Manners s research focuses on the interface of inorganic and polymer chemistry. Polymer molecules are the basis of many of the objects we have in everyday life, from running shoes to computer hardware.
Most polymer chemists work on organic polymers, using chains of carbon atoms to build molecules.
With his unique perspective as an inorganic chemist, Manners is aiming to make new types of polymers based on other elements. I d say only 10 per cent of our ideas actually end up working, Manners said. But if it does work, then we have a new area of science. Perhaps because of his commitment to that uncertain 10 per cent, Manners has risen quickly and quietly to the top. He succeeds where many others would fail, said Professor David Farrar, chair of the chemistry department.