Students (as of Summer 2006)

Allison Yake (PhD expected Dec 2007) – “Assembly of Colloidal Particles via Site-Specific Functionalizations” (focus on new chemistries)

Charles Snyder (PhD expected Dec 2007) – “Site Specific Functionalization of Colloids through Particle-Lithography” (focus on scaleup)

Huda Jerri (PhD expected Dec 2009) – “Colloidal molecules as reactor storage tanks”

Nicole Blackman (PhD expected Dec 2009) – “Charge nonuniformity and nanocolloidal forces”

Joe McDermott (PhD expected Dec 2010)

Neetu Chaturvedi (PhD expected Dec 2010)

Shailesh Shori (PhD expected Dec 2010)

Links

ACS Colloids & Surface Science Division

NanoHub computation website

NIH submission dates

Penn State MRSEC: Center for Nanoscale Science

Penn State Handbooks online

Video of rotational electrophoresis; right click and save to file, then play in Windows Media Player

http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/d/x/dxv9/BlackmanRotEp.wmv

Mary Parent defends her PhD

Mary Parent defended her PhD in Dec 2006. The PhD examined the phenomena of “localized quorum sensing”. Congratulations Mary!!

Making doublets the easy way

How hard is it to fabricate colloidal machines and devices? Hard. But making doublets – a component of the devices – is easy. See how in Langmuir 22, 9135 (2006). Email Velegol for more info. See other news.

Nanoscale van der Waals forces

Does Lifshitz theory describe VDW forces for nanocolloids? Not very well. See part of the story in J Chem Phys 124, 074504 (2006).

End-on bacterial adhesion

Do bacterial stick end-on to surfaces? E coli K12 D21 sure do. See our article in Colloids & Surfaces B, 50, 66-71 (2006). Email Velegol for more info. See other news.

Nanoscale Clausius-Mossotti equation

Does the permittivity describe a material’s properties at the nanoscale? Nope. Atoms within 10 atoms of the surface behave differently since surface atoms have a different coordination, and bulk permittivities are not found until a particle has about 1000 atoms. See our article in Phys. Rev. A, 72, 053201 (2005). Email Velegol for more info. See other news.

Electrokinetic nanomotors (with Professors Sen and Mallouk in Penn State Chemistry)

Can particles be moved autonomously by adding H₂O₂ “fuel” to a system? Take a look at our collaboration on “catalytic micropumps” (Kline et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 127, 17150, 2005). Email Velegol for more info. See other news.

Measuring charge nonuniformity

Think measuring charge nonuniformity takes too long? The Velegol lab group has developed a light scattering method for doing it in seconds (Colloids Surf A, 267, 79, 2005).

Joe Jones, PhD (Oct 2005)

Joseph F. Jones passed his PhD defense in October 2005, and will graduate on 17 Dec 2005. His thesis was on “Examining initial bacterial adhesion: oriented adhesion and surface nanodomains”. Joe starts at the Center for Naval Analysis in January 2006. Congratulations Joe!

Charles Snyder passes candidacy exam (Aug 2005)

Charles Snyder passed his PhD proposal on “Site Specific Functionalization of Colloids through Particle-Lithography:

Developing, Understanding, and Scaling”. Congratulations and welcome to the PhD program Charles!

Sabrina Marie Velegol (July 2005)

Sabrina Marie Velegol was born Sun 17 July 2005, and so now Lauren is a “big sister”. The whole family is doing well.

Velegol funded by Petroleum Research Fund Grant (July 2005)

Darrell Velegol and his lab group received $80 000 in funding through grant PRF# 43453-AC10, for a proposal entitled Site-specific chemistry on colloidal particles by “particle lithography”.

“colloidal molecules” (July 2005)

Can particles form “colloidal molecules” just as atoms form organic compounds? Snyder, Yake, Feick, and Velegol show how “particle lithography” does this (Langmuir 21, 4813, 2005).

core-shell particles to reduce van der Waals forces (June 2005)

Can co-solvents be used to stabilize nanocolloids, even without the use of bulky dispersant molecules? Cole and Velegol think it’s possible (Nano Lett 5, 169, 2005).