2009-2011 Research

 

Mission Statement:

 

We aim to conduct a program where cutting edge research is done in partnership by interdisciplinary groups consisting of faculty, postdoctoral associates and students of all ages, starting from high school through the post doctorate. We show that the involvement of students of various ages, in all phases of the research, can be a stimulating experience for all participants in the group. The project is divided into two interdisciplinary groups, each studying a different aspect of polymers at surfaces.

Group I: The goal of this group is the engineering of high performance, flame resistant, and environmentally benign, polymer nanocomposites. This group interacts strongly with the new NewYork State funded Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, The New York State Center for Advanced Sensor Technology, and numerous national and international nanotechnology based companies.

  • (a) The synthesis and characterization of new nanoparticles with controlled aspect ratios, variable thermal and electric conductivities, and multi-functional groups.
  • (b) Formulation of advanced nanocomposites, where interfacial interactions are used to control the mechanical, rheological, thermal and electrical response of the materials.
  • (c) Development of advanced characterization and modeling methods, which have which provide, with nanoscale precision, information regarding structure property relations of the nanocomposites.
  • (d) Design of polymer nanocomposites for energy applications and photovoltaic conversion.

    • Group II: The goal of this group is the engineering of surfaces for control of protein structure and cell function. This group interacts strongly with physicans and scientists in the Stony Brook Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, The Living Skin Bank, and the Cancer Prevention Center. This group specializes in;

  • (a) Design of bio mimetic hydrogels for the study of cellular traction forces, mechanotransduction phenomena, and controlled drug delivery.
  • (b) Fabrication of oriented electrospun scaffolds and patterned surfaces for tissue engineering, protein folding and cell migration studies.
  • (c) Synthesis of nanoparticles with different coatings and functional groups for the study of cell/particle interactions.
  • (d) Induction of adult stem and mesenchymal cell differentiation using mechnanical and morphological stimuli.
  • (e) The role of traction forces and substrate morphology in single and en mass cell migration.
  • (f) Nanoparticle / cell interactions and toxicology
  • (g) The role of surfaces in templating biomineralization, thrombogensis, and fibrinogen self assembly.

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