(4cq) Colloidal Soft Materials By Design

Colloidal particles are uniquely suited to act as the building blocks of multifunctional soft materials for applications in (opto)electronics, catalysis, separations, and (bio)sensing. These materials can obtain functionality through the physical and chemical properties of the building blocks themselves, but functionality can also emerge as a result of the arrangement of those building blocks. The ability to control the spatial organization of colloidal building blocks is therefore crucial for realizing the many potentially transformational benefits of colloidal materials. Colloidal self-assembly is particularly promising, as it provides a means of precise structural control with the many benefits of solution-processing in manufacturing. The remarkable increase in particle synthesis capabilities over the past decade has enabled the creation of particles with an incredible degree of tailorability and a corresponding explosion in the structural diverisity of their assemblies. From metal nanocrystals to liposomes, particles with almost any arbitrary combination of constituent material and form can be created, providing a rich design space for the creation of new materials via colloidal self-assembly. Key challenges in materials design then are first understanding this design space, e.g., by having predictive models for building block properties; and 2) efficiently exploring this design space.

My research group will apply theoretical and computational approaches to address these key challenges in the rational design of colloidal materials. We will develop multiscale modeling techniques to bridge the gap between how molecular scale properties affect interactions between particles when viewed at a lower resolution. These techniques will provide a means to rapidly and accurately probe how molecular level details affect the bulk properties of colloidal materials. Building upon these methods, we will develop and apply inverse design methods to efficiently explore the design spaces of specific, experimentally realizable families of colloidal particles. These methods will leverage and build upon my expertise in colloidal inverse design that I developed in my postdoctoral research to enable the design of materials with specific properties, e.g., optical or structural. Of particular interest is a recently developed class of colloidal polyhedral metal--organic framework (CMOF) particles. The enormous number of possible MOF structures yields a correspondingly large design space for CMOFS, and this design space remains largely unexplored. Another family of colloidal particles with a rich design space are based upon the well-established methods of DNA origami. While DNA origami can produce a diverse array of particles, computational models that accurately predict the structure and properties of their assemblies are lacking, hindering the rational design of DNA-based colloidal materials. Another particularly interesting class of particles comprises plasmonic nanocrystals stabilized by small molecule ligands, which have recently demonstrated deep strong light--matter coupling. Breakthroughs in the colloidal synthesis of plasmonic nanocrystals allow control over their faceting and surface chemistry, raising many fundamental and technological questions related to the control over light--matter coupling that computational methods are well-suited to answer. My group's application of computational and theoretical tools to these problems will enable the design of new materials to meet the pressing needs of today, from water treatment to sustainability efforts.

Teaching interests

In teaching, I have two goals for my students and mentees. First is the transfer of the technical skills that are directly relevant to the curriculum of study. Students that take my courses should leave with a broad understanding of the material and how it fits in with the larger curriculum, and they should be able to solve related problems outside of the classroom. Graduate student mentees should leave my lab with the research skills that make them strong independent researchers. However, teaching involves more than just the transfer of these hard skills. I strive to be a teacher that empowers students through the transfer of soft skills. Students that leave my classroom should not only have a firm grasp on the course material, but should grow in their abilities to independently learn new material and effectively communicate complex ideas. These are the skills that will set students apart beyond their university education. These technical and soft skills are best learned in a flipped classroom, where students are responsible for first encountering new material outside of the classroom, and using classroom time to practice using the new material through solving problems and explaining their solutions to their peers and instructors. This scenario forces students to take ownership of their education and gives them ample opportunities to develop their communication skills

My educational background in chemical engineering means I can teach any core course in the graduate and undergraduate curricula. My research experience has equipped me with the skills and desire to develop a hybrid graduate–undergraduate course that teaches the basics of molecular simulation and how it can be used to solve problems in chemical engineering. In addition to obtaining molecular-level insight into chemical processes that is becoming increasingly important as chemical engineering becomes a more molecular science, students will gain first-hand experience in using high-performance computing environments; these skills continue to become more broadly valuable as more fields increase their reliance on computation. In addition to teaching, a university faculty position gives one a platform from which they can make an impact in the community. I will continue to pursue outreach opportunities, especially those serving underrepresented groups, to foster interest in and support for the STEM fields within the community.