Dr Silviya Halacheva

Dr Halacheva received her MSc in Chemistry and Physics from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Sofia, Bulgaria in 2001. She was awarded a PhD degree in Polymer Chemistry from the Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria in 2008. Before joining The University of Buckingham, she has worked as a Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Bolton (2013 – 2018) and as a postdoctoral research assistant, PDRA on various Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, EPSRC funded research projects at the Chemistry Department, University of Bath, UK (2007 – 2009), the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Research Laboratory, University of Oxford, UK (2009 – 2012) and at the School of Materials, University of Manchester, UK (2012 – 2013).

Research Interests

Dr Halacheva has over eighteen years of professional research experience in the multidisciplinary areas of polymer, colloid and biomaterials science using state-of-the-art techniques and facilities for investigation, such as small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering and neutron reflectivity.

Her research in Bath provided important information regarding the solution properties of new amphiphilic, stimuli-responsive polymers. In Oxford, she developed unique nanostructured multilayers from polyamine-surfactant mixtures at the air/water interface which are associated with soft lubrication, efficient controlled delivery of benefit agents to interfaces and in sustainable detergency applications. The new results provided the opportunity for the development of novel biocompatible surfaces where the adsorption behaviour of polymer and surfactant can be accurately tuned by varying the pH, the polymer’s solution concentration, molecular weight, architecture and/or structural composition. In Manchester, she explored the potential use of hollow particle gels as injectable dispersions for in-vivo tissue repair. This work has shed new light on the structure-properties relationships of these pH- and redox-responsive physical gels and is particularly relevant to the current efforts in nanomedicine for the development of a minimally invasive alternative to the current surgical approaches for tissue repair.

As a university lecturer, Dr Halacheva was successful in obtaining funding from the EPSRC for her research on Multifunctional Gel Scaffolds for Cell Delivery and Tissue Repair. The research addressed the key challenges in regenerative medicine with a focus on finding an effective, minimally invasive treatment for osteoarthritis that has so far not been available. The new therapy had the potential to reduce the treatment costs associated with osteoarthritis, to enhance the quality of life and significantly reduce pain, recovery times and morbidity in patients.

Dr Halacheva has many publications in high impact factor peer-reviewed journals. She has given talks in several international and national research meetings and received two international awards for her achievements in the field of smart polymer colloids.

Publications

1. Trimethoxysilyl End-capped Hyperbranched Polyglycidol/Polycaprolactone Copolymers for Cell Delivery and Tissue Repair: Synthesis, Characterisation and Aqueous Solution Properties, C. González-Chomón, V. Garamus, S. Rangelov, J. R. Ebdon, Ch. Novakov and S. Halacheva, European Polymer Journal, 2019, 112, 648-659
2. Polyplex Particles based on Comb-Like Polyethylenimine/Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) Copolymers: Relating Biological Performance with Morphology and Structure, E. Haladjova, S. Halacheva, D. Momekova, V. Moskova-Doumanova, T. Topouzova-Hristova, K. Mladenova, J. Doumanov, M. Petrova, S. Rangelov, Macromolecular Bioscience, 2018, online DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201700349,
3. Aqueous solutions of random poly(methyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid): Effect of the acrylic acid content, A. Gyurova, S. Halacheva, E. Mileva, RSC Advances, 2017, 7, 13372 – 13382
4. Influence of chain topology of poly(2-alkyl-2oxazoloines)-polyethylene imine copolymers on DNA condensation, E. Haladjova, S. Rangelov, S. Halacheva, M. Mees, R. Hoogenboom, D. Momekova, Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, 2016, 16, 1, 36-38
5. Comblike Polyethylenimine-Based Polyplexes: Balancing Toxicity, Cell Internalization, and Transfection Efficiency via Polymer Chain Topology, E. Haladjova, S. Halacheva, V. Posheva, E. Peycheva, V. Moskova-Doumanova, T. Topouzova-Hristova, J. Doumanov and S. Rangelov, Langmuir 2015, 31, 10017-10025
6. Curcumin Delivery from Poly(Acrylic Acid-co-Methyl Methacrylate) Hollow Microparticles Prevents Dopamine-Induced Toxicity in Rat Brain Synaptosomes, K. Yoncheva, M. Kondeva-Burdina, V. Tzankova, P. Petrov, M. Laouani and S. S. Halacheva, Int. J. Pharm. 2015, 486, 259-267
7. Using Click Chemistry to Dial Up the Modulus of Doubly Crosslinked Microgels through Precise Control of Microgel Building Block Functionalisation, R. Farley, S. Halacheva, J. Bramhill and B. R. Saunders, Polym. Chem. 2015, 6, 2512-2522
8. Vinylamine) Microgel-Dextran Composite Hydrogels: Characterisation, Properties and pH-Triggered Degradation, J. McCann, J. M. Behrendt, J. Yan, S. Halacheva and B. R. Saunders, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2015, 449, 21-30
9. Drug-Releasing Textiles, T. Shah and S. Halacheva. In “Advances in Smart Medical Textiles: Treatments and Health Monitoring” (pp. 119-154), L. van Langenhove (Ed.), Woodhead Publishing Group, 2015
10. Injectable Biocompatible and Biodegradable pH-Responsive Hollow Particle Gels Containing Poly(Acrylic Acid): The Effect of Copolymer Architecture on Gel Properties, S. S. Halacheva, D. J. Adlam, E. K. Hendow, T. J. Freemont, J. Hoyland and B. R. Saunders, Biomacromolecules 2014, 15, 1814-1827
11. pH-Responsive Physical Gels from Poly(meth)acrylic Acid-Containing Crosslinked Particles: The Relationship Between Structure and Mechanical Properties, S. S. Halacheva, T. J. Freemont and B. R. Saunders, J. Mater. Chem. B 2013, 1, 4065-4078
12. Solution pH and Oligoamine Molecular Weight Dependence of the Transition from Monolayer to Multilayer Adsorption at the Air-Water Interface from Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate/Oligoamine Mixtures, S. S. Halacheva, J. Penfold, R. K. Thomas and J. R. P. Webster, Langmuir 2013, 29, 5832-5840
13. Mixtures of pH-Responsive Microgels and Temperature-Responsive Star-like Copolymers; from Heteroaggregation to Gelation, S. Tungchaiwattana, R. Liu, S. Halacheva, N. N. Shahidan, A. Kells and B. R. Saunders, Soft Matter 2013, 9, 3547-3557
14. Adsorption of the Linear Poly(ethyleneimine) Precursor Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Mixtures at the Air–Water Interface: The Impact of Modification of the Poly(ethyleneimine) Functionality, S. S. Halacheva, J. Penfold and R. K. Thomas, Langmuir 2012, 28, 17331-17338
15. Effect of Polymer Molecular Weight and Solution pH on the Surface Properties of Sodium Dodecylsulfate-Poly(Ethyleneimine) Mixtures, S. S. Halacheva, J. Penfold, R. K. Thomas and J. R. P. Webster, Langmuir 2012, 28, 14909-14916
16. Effect of Architecture on the Formation of Surface Multilayer Structures at the Air–Solution Interface from Mixtures of Surfactant with Small Poly(ethyleneimine)s, S. S. Halacheva, J. Penfold, R. K. Thomas and J. R. P. Webster, Langmuir 2012, 28, 6336-6347
17. Aqueous Solution Properties of Comb-like Linear Poly(ethylene imine)/Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-based Polymers: Impact of Temperature and Polymer Composition, S. Halacheva, G. J. Price and V. Garamus, Polymer Preprints 2012, 52, 392-393
18. Application of the layer-by-layer Deposition Technique to Improve the Hydrophilic Properties of Polypropylene Nonwoven, D. Zielinska and S. Halacheva, Techniczne Wyroby Wlókiennicze (Technical Textiles) 2011, 16-20
19. Effects of Temperature and Polymer Composition upon the Aqueous Solution Properties of Comblike Linear Poly(ethylene imine)/Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-Based Polymers, S. Halacheva, G. J. Price and V. M. Garamus, Macromolecules 2011, 44, 7394-7404
20. Deposition of Poly(ethyleneimine)/Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) Based Comb-Branched Polymers onto Polypropylene Nonwoven Fabric Using the Layer-by-Layer Technique.Selected Properties of the Modified Materials, D. Stawski, S. Halacheva, C. Bellmann, F. Simon, S. Polowiński and G. Price, J. Adhesion Sci. Techn. 2011, 25, 1481-1495
21. Aqueous Solution Properties of Polyglycidol-Based Analogues of Pluronic Copolymers. Influence of the Poly(propylene oxide) Block Molar Mass, S. Halacheva, S. Rangelov, Ch. Tsvetanov and V. M. Garamus, Macromolecules 2010, 43, 772-781
22. Linear Poly(ethylene imine) and Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) Based Polymers for Film Formation, S. Halacheva, G. Price, M. Wasbrough and K. Edler, Polish J. Appl. Chem. 2009, 53, 23-30
23. Synthetic Approach for Novel Bis(α-Aminophosphonic Acid) Derivatives of Chromone-Containing 1,2,4,3-Triazaphosphole Moieties, T. E. Ali and S. S. Halacheva, Heteroat. Chem. 2009, 20, 117-122
24. Structural Polymorphism Exhibited by Polyglycidol-Based Analogues to Pluronic® Block Copolymers in Aqueous Solution, S. Rangelov, S. Halacheva, V. M. Garamus and M. Almgren, Macromolecules 2008, 41, 8885-8894
25. Rheology of Aqueous Solutions of Polyglycidol-Based Analogues to Pluronic® Block Copolymers, S. Halacheva, S. Rangelov and Ch. Tsvetanov, J. Phys. Chem. B 2008, 112, 1899-1905
26. Synthesis of Polyglycidol-Based Analogues to Pluronic L121-F127 Copolymers: Self-Assembly, Thermodynamics, Turbidimetric, and Rheological Studies, S. Halacheva, S. Rangelov and Ch. Tsvetanov, Macromolecules 2008, 41, 7699-7705
27. Polyglycidol-Based Analogues of Pluronic Block Copolymers. Light Scattering and Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy Studies, S. Rangelov, M. Almgren, S. Halacheva and Ch. Tsvetanov, J. Phys. Chem. C 2007, 111, 13185-13191
28. Structure and Interactions in Large Compound Particles Formed by Polyglycidol-Based Analogues to Pluronic® Block Copolymers in Aqueous Solution, S. Halacheva, S. Rangelov and V. M. Garamus, Macromolecules 2007, 40, 8015-8021
29. Polyglycidol-Based Analogues to Pluronic Block Copolymers: Synthesis and Aqueous Solution Properties, S. Halacheva, S. Rangelov and Ch. Tsvetanov, Macromolecules 2006, 39, 6845-6852