Nicholas Ballard
Research Staff
Research Associate Professor
Dispertsio-ingurunean polimerizazioaren oinarriak
Makina-ikaskuntza polimeroen garapenerako
Polimerizazio ingenieritza eta simulazioa
Dr. Nicholas Ballard is Ikerbasque Research Associate Professor at the Basque Center for Macromolecular Design and Engineering, POLYMAT Fundazioa. He obtained a scholarship to attend the University of Warwick (United Kingdom) and was awarded a bachelor degree with first class honours in Chemistry in 2008. He earned a PhD in Chemistry with Industrial Collaboration in the group of Dr. Stefan Bon at the University of Warwick, graduating in 2013. Following the completion of his doctoral studies he moved to the Basque Center for Macromolecular Design & Engineering where he worked as a postdoctoral researcher before beginning his independent scientific career in 2018 with an Ikerbasque research fellowship. In 2024 he was promoted to Ikerbasque research associate professor. The main focus of his research is polymer reaction engineering, with a particular focus on polymerization processes in dispersed media and the development of knowledge-guided machine learning methods.
Towards the multiscale design of pressure sensitive adhesives
N. Moreno, E. Zohravi, S. Hamzehlou, E. Patiño-Nariño, M. Raj, M. Fernandez, N. Ballard, J. Asua and M. Ellero
Towards online control of molar mass distributions of non-linear polymers in emulsion polymerization using reinforcement learning
K. Farajzadehahary, S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Mechanistic Insights into Transfer-Dominated Branching Radical Telomerization through Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation
O. Lamarins, S. Hamzehlou and N. Ballard
A Mechanistic Study of the Influence of Oxygen on Free Radical Polymerization of Butyl Acrylate, Vinyl Acetate and Methyl Methacrylate
A. Sladojevic, S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard and J.R. Leiza
Exploring the Strengths and Limitations of Polymer Chemistry Informed Neural Networks
S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Revisiting the Mechanism of Radical Entry in Emulsion Polymerization
J. Hincapié, D. Otaegui, Z. Zeng, B. Reck, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Predictive modeling of seeded semi-batch emulsion polymerization of n-butyl acrylate using polymer chemistry-informed neural networks
Hamzehlou S., Farajzadehahary K., Larrañaga J., Ballard N. and J. Asua
Dynamic exchange in vinylogous urethane vitrimers: computational and experimental approaches to screen structure–property relationships of dynamic bonds
Teotonico J., Ruipérez F. and Ballard N.
A machine learning model for the data-driven design of vitrimer materials
Liu J. and Ballard N.
Thermodynamic signature of the topological transition at Tv in a vinylogous urethane vitrimer
Gracia-Fernández C., Ballester-Bayarri L., Ballard N., Aguirresarobe R., Gómez-Barreiro S. and Fernandez M.
A Mechanistic Study of the Influence of Oxygen on Free Radical Polymerization of Styrene
A. Sladojevic, S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard and J.R. Leiza
Microfluidic Reactor for Studying Aqueous Phase Polymerization Events of Relevance to Emulsion Polymerization: Methyl Methacrylate
J. Hincapie, E. Gonzalez de San Roman, C. Castor Jr, H. Vale, Z. Zeng, B. Reck, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Exploration of the High-Capacity Tetrahydroxybenzene Materials for Organic Batteries
K. Pirnat, U. Javornik, N. Casado, N. Ballard, J. Santos, D. Mecerreyes and R. Dominko
Recent Advances in Combining Waterborne Acrylic Dispersions with Biopolymers
J. Solera-Sendra, N. Ballard, L. del Valle and L. Franco
High Biobased Content Coatings and Pressure Sensitive Adhesives through Blends of Natural Rubber Latex and Tailored Acrylic Dispersions
M. Estany, R. Bentata, C. Moussard and N. Ballard
Depolymerizing off-the-shelf polymethacrylates with visible light
N. Ballard and H. Sardon
Introduction of 9-Bromo-9-Borafluorene Scaffold Into Deep Blue Emitting p-Conjugated Polymers
J. Teotonico, D. Mantione, K. Hollister, H. Sardon, N. Ballard, F. Ruipérez, R. Gilliard and F. Vidal
Rapid training of neural networks as accelerated, differentiable surrogates of kinetic Monte Carlo polymerization models
N. Ballard
Adding machine learning to the polymer reaction engineering toolbox
K. Farajzadehahary, S. Hamzehlou and N. Ballard
Toward control of molar mass distribution and polymer architecture in seeded emulsion polymerization reactors
S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Designing acrylic latexes for pressure-sensitive adhesives: a review
N. Ballard
Reply to the ‘Comment on “Lewis acid-surfactant complex catalyzed polymerization in aqueous dispersed media: cationic or radical polymerization?”’ by I. V. Vasilenko, F. Ganachaud and S. V. Kostjuk, Polym. Chem., 2024, 15, DOI: 10.1039/D3PY00661A
N. Ballard and A. Destephen
Hard Coatings from Soft Latexes: A Review of Routes to Overcome the Film Formation Dilemma
N. Jiménez, N. Ballard and J. Asua
3D Printing of Vinylogous Urethane-Based Methacrylic Covalent Adaptable Networks by Vat Photopolymerization
L. Ballester-Bayarri, A. Pascal, J. Ayestaran, A. Gonzalez, N. Ballard and R. Aguirresarobe
The hidden secrets of the average number of radicals per particle (n¯) and their implications in control of emulsion polymerization reactors
K. Farajzadehahary, S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Reinforcement learning for the optimization and online control of emulsion polymerization reactors: Particle morphology
N. Ballard, K. Farajzadehahary, S. Hamzehlou, U. Mori and J. Asua
Physical Crosslinking of Aqueous Polymer Dispersions: A Perspective
N. Ballard, N. Jimenez and J. Asua
Polymer chemistry informed neural networks (PCINNs) for data-driven modelling of polymerization processes
N. Ballard, J. Larrañaga, K. Farajzadehahary and J. Asua
Experimental Protocols for Addressing the Viscoelasticity of Vinylogous Urethane Vitrimers
R. Aguirresarobe, L. Ballester, M. Fernandez and N. Ballard
Film formation of structured latexes with hydroplasticizable domains
E. Brito and N. Ballard
Measuring and understanding blocking resistance in films cast from polymer latexes
A. Perez, E. Kynaston, C. Lindsay and N. Ballard
Polymer Colloids: Current Challenges, Emerging Applications, and New Developments
M. Aguirre, N. Ballard, E. Gonzalez, S. Hamzehlou, H. Sardon, M. Calderon, M. Paulis, R. Tomovska, D. Dupin, R. Bean, T. Long, J.R. Leiza and J. Asua
Scalable synthesis of methacrylate-based vitrimer powders by suspension polymerization
L. Ballester-Bayarri, E. Limousin, M. Fernández, R. Aguirresarobe and N. Ballard
Mechanical Properties and Blocking Resistance of Films Cast from Core–Shell Latex Particles
A. Perez, E. Kynaston, C. Lindsay and N. Ballard
An artificial neural network to predict reactivity ratios in radical copolymerization
K. Farajzadehahary, X. Telleria-Allika, J. Asua and N. Ballard
Erratum: Designed incorporation of semi-crystalline domains into structured latex particles via solvent-aided emulsion polymerization (Polym. Chem. (2022) 13 (5636–5646) DOI: 10.1039/D2PY00926A)
A. Perez, E. Kynaston, C. Lindsay and N. Ballard
Film formation of high poly(vinyl chloride) content latex particles
E. Brito, B. Willocq, F. Boschet and N. Ballard
A combined computational and experimental study of metathesis and nucleophile-mediated exchange mechanisms in boronic ester-containing vitrimers
J. Teotonico, D. Mantione, L. Ballester-Bayarri, M. Ximenis, H. Sardon, N. Ballard and F. Ruipérez
Film Formation of Two-Stage Acrylic Latexes: Toward Soft-Core/Hard-Shell Systems
E. Lopes Brito and N. Ballard
Fundamental Insights into Free-Radical Polymerization in the Presence of Catechols and Catechol-Functionalized Monomers
N. Jimenez, F. Ruiperez, E. Roman, J. Asua and N. Ballard
Preparation of well-defined Poly(Vinyl alcohol) by hydrolysis of Poly(Vinyl acetate) synthesized by RAFT suspension polymerization
H. Hedayati, M. Khorasani, M. Ahmadi and N. Ballard
The influence of thiocarbonylthio compounds on the B(C6F5)3 catalyzed cationic polymerization of styrene
A. Destephen, E. González de San Román and N. Ballard
Mechanical properties of films cast from alkali soluble resin stabilized latexes
A. Pérez, E. Kynaston, C. Lindsay and N. Ballard
Designed incorporation of semi-crystalline domains into structured latex particles via solvent-aided emulsion polymerization
A. Perez, E. Kynaston, C. Lindsay and N. Ballard
Film formation of hard-core/soft-shell latex particles
E. Lopes Brito and N. Ballard
Semi-crystalline/amorphous latex blends for coatings with improved mechanical performance
A. Perez, E. Kynaston, C. Lindsay and N. Ballard
On the limitations of cationic polymerization of vinyl monomers in aqueous dispersed media
A. Destephen and N. Ballard
Healable and self-healing polyurethanes using dynamic chemistry
R. Aguirresarobe, S. Nevejans, B. Reck, L. Irusta, H. Sardon, J. Asua and N. Ballard
Cationic Polymerization of beta-Pinene Using B(C6F5)(3) as a Lewis Acid for the Synthesis of Tackifiers in Pressure Sensitive Adhesives
A. Destephen, E. de San Roman, D. Enrique Martinez-Tong and N. Ballard
Film formation of Alkali Soluble Resin (ASR) stabilized latexes
E. Lopes Brito and N. Ballard
On-line control of particle morphology of waterborne dispersed polymers using master trajectories
N. Ballard, W. Gerlinger and J. Asua
Hydrogen-bond driven formation of microstructured pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) with enhanced shear resistance
N. Jimenez, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Non-thermal microwave effects in radical polymerization of bio-based terpenoid (meth)acrylates
T. Castagnet, A. Agirre, N. Ballard, L. Billon and J. Asua
Lewis acid-surfactant complex catalyzed polymerization in aqueous dispersed media: cationic or radical polymerization?
A. Destephen, L. Lezama and N. Ballard
Supramolecularly Reinforced Films from Polyurethane-Urea Dispersions Containing the Tris-Urea Motif
N. Ballard
Linking Film Structure and Mechanical Properties in Nanocomposite Films Formed from Dispersions of Cellulose Nanocrystals and Acrylic Latexes.
E. Limousin, I. Rafaniello, T. Schäfer, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Can We Push Rapid Reversible Deactivation Radical Polymerizations toward Immortality?
N. Ballard and J. Asua
Modelling the dynamic development of the curing process and film morphology of films cast from waterborne acrylic-alkyd hybrids
E. Limousin, E. González, D. Martínez-Tong, N. Ballard and J. Asua
On-line control of the particle morphology of composite polymer-polymer waterborne dispersions
N. Rajabalinia, N. Ballard, S. Hamzehlou, J.R. Leiza and J. Asua
Microwave-Assisted Ultrafast RAFT Miniemulsion Polymerization of Biobased Terpenoid Acrylates
T. Castagnet, N. Ballard, L. Billon and J. Asua
Retraction: Non-thermal microwave effects in radical polymerization of bio-based terpenoid (meth)acrylates (Polymer Chemistry (2020) 11 (6840-6846) DOI: 10.1039/D0PY01192D)
Castagnet T., Agirre A., Ballard N., Billon L. and J. Asua
Hydrogen Bond-Directed Formation of Stiff Polymer Films Using Naturally Occurring Polyphenols
N. Jimenez, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Polyurethane/Acrylic Hybrid Waterborne Dispersions: Synthesis, Properties and Applications
S. Mehravar, N. Ballard, R. Tomovska and J. Asua
Synthesis of Redox Polymer Nanoparticles Based on Poly(vinyl catechols) and Their Electroactivity
K. Pirnat, N. Casado, L. Porcarelli, N. Ballard and D. Mecerreyes
The challenges of obtaining mechanical strength in self-healing polymers containing dynamic covalent bonds
S. Nevejans, N. Ballard, M. Fernandez, B. Reck, S. Garcia and J. Asua
The Influence of Macromolecular Structure and Composition on Mechanical Properties of Films Cast from Solvent-Free Polyurethane/Acrylic Hybrid Dispersions
S. Mehravar, N. Ballard, R. Tomovska and J. Asua
Cure-Dependent Morphology of Acrylic/Alkyd Hybrid Latex Films via Nanomechanical Mapping
E. Limousin, D. Martinez-Tong, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Soft core-hard shell latex particles for mechanically strong VOC-free polymer films
E. Limousin, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Correlating microstructure and performance of PU/(meth)acrylic hybrids as hardwood floor coating
S. Mehravar, K. Roschmann, P. Arocha, B. Reck, A. Agirre, R. Tomovska, J. Asua and N. Ballard
Renewable Terpene Derivative as a Biosourced Elastomeric Building Block in the Design of Functional Acrylic Copolymers
S. Noppalit, A. Simula, N. Ballard, X. Callies, J. Asua and L. Billon
Synthesis of cellulose nanocrystal armored latex particles for mechanically strong nanocomposite films
E. Limousin, N. Ballard and J. Asua
The influence of particle morphology on the structure and mechanical properties of films cast from hybrid latexes
E. Limousin, N. Ballard and J. Asua
Flexible aromatic disulfide monomers for high-performance self-healable linear and cross-linked poly(urethane-urea) coatings
S. Nevejans, N. Ballard, M. Fernandez, B. Reck and J. Asua
Synthesis of mechanically strong waterborne poly(urethane-urea)s capable of self-healing at elevated temperatures
S. Nevejans, N. Ballard, I. Rivilla, M. Fernandez, A. Santamaria, B. Reck and J. Asua
Colloidal particles at fluid interfaces: behaviour of isolated particles
N. Ballard, A. Law and S. Bon
Role of Grafting on Particle and Film Morphology and Film Properties of Zero VOC Polyurethane/Poly(meth)acrylate Hybrid Dispersions
S. Mehravar, N. Ballard, A. Agirre, R. Tomovska and J. Asua
Why can Dispolreg 007 control the nitroxide mediated polymerization of methacrylates?
A. Simula, F. Ruiperez, N. Ballard, J.R. Leiza, S. van Es and J. Asua
Nitroxide mediated copolymerization of acrylates, methacrylates and styrene: The importance of side reactions in the polymerization of acrylates
A. Simula, N. Ballard, M. Aguirre, J.R. Leiza, S. van Es and J. Asua
Insights into the Network Structure of Cross-Linked Polymers Synthesized via Miniemulsion Nitroxide-Mediated Radical Polymerization
E. Mehravar, A. Agirre, N. Ballard, S. van Es, A. Arbe, J.R. Leiza and J. Asua
Toward a Green Synthesis of Polyurethane/(Meth)acrylic Dispersions through Control of Colloidal Characteristics
S. Mehravar, N. Ballard, A. Veloso, R. Tomovska and J. Asua
Mid-Chain Radical Migration in the Radical Polymerization of n-Butyl Acrylate
N. Ballard, A. Veloso and J. Asua
Radical polymerization of acrylic monomers: An overview
N. Ballard and J. Asua
Confinement effects in the step-growth polymerization within AAO templates and modeling
B. Sanz, N. Ballard, A. Marcos-Fernandez, J. Asua and C. Mijangos
From soft latex particles to hard films: Synthetic routes towards achieving contradictory properties
N. Ballard and J. Asua
Shedding light on the different behavior of ionic and nonionic surfactants in emulsion polymerization: from atomistic simulations to experimental observations
G. Meconi, N. Ballard, J. Asua and R. Zangi
Nitroxide mediated suspension polymerization of methacrylic monomers
N. Ballard, M. Aguirre, A. Simula, J.R. Leiza, S. van Es and J. Asua
High solids content nitroxide mediated miniemulsion polymerization of n-butyl methacrylate
N. Ballard, M. Aguirre, A. Simula, J.R. Leiza, S. van Es and J. Asua
Novel alkoxyamines for the successful controlled polymerization of styrene and methacrylates
A. Simula, M. Aguirre, N. Ballard, A. Veloso, J.R. Leiza, S. van Es and J. Asua
Effect of Confinement on the Synthesis of PMMA in AAO Templates and Modeling of Free Radical Polymerization
B. Sanz, N. Ballard, J. Asua and C. Mijangos
Relating polymer microstructure to adhesive performance in blends of hybrid polyurethane/acrylic latexes
S. Mehravar, N. Ballard, A. Agirre, R. Tomovska and J. Asua
Effect of nanoconfinement on kinetics and microstructure of poly(butyl acrylate) synthesized by microemulsion polymerization
N. Ballard, M. Aguirre and J. Asua
The underlying mechanisms for self-healing of poly(disulfide)s
S. Nevejans, N. Ballard, J. Miranda, B. Reck and J. Asua
New Class of Alkoxyamines for Efficient Controlled Homopolymerization of Methacrylates
N. Ballard, M. Aguirre, A. Simula, A. Agirre, J.R. Leiza, J. Asua and S. van Es
Intermolecular Transfer to Polymer in the Radical Polymerization of n-Butyl Acrylate
N. Ballard, S. Hamzehlou and J. Asua
On the Termination Mechanism in the Radical Polymerization of Acrylates
Ballard N, Hamzehlou S, F. Ruiperez and J. Asua
Analyzing the discrepancies in the activation energies of the backbiting and beta-scission reactions in the radical polymerization of n-butyl acrylate
S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard, Y. Reyes, A. Aguirre, J. Asua and J.R. Leiza
Synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate) and block copolymers by semi-batch nitroxide mediated polymerization
N. Ballard, A. Simula, M. Aguirre, J.R. Leiza, S. van Es and J. Asua
Adsorption and desorption behavior of ionic and nonionic surfactants on polymer surfaces
G. Magi Meconi, N. Ballard, J. Asua and R. Zangi
Redox Active Compounds in Controlled Radical Polymerization and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Mutual Solutions to Disparate Problems
N. Ballard, D. Mecerreyes and J. Asua
An investigation into the nature and potential of in-situ surfactants for low energy miniemulsification
Ballard N, Salsamendi M, Carretero P and J. Asua
Relative frequencies of constrained events in stochastic processes: An analytical approach
S. Rusconi, E. Akhmatskaya, D. Sokolovski, N. Ballard and José C. DE LA CAL
Equilibrium orientations of non-spherical and chemically anisotropic particles at liquid-liquid interfaces and the effect on emulsion stability
N. Ballard and S. Bon
Reevaluation of the Formation and Reactivity of Midchain Radicals in Nitroxide-Mediated Polymerization of Acrylic Monomers
N. BALLARD, J.I. SANTOS and J. Asua
The Role of Chain Transfer Agent in Reducing Branching Content in Radical Polymerization of Acrylates
N. Ballard, José C. DE LA CAL and J. Asua
Polymerization kinetics of a fluorinated monomer under confinement in AAO nanocavities
M. Salsamendi, N. Ballard, B. Sanz, J. Asua and C. Mijangos
Determining the effect of side reactions on product distributions in RAFT polymerization by MALDI-TOF MS
A. Veloso, W. Garcia, A. Agirre, N. Ballard, F. Ruiperez, José C. DE LA CAL and J. Asua
Impact of Competitive Processes on Controlled Radical Polymerization
N. Ballard, S. Rusconi, E. Akhmatskaya, D. Sokolovski, José C. DE LA CAL and J. Asua
Mechanistic investigation of the simultaneous addition and free-radical polymerization in batch miniemulsion droplets: Monte Carlo simulation versus experimental data in polyurethane/acrylic systems
S. Hamzehlou, N. Ballard, P. Carretero, M. Paulis, J. Asua, Y. Reyes and J.R. Leiza
Surfactant Kinetics and Their Importance in Nucleation Events in (Mini)emulsion Polymerization Revealed by Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring
N. Ballard, J. Urrutia, S. Eizagirre, T. Schäfer, G. Diaconu, José C. DE LA CAL and J. Asua
Experimental Evidence Shedding Light on the Origin of the Reduction of Branching of Acrylates in ATRP
N. Ballard, M. Salsamendi, J. Ignacio Santos, F. Ruiperez, J.R. Leiza and J. Asua
Effect of Reaction Temperature on Adhesive Properties of Waterborne Polyurethane/Acrylic Hybrids Synthesized by Semicontinuous Miniemulsion Polymerization
N. Ballard, P. Carretero and J. Asua
