Nanomaterials

Euan Mcleod

Associate Professor, Optical Sciences
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Assistant Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Contact
(520) 621-6997

Work Summary

Prof. Euan McLeod studies optical systems for sensing and imaging objects at the nanoscale. His lab uses optical tweezers to "print" photonic devices at higher resolution out of more types of materials than other 3D printers. Euan also works on cost-effective field-portable lensfree holographic microscopes that provide high resolution across an ultra-large field of view. These microscopes are used for biomedical sensing and environmental air quality monitoring.

Research Interest

Euan McLeod, Ph.D., works at the intersection of nanophotonics, soft materials science, and many-body systems. One of his current major research thrusts is to use optical tweezers combined with biomolecular functionalization to assemble nanostructured 3D devices out of colloidal nanoparticle building blocks. Euan also works on developing lensfree holographic microscopes that provide high resolution across an ultra-large field of view in cost-effective and compact platforms. Euan is developing new methods to improve the resolution and sensitivity of these microscopes to sense ultrafine nanoparticles like aerosols and viruses. By combining these microscopes with microfluidic chambers, he is working to develop highly multiplexed biomedical sensors. All of these areas of experimental research are supported by extensive computational and theoretical efforts. Previously in his career, Euan has published extensive research in high-speed acoustic lensing, laser-materials processing at the nanoscale, and free-surface microfluidic instabilities.

Jeffrey Pyun

Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry-Sci
Professor, Optical Sciences
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Member of the General Faculty
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 626-1834

Research Interest

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.

Pierre A Deymier

Department Head, Materials Science and Engineering
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Professor, Applied Mathematics - GIDP
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Contact
(520) 621-6080

Research Interest

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 L Corral

Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Associate Professor, Aerospace-Mechanical Engineering
Distinguished Scholar, Materials Science and Engineering
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Associate Professor, BIO5 Institute
Primary Department
Contact
(520) 621-0934

Research Interest

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.