About

Ben McDonald is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Engineering at Brown University. His research interests are not explicitly detailed on the provided page. He is associated with the School of Engineering at Brown University, located in Providence, RI. Contact information includes his email benjamin_mcdonald1@brown.edu and phone number 401-863-3587. Further specifics about his background, key contributions, or research focus are not provided in the available text.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Materials science
• Chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Biology
• Chromatography
• Organic chemistry
• Combinatorial chemistry
• Photochemistry

Selected publications

• Colloidal Synthesis of Palladium Nanocluster‐Decorated Cs ₃ Sb ₂ Cl ₉ Perovskite Heterostructural Nanorods for Enhanced CO ₂ Photoreduction

  Advanced Functional Materials · 2026-01-24

  article

  ABSTRACT Developing efficient and sustainable photocatalysts for CO 2 reduction remains a significant challenge, particularly with environmentally benign materials. Here, we report the first one‐step synthesis of metal–lead‐free perovskite heterostructural nanocrystals by decorating Cs 3 Sb 2 Cl 9 perovskite nanorods with size‐controlled Pd nanoclusters via a one‐step hot‐injection method. The resulting Pd‐Cs 3 Sb 2 Cl 9 heteronanorods (HNRs) exhibit strong interfacial electronic coupling, enhanced charge separation, and excellent colloidal stability. Transient absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations reveal a built‐in electric field that drives directional electron transfer from the perovskite host to the Pd domains. Under UV irradiation, the Pd‐Cs 3 Sb 2 Cl 9 HNRs demonstrate excellent CO 2 photoreduction activity with high CH 4 selectivity, achieving a record apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 2.62% among halide perovskite nanocrystal‐based systems with a large electronic yield of 689.3 ± 12.2 µmol·g cat −1 . In situ spectroscopic monitoring and Gibbs free energy analysis further unveil a Pd‐facilitated reaction pathway involving stabilization of key intermediates. This work introduces a new class of lead‐free perovskite‐based heterostructures through a facile one‐step synthesis strategy and offers a new design principle for next‐generation photocatalysts for solar fuel production.

  PublisherDOI

• Biofabrication processes as fresh inspiration for nanocomposite manufacturing

  Trends in Chemistry · 2026-05-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Further correction: Reductive annulations of arylidene malonates with unsaturated electrophiles using photoredox/Lewis acid cooperative catalysis

  Chemical Science · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Further correction for ‘Reductive annulations of arylidene malonates with unsaturated electrophiles using photoredox/Lewis acid cooperative catalysis’ by Rick C. Betori et al. , Chem. Sci. , 2019, 10 , 3353–3359, https://doi.org/10.1039/C9SC00302A.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Tailoring Crosslinks through Time─A Paradigm for Tough Hydrogels

  Chemical Reviews · 2026-01-29 · 3 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  , spatial structure-function relationships, with particular regard to strength and toughness. While this approach has driven fundamental advancements in the design of robust hydrogel structures, further complementary perspectives are needed to enable holistic, rational design schemes that integrate considerations such as fabrication and advanced functions like response and adaptation. To these ends, this review focuses on the dynamics of temporal-function relationships and their fundamental bases in order to highlight how the dynamic regulation of polymer interactions programs: 1) polymer assembly and material structure; 2) response to deformation and fracture behavior; 3) dynamic modulation of properties and structural remodeling/self-healing. By exploring this intersection of hydrogel formation, function, and remodeling, this review seeks to shed light on the fundamental relationship between molecular structure, material assembly, and performance in order to connect the emerging area of bioinspired materials processing with tough hydrogel design, and further provides a lasting inspiration and impetus for future hydrogel development that enables valuable scientific and technological advancements.

  PublisherDOI

• Investigating Biomimetic Chemoresponsive Cation–π Interactions Using Raman Spectroscopy

  Journal of Raman Spectroscopy · 2025-05-07 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT Biomimetic designs are inspired by the complex and unique behavior of naturally occurring materials, and can be applied to many systems, including polymers. ZIPer polymers (Zwitter arene‐ion like polymer) are inspired by byssal threads found on mussels, and their physical state is highly sensitive to various environmental conditions. Specifically, the ZIPer polymer undergoes chemospecific phase transitions, exhibiting potential for its use as an ionic responsive technology. Though this phenomenon has been observed with Raman spectroscopy, little is known about how salt identity or concentration affect polymer inter‐ and intra‐chain interactions. Previous studies have used Raman spectroscopy to analyze ZIPer polymer behavior in the presence of salt; however, the effect is typically only observed with sodium chloride and often only compares spectra at two concentrations. Additionally, studies have mainly focused on the spectral evidence of cation–π interactions, significantly narrowing their spectral range. In order to develop a more predictive framework for ZIPer polymer behavior, a range of salt identities and concentrations need to be tested. This study uses Raman spectroscopy to investigate ZIPer polymer behavior in the presence of a series of salts, namely NaCl, NaOTFA, NaBr, NaBF 4 , and NaPF 6 , each at 0.1 M, 0.5 M, 1.0 M, and 1.5 M concentrations. Moreover, we observe spectral changes in a range from 550 to 2000 cm −1 . Spectral evidence suggests that the cation–π interactions previously hypothesized to be the driver of ZIPer polymer behavior are not the only mechanism determining the chemoresponsive phase transitions. We hypothesize that cation–π interactions and dispersion forces are competing mechanisms controlling ZIPer polymer behavior. Furthermore, we suggest that at certain concentrations the dominating mechanism transitions, and this inflection point is salt identity dependent.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Precise Synthesis of Ultradense Bottlebrush Polymers Unearths Unique Trends in Lyotropic Ordering

  Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2024-12-24 · 3 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Biomacromolecular networks with multiscale fibrillar structures are characterized by exceptional mechanical properties, making them attractive architectures for synthetic materials. However, there is a dearth of synthetic polymeric building blocks capable of forming similarly structured networks. Bottlebrush polymers (BBPs) are anisotropic graft polymers with the potential to mimic and replace biomacromolecules such as tropocollagen for the fabrication of synthetic fibrillar networks; however, a longstanding limitation of BBPs has been the lack of rigidity necessary to access the lyotropic ordering that underpins the formation of collagenous networks. While the correlation between BBP rigidity and grafting density is well established, synthetic approaches to rigidify BBPs by increased grafting density are underdeveloped. To address this gap in synthetic capability, we report the synthesis of novel macroinitiators that provide well-defined BBPs with an unprecedentedly high grafting density. A suite of light scattering techniques are used to correlate macromolecular rigidity with grafting architecture and density and demonstrate for the first time that poly(norbornene) BBPs exhibit long-range lyotropic ordering as a result of their rodlike character. Specifically, the newly reported ultradensely grafted structures, preparable on multigram scale, form hexagonal arrays while conventional BBPs do not, despite showing long-range spatial correlations. These results implicate the central role of density and entanglement in the solution phase assembly of BBPs and provide new fundamental insight that is broadly relevant to the fabrication and performance of BBP-derived materials, spanning biomedical research to photonic materials and thermal management technologies. Furthermore, these newly reported liquid crystalline BBPs provide a structural template to explore the untapped potential of the bottom-up assembly of semiflexible networks and are ultimately intended to provide a modular route to hierarchically structured biomimetic materials.

  PublisherDOI

• Ion‐Specific Interactions Engender Dynamic and Tailorable Properties in Biomimetic Cationic Polyelectrolytes

  Angewandte Chemie · 2024-07-10

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Biomaterials such as spider silk and mussel byssi are fabricated by the dynamic manipulation of intra‐ and intermolecular biopolymer interactions. Organisms modulate solution parameters, such as pH and ion co‐solute concentration, to effect these processes. These biofabrication schemes provide a conceptual framework to develop new dynamic and responsive abiotic soft material systems. Towards these ends, the chemical diversity of readily available ionic compounds offers a broad palette to manipulate the physicochemical properties of polyelectrolytes via ion‐specific interactions. In this study, we show for the first time that the ion‐specific interactions of biomimetic polyelectrolytes engenders a variety of phase separation behaviors, creating dynamic thermal‐ and ion‐responsive soft matter that exhibits a spectrum of physical properties, spanning viscous fluids to viscoelastic and viscoplastic solids. These ion‐dependent characteristics are further rendered general by the merger of lysine and phenylalanine into a single, amphiphilic vinyl monomer. The unprecedented breadth, precision, and dynamicity in the reported ion‐dependent phase behaviors thus introduce a broad array of opportunities for the future development of responsive soft matter; properties that are poised to drive developments in critical areas such as chemical sensing, soft robotics, and additive manufacturing.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bottlebrush Midblocks Promote Colloidal Bridging of Telechelic Polymers

  ACS Macro Letters · 2024-09-16 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Telechelic polymers are effective rheological modifiers that bridge between associative constituents to form elastic networks. The performance of linear telechelic chains, however, is controlled by entropic forces and thus suffers from an upper limit on bridge formation. This work overcomes this limitation by utilizing telechelic triblock copolymers containing bottlebrush midblocks. By comparing the rheological properties of emulsions linked by telechelic bottlebrush polymers to those containing linear chains, we determined that telechelic polymers with bottlebrush midblocks form elastic networks more efficiently. These enhanced rheological properties arise from the high stiffness of the bottlebrush midblocks, which offsets the entropic stretching penalty for bridge formation, enabling them to more readily form networks. This molecular-level control over polymer conformation in complex fluids opens avenues for designing highly elastic networks with minimal polymeric additives.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Precise Synthesis of Ultra-Dense Bottlebrush Polymers Unearths Unique Trends in Lyotropic Ordering

  ChemRxiv · 2024-09-30

  preprintSenior author

  Biomacromolecular networks with multiscale fibrillar structures are characterized by exceptional mechanical properties, mak-ing them attractive architectures for synthetic materials. However, there is a dearth of synthetic polymeric building blocks capable of forming similarly structured networks. Bottlebrush polymers (BBPs) are anisotropic graft polymers with the po-tential to mimic and replace biomacromolecules such as tropocollagen for the fabrication of synthetic fibrillar networks; however, a longstanding limitation of BBP’s has been the lack of rigidity necessary to access the lyotropic ordering that underpins the formation of collagenous networks. While the correlation between BBP rigidity and grafting density is well-established, synthetic approaches to rigidify BBPs by increased grafting density are underdeveloped. To address this gap in synthetic capability, we report the synthesis of novel macroinitiators that provide well-defined BBPs with unprecedentedly high grafting density. A suite of light scattering techniques are used to correlate macromolecular rigidity with grafting archi-tecture and density, and demonstrate for the first time that poly(norbornene) BBPs exhibit long-range lyotropic ordering as a result of their rod-like character. Specifically, the newly reported ultra-densely grafted structures, preparable on multigram scale, form hexagonal arrays while conventional BBPs do not, despite showing long range spatial correlations. These results implicate the central role of density and entanglement in the solution phase assembly of BBPs and provides new fundamen-tal insight that is broadly relevant to the fabrication and performance of BBP derived materials, spanning biomedical research to photonic materials and thermal management technologies. Furthermore, these newly reported liquid crystalline BBPs pro-vide a structural template to explore the untapped potential of the bottom-up assembly of semiflexible networks and are ul-timately intended to provide a modular route to hierarchically structured biomimetic materials.

  PublisherDOI

• Ion‐Specific Interactions Engender Dynamic and Tailorable Properties in Biomimetic Cationic Polyelectrolytes

  Angewandte Chemie International Edition · 2024-07-10 · 6 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Biomaterials such as spider silk and mussel byssi are fabricated by the dynamic manipulation of intra- and intermolecular biopolymer interactions. Organisms modulate solution parameters, such as pH and ion co-solute concentration, to effect these processes. These biofabrication schemes provide a conceptual framework to develop new dynamic and responsive abiotic soft material systems. Towards these ends, the chemical diversity of readily available ionic compounds offers a broad palette to manipulate the physicochemical properties of polyelectrolytes via ion-specific interactions. In this study, we show for the first time that the ion-specific interactions of biomimetic polyelectrolytes engenders a variety of phase separation behaviors, creating dynamic thermal- and ion-responsive soft matter that exhibits a spectrum of physical properties, spanning viscous fluids to viscoelastic and viscoplastic solids. These ion-dependent characteristics are further rendered general by the merger of lysine and phenylalanine into a single, amphiphilic vinyl monomer. The unprecedented breadth, precision, and dynamicity in the reported ion-dependent phase behaviors thus introduce a broad array of opportunities for the future development of responsive soft matter; properties that are poised to drive developments in critical areas such as chemical sensing, soft robotics, and additive manufacturing.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Exploration of Novel Silyl Derived d1 Synthon Equivalents

  NIH · $112k · 2015–2018

Frequent coauthors

• Lanny J. Rosenwasser

  University of Missouri–Kansas City

  40 shared

• Stephen A. Jobling

  Agriculture and Food

  40 shared

• Lee Gehrke

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  40 shared

• L S Paik

  Harvard University

  36 shared

• Timothy M. Swager

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  27 shared

• Francesco Fornasiero

  11 shared

• Karl A. Scheidt

  Midwestern University

  11 shared

• Rong Zhu

  Peking University

  10 shared