Projects

Areas of Research

Self-Assembled Systems

• self-assembled monolayers
• phospholipid bilayers
• surfactant-templated silica mesophases
• Colloidal crystals

Physical Processes and Phenomena

• self-assembly mechanisms
• templating effects
• phase stability and dynamics
• phase transitions
• dimensional confinement effects
• structure-dynamics-function relations

Projects

1. Surfactant-templated Assembly of Thin Film Silica Mesophases and Nanoporous Substrates

• Molecular descriptions of Mechanisms of calcination
• UV Ozone Photochemistry
• micro-patterning and pattern enhancements
• Non-lithographic fabrication of self-standing films
• Optical Functionalization thin film Silica Mesophases
• Thermal Properties

2. Bio-mimetic Membrane Chemistry

• micro-patterning of supported lipid bilayers
• Deep UV lithography of supported lipid bilayers
• reaction-diffusion studies in lipid bilayers
• Engineering functional sub-structures in bilayers
• phase separation in model membranes
• bilayers on nanoporous thin film mesophases
• membrane dynamics following protein-recognition
• modeling membrane curvatures

3. Novel Organic-Inorganic Crystals

• synthesis and characterization of novel silver(alkane)thiolates
• from monolayers to single crystals: thiol-coinage metal chemistry
• phase behavior in organic-inorganic crystals: chain-melting
• anisotropic charge transport in silver(alkane)thiolates

4. Phase Transitions in Soft Condensed Matter

• chain-melting in restricted dimensional microstructures
• coupling phase transition across length scales: molecular to colloidal
• consequences of molecular-scale heterogenieties

5. Colloidal Crystals

• Photonic Transduction of Biomolecular Recognition
• solvent confinement in colloidal crystal interstices, liquids in nanopores
• superhydrophobic effects
• membranes on curved templates

6. Molecular Basis of Apoptosis

• femtosecond laser applications in apoptosis
• role of reactive oxygen species and ozone during the induction phase of apoptosis
• raft-raft coalescence during apoptosis
• ceramide plaffrom formation during apoptosis
• active recruitment of Fas proteins in lipid rafts during apoptosis
  

7. Lipoprotein-Endothelium Interactions

• the effects of lipoprotein composition on APOE-3 and APOE-4 conformations
• role of cholesterol-rich rafts in mediating lipoprotein-endothelial cell interactions
• effects of lipolysis products on membrane morphologies