Education:
Hunter College, NY Physics BA (honors) and MA 1981Cornell University Materials Science and Eng. MS 1983
Cornell University Materials Science and Eng. Ph.D. 1985
Also:
Director, Center for Solar and Thermal Energy ConversionResearch Interests:
We examine problems associated with the structure, phase behavior and dynamics of bulk and thin film polymer and polymer-based nanocomposite systems.Thin Films: A diverse range of applications, from organic electronic devices and sensors to coatings and patterning, rely on the properties and performance of polymers under various conditions of confinement, particularly thin film geometries. The size-scales of confinement may be comparable to nanometers or tens of nanometers, depending on the application. However, the influence of interactions between polymer chains and the interfaces (free surface or substrate) may be manifested at length scales far beyond the size of the chain and often have a profound influence on the properties of the polymer. To this end, our program on polymer thin films comprise problems in three general categories: (1) wetting, interfacial instabilities and pattern formation, and self-assembly; (2) the influence of confinement and interfacial interactions on the glass transition, diffusion and viscosity, as well as on the phase and ordering transition temperatures of polymer mixtures and block copolymers, respectively; (3) the organization of nanoparticles (C60 fullerenes, nanotubes, semiconductor and metallic nanopaticles) in thin films. Our goal is to develop new rules to design and to “tailor” properties of thin films for various applications.Bulk: The second aspect of our research encompasses bulk rheological and dynamic mechanical behavior of polymer-based nanocomposite (organoclays, metal oxides, nanotubes ec.) systems. We are interested in developing an understanding of the connection between the nano-scale organization, meso-scale structure and bulk properties in these systems.
Our program is interdisciplinary, cross-cutting different fields, from physical chemistry of surfaces, to the processing of polymers, to the physics of materials. We employ a range of experimental tools, including scanning force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, neutron scattering, ellipsometry, DMA and rheology, and our group collaborates with a number of theoretical groups here and elsewhere.
Prior Experience:
• Professor and Chair, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 9/05-pres• Professor, Applied Physics 9/05-pres
• Professor, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, The University of Michigan 9/05-pres
• Professor, Dept. Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 9/99-9/05
• Assoc. Prof., Dept. Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, 9/96-9/99
• Manager, Glass and Electronic Ceramics Research, Sandia National Laboratories 1/91-8/96
• Senior Member of Tech. Staff, Sandia National Laboratories Physical Properties of Polymers 5/86-1/91
• Post Doc. Fellow, Sandia National Laboratories Physical Properties of Polymers /Ion, Solid Interactions and Defect Physics 8/85-5/86
Awards and Professional Service:
• President , Materials Research Society 2006• Fellow, American Physical Society 1996
• Fellow, American Ceramic Society 1998
• Special Creativity Award, National Science Foundation 2002
• Divisional Associate Editor, Physical Review Letters 12/01-pres
• Member, Board on Physics and Astronomy, National Research Council (NRC) 6/05-6/09
• Chair, Solid State Sciences Committee (NRC) 7/06-pres
• Council of Gordon Research Conferences 1/04-1/07
• Editorial Board, Journal of Polymer Sci. B: Polymer Physics 1/00-pres
• Editorial Board, Macromolecules 1/03-1/06
• Chair, American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award Committee 2006
• External Advisory Committee- NSF Directorate of Mathematics and Physical Sciences 10/02-10/05
• National Academies, Committee on High Magnetic Field Science 9/03-9/05
• Chair-elect and Chair, The University of Texas, Graduate Assembly 9/03-9/05