Scalable and New Approaches For Directing Self-Assembly in Nanostructured Soft Materials

LOCATION: Golden Leaf BTEC Room 135 @ North Carolina State University:

Abstract: Self-assembly of block copolymers and small molecule surfactants gives rise to a rich phase behavior as a function of temperature, composition, and other variables. The ability to precisely control their chemical functionality combined with the readily tunable characteristic length scales (~1-100 nm) of their self-assembled mesophases identifies these systems as a versatile and attractive class of materials for compelling applications ranging from selective transport to lithography. A longstanding problem in this area is the inability to reliably and rapidly generate well-ordered structures with specified orientations in, and over, application-relevant geometries, and dimensions, respectively, i.e. to direct their self-assembly in useful ways. In this presentation I will discuss recent advances in scalable approaches for directing the assembly of soft nanostructured materials, and novel routes for generating highly ordered soft heterostructures.

Biography: Chinedum Osuji is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. He leads an experimental research group focused on structure and dynamics of soft matter and complex fluids. Prof. Osuji graduated from Cornell University and received his PhD from MIT. He is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and represented his country in Taekwondo at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004.