Materials science

Erin L. Ratcliff is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona, with joint appointments in the Departments of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and Chemistry and Biochemistry. She also has a joint appointment with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO. Dr. Ratcliff’s research group – the Laboratory for Interface Science of Printable Electronic Materials - is focused on the application of electrochemistry and spectroscopy to better understand the functionality of printable electronic materials, interfaces, and devices. The majority of her research efforts target understanding the structure-property relationships that govern charge transfer kinetics and transport of electronic and ionic species, with connections to energy conversion devices and biosensors.

Dr. Yitshak Zohar Ph.D., is Professor of Aerospace-Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and the BIO5 Institute. He received a B.S. and M.S. from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. at the University of Southern California. Dr. Zohar was honored with the Fellow - The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 2003; and in 2007, the University of Arizona Technology Innovation Award. Dr. Zohar's research interests are in understand the process of Cell Receptor and Surface Ligand density effects in dynamic states of adhering circulating tumor cells and the creation of a high performance microsystem for isolating circulating tumor cells. With this mission, Dr. Zohar focuses on the development of micro/nanotechnology and fabrication of microfluidic devices for biochemical/medical applications. He has developed novel surface-chemistry techniques that enable selective manipulation of surface properties of fluidic microchannels and nanoparticles. Further developing in ‘smart’ nanoparticles, with encapsulated anti-cancer drug in their core and targeting ligands on their surface, designed to specifically destroy CTCs in vivo in effort to eradicate the cancer disease is taking place. Other work being performed by the Zohar laboratory includes the controlled dissociation of fresh brain tissue into viable neurons suitable for subsequent cell culture utilizing microfluidic systems; the investigation of pollen-tube/ovule interaction, particularly the attraction and repulsion signaling processes, using a microchannel-based assay; and protein-fiber formation in microfluidic devices.

Josef Vagner, PhD, is an Associate Research Professor at the University of BIO5 Research Institute and the Director of the Ligand Discovery Laboratory. Dr. Vagner is expert in the field of drug discovery and development, and he is focused on the design, synthesis, purification, characterization and screening of compound arrays.He has published over 70 original research papers and 31 patents. He is a frequent presenter at national and international meetings (American Chemical Society and Peptide Societies).Dr. Vagner designed and developed of compounds for in vivo pharmacologic applications and translation programs. He has over 25 years experience in synthesis and structural analysis of de novo ligands for various biological targets, including a recent focus on ligands targeting GPCRs and multivalent ligands. These experiences include 10 years of work in the pharmaceutical industry (Sanofi/ Selectide, Novo Nordisk, Discovery Partner International) where he specialized in combinatorial chemistry and array synthesis of small molecules. During his time in industry, he supervised teams of workers who successfully accomplished the synthesis of more than ten large libraries (with >10,000 compounds each).

Our research program is focused on the synthesis and characterization of novel polymeric and composite materials, with an emphasis on the control of nanoscale structure. Recent developments in polymer and colloid chemistry offer the synthetic chemist a wide range of tools to prepare well-defined, highly functional building blocks. We seek to synthesize complex materials from a "bottom up" approach via the organization of molecules, polymers and nanoparticles into ordered assemblies. Control of structure on the molecular, nano- and macroscopic regimes offers the possibility of designing specific properties into materials that are otherwise inaccessible. We are particularly interested in compatabilizing interfaces between organic and inorganic matter as a route to combine the advantageous properties of both components. This research is highly interdisciplinary bridging the areas of physics, engineering and materials science with creative synthetic chemistry.

My research interests are in organic and polymer chemistries that include extensive development of new polymers, polymerization chemistries, polymer characterization, and their applications, such as bio-microfuel cells, membranes, protective coatings, photoresists, sensors, and high surface area adsorbents. Presently, my research includes the development of new polymeric sunscreens, polymeric foams, novel materials and chemistries for 3D printing, synthesis and characterization of porous materials, new polymeric antioxidants, fluorescent polymers and particles, and extensive work in sol-gel science. Keywords: New Sunscreens

Dr. Enikov's area of expertise is the design of micro-actuators, MEMS devices, and sensors. After completion of his training, he established the Advanced Micro- and Nanosystems Laboratory at the University of Arizona, where they have carried out numerous research projects involving precision assembly of micro-systems under optical feedback, development of wet actuators using ion-exchange polymers, pressure sensors, and accelerometers. In the last 8-years, his research has applied micro-technology to the development of medical devices. More specifically, they have developed a through-the-eye lid tactile tonometer capable of estimating intraocular pressure using an array of MEMS sensors. A second invention pertains to the development of an implantable ventricular peritoneal shunt with flow sensing capabilities. The present project represents a major focus of his laboratory. They have completed several early-stage studies on tactile tonometery supporting the present application. Given Dr. Enikov's technical background and prior effort in the area of tactile tonometery, he believes he is uniquely qualified to lead the proposed effort.

Pierre Deymier, Ph.D., is interested in a combination of theory, modeling, simulation (from electronic level to the atomistic level to the macroscopic levels) and experimental approaches (from materials synthesis to materials characterization) applied to solving important problems in the science, engineering and technology of materials. These problems focus on the fields of functional materials with function derived from size (e.g. nanomaterials), structure (e.g. metamaterials), and/or composition including materials with biological functionality or materials constituted of living matter (e.g. vitamaterials).

Erica Corral, PhD, essentially dives into three primary areas of research. Her first research area focuses on processing ultra-high temperature ceramic (UHTC) composites and coatings for use as advanced thermal protection systems and to provide oxidation protection of carbon-carbon composites. Secondly, she focuses on developing bulk multifunctional high-temperature ceramic nanocomposites reinforced with single-walled carbon nanotubes for enhanced toughness in ceramics that also have tailored electrical and thermal properties. Last but not least, Dr. Corral also focuses on developing nanocomposite compositions of iron oxide and zirconia for use as hydrogen generation materials. Recent postdoctoral research also focused on investigating the thermomechanical properties of UHTCs, and engineering mechanical and chemical properties of glass-composites for use as reliable seals in solid oxide fuel cells, and ceramic powder processing of magnesium oxide and electrolyte powder for use in thermal batteries. As a graduate student at Rice University, Dr. Corral was an NSF-Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Fellow, and pioneered the first SWNT-reinforced silicon nitride nanocomposites with multifunctional properties.