

Hydroesterification of Polycyclooctene to Access Linear Ethylene Ethyl Acrylate Copolymers as a Step Toward Polyolefin Functionalization

Ikechukwu Martin Ogbu, Eli J. Fastow, Karen I. Winey* and Marisa C. Kozlowski*, Macromolecules, 2024, 57, 10767−10777.

Hydrocarboxylation of C═C Bonds in Polycyclooctene: Progress Toward Valorization of Waste Polyolefins

I. M. Ogbu, Eli J. Fastow, W. Zhu, L. A. Wells, R. J. Chethalen, Vivek Nair, Z. R. Hinton, A. H. Balzer, W. Hu, E. Bryan Coughlin, Karen I. Winey*, and Marisa C. Kozlowski*, Macromolecules, 2024.

Thiol-ene click chemistry incorporates carboxylic acid-terminated alkane pendants on polycyclooctene to tune properties

Eli Fastow, Roshni John Chethalen, E. Bryan Coughlin, and Karen I. Winey*, Giant, 17, 100231, 2024.

Determination of film thicknesses of metal oxides prepared by atomic layer deposition on SBA-15

Ching-Yu Wang, Ben T. Ferko, Kai Shen, Karen I. Winey, John M. Vohs, and Raymond J. Gorte*, Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 366,112945, 2024.

Vehicular and Core–Shell Nanoparticle Diffusion in Attractive Entangled Polymer Melts

Kaitlin Wang and Karen I. Winey*, Macromolecules, 2024.

Coupling and Decoupling between Stickers and Backbones in Associating Polymers with Terminally Functionalized Side Chains

Chien-Hua Tu, Eli J. Fastow, Roshni John Chethalen, George V. Papamokos, E. Bryan Coughlin, & Karen I. Winey*, Macromolecules, 2024.

Nanoparticle Diffusion in Crowded Polymer Nanocomposite Melts

Kaitlin Wang and Karen I. Winey*. ACS Macro Letters, 13, 1192-1197, 2024.

Nanoparticle Diffusion in Crowded Polymer Nanocomposite Melts

Jou-Tsen Ou, Margaret K. Brown, Jason D. Kaff, Rhys W. Hughes, Dale L. Huber, Brent S. Sumerlin, Karen I. Winey, Mercedes K. Taylor*. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2024.

Vat photopolymerization of poly(styrene-b-isoprene-b-styrene) triblock copolymers

Ren H. Bean, Garvit Nayyar, Margaret K. Brown, Jianheng Wen, Yiqun Fu, Karen I. Winey, Christopher B. Williams, Timothy E. Long. Additive Manufacturing, 92, 104391, 2024.

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