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MEMS Seminar: "Designing Materials That Make a Difference: From Soft Solids, Aerogels to Nanofibrous Structures"

Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Dr. Saad Khan | NC State University
MEMS Seminar Series

In this presentation, we will present vignettes of various research projects in our group, the focus of which have primarily been on multicomponent soft materials. Examples will be drawn from, various classes of polymeric, colloidal, nanoparticulate and biological systems, to elucidate the relationship between material microstructure/morphology, chemistry, formulation and macroscopic behavior. We hope to illustrate this notion by using examples of (a) hybrid polymer-inorganic aerogels, where ultra-light, yet mechanically robust aerogels are developed with multifunctionality.

The degree of oleophilicity/hydrophobicity is exploited to render these materials useful in oil and chemical spill remediation while the degree of interaction between the polymer and silica is utilized to make this mechanically flexible and flame retardant; (b) photo-activated polymer hydrogels wherein we examine the gelation of alginate undergoing a two-step ionic crosslinking upon ultraviolet (UV) irradiation using in situ dynamic rheology, (c) hydrophobically-modified associative polymers and microgels in which the role of hydrophobic associations is modulated using phospholipids.

Saad Khan is the INVISTA Professor & Director of Graduate Program in the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University.

Lunch will be served at 11:30 am.
Hosted by Dr. Michael Rubinstein