“Giant Molecules to Soft Materials” presented this Friday
Physics & Astronomy Seminar Series Present:
From Giant Molecules to Soft Materials
By: Dr. Alan Denton
Department of Physics
North Dakota State University
Friday, October 16 | 3:30 pm | HA 325
Soft materials, such as clays, gels, foams, and biomaterials, typically
comprise giant molecules. Weak and tunable forces between polymer
coils, amphiphilic chains, and colloidal particles give soft materials their
characteristic mechanical fragility and rich thermal and optical
properties. Polymers are ubiquitous as rubbers, plastics, and
fabrics. Lipids, which self-assemble into biomembranes, and
biopolymers, such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, are the very stuff of
life. Other biopolymers, such as polysaccharides, feature in many
foods and consumer care products (shampoos, toothpastes, etc.), and
have applications to oil recovery and drug delivery. Liquid crystals lie
behind most flat panel displays, while colloids surround us, disguised
as paints, inks, and pharmaceuticals. In the quest to understand and
control the remarkable properties of soft matter, experiment and
modeling play essential and intertwining roles. After introducing the
physics of soft matter, I will focus on some of the practical applications
and grand challenges for future multidisciplinary research.