Kenneth Carter from the University of Massachussetts-Amherst, in the US, has synthesized a high molecular weight, soluble blue emitting polyfluorene with p-carborane in the back-bone. He talks to Mike Brown about plans for future work, scuba-diving and dreams of sandy beaches.

What inspired you to become a scientist?

My father was a PhD chemist and he managed a chemical processing unit of a large US manufacturer.  Growing up, I was never a stranger to science, although I always thought I would end up in law or something like that.  I had little desire to pursue a science education as a child or even young adult.  If High School chemistry taught me anything, it is that if not done right, chemistry could be boring, confusing and tedious.  Luckily for me, in college I was required to take an introductory chemistry course and I learned that with the right teacher, chemistry could be fun, interesting and have endless possibilities.    I am extremely grateful to that instructor and my father as they both helped change the course of my life. 

What was your motivation behind the work described in your ChemComm article?

My research has always focused on advanced materials - both their synthesis and properties.  Our ChemComm article is a collaborative effort between my group and Professor Coughlin's group.  He has been investigating the incorporation of carborane cages into various polymer systems and my group has a long history of investigating interesting new conjugated polymer systems.  Our groups combined our strengths and have developed a whole new line of materials.  This work has already generated several published papers and the work continues.

Why did you choose ChemComm to publish your work?

Although I have published in other RSC journals, this is our first publication in ChemComm.  The journal has the perfect audience for our communication and has a wonderful reputation as a top journal for breakthroughs in the chemical sciences.  After discussing our options with my co-author, we both agreed that ChemComm was the best fit for our material.

Where do you see your research heading next?

Our ultimate goal is to see if we can generate sensor materials from the carborane-containing polymer systems.  Although I do not want to spill the beans yet, we have new results that indicate we are on our way to a significant breakthrough with these materials.  Look for more from us later this year!

What do enjoy doing in your spare time?

Like many scientists, I have a number of interests that keep me busy.   Playing music semi-professionally has been a key interest of mine as well as travelling the world looking for beautiful coral reefs to scuba-dive around.  However, my wife and I just had our first child, so you can imagine what most of our spare time has been dedicated to!

If you could not be a scientist, but could be anything else, what would you be?

Me and my wife would probably find a nice beach somewhere and open up a small café, serve great grill food and drinks and play music all night long.  

Interviewed by Mike Brown