Brito and Moon publish in Journal of Functional Biomaterials

Jordan Brito and Junho Moon’s paper titled “Engineering Degradation Rate of Polyphosphazene-Based Layer-by-Layer Polymer Coatings” was recently published in the Journal of Functional Biomaterials.

In this work, we designed layer-by-layer polymer coatings with tunable degradation rates based on the assembly conditions, and we also directly compared the degradation of the polymer in solution, complexes in solution, and layer-by-layer polymer coatings. The open-access article is now available to read online.

Congratulations, Jordan and Junho!

**Update (2/28/2024): This article was selected by the Journal of Functional Biomaterials as the cover article for the February issue!**

Rajagopalan wins 3rd place at MSEN Materials Expo 2023

PhD candidate Kartik won joint 3rd place in the MSEN Materials Expo 2023 poster competition for the poster titled “Diels-Alder Salogels for Shape Stabilization of Inorganic Salt Hydrate Phase Change Materials”. The MSEN Materials Expo 2023 was held in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the TAMU MSEN department.

Congratulations, Kartik!

Kartik holds up his certificate in front of his winning poster at MSEN Materials Expo 2023

Shah receives SPE-Henry Kahn Scholarship

Master’s student Parin Purvin Shah was one of two recipients of the SPE-Henry Kahn Scholarship, sponsored by The Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE). It was awarded during the Polymer Technology Constoria (PTC) in Fall 2023. This scholarship recognizes undergraduate and graduate students in the polymers field who demonstrate excellence both in academics and research.

Congratulations, Parin!

Parin shakes hands with Dr. Hung-Jue Sue after being awarded the SPE-Henry Kahn Scholarship

Aliakseyeu publishes in Macromolecules

Aliaksei Aliakseyeu’s paper titled “Salt-Induced Diffusion of Star and Linear Polyelectrolytes within Multilayer Films” was recently published in Macromolecules

In this work, Aliaksei studied the effect of salt on the diffusivity of polyelectrolytes of varied molecular architecture in layer-by-layer (LbL) films in directions parallel and perpendicular to the substrate. The article is now available to read online.

Congratulations, Aliaksei!

Aliakseyeu and Moon win 2023 MSEN Awards

Aliaksei Aliakseyeu and Junho Moon were awarded with 2023 MSEN Awards this summer.

Aliaksei received the Best Ph.D. Thesis award for his thesis titled, “Star Polymers in Solution and in Multilayer Assemblies”.

Junho received the Outstanding Teacher award for his teaching experiences in MSEN 360 Materials Characterization and MSEN 301 Lab A (Polymer) Unified Materials Lab. In these courses, he instructed the students on laboratory instruments, graded reports, and provided feedback.

Congratulations to both students on this great achievement!

Brito and collaborators publish in Biomacromolecules

Jordan Brito’s research with collaborators at the University of Maryland and Stevens Institute of Technology was recently accepted to Biomacromolecules!

The article, titled “4-Methylumbelliferone-Functionalized Polyphosphazene and Its Assembly into Biocompatible Fluorinated Nanocoatings with Selective Antiproliferative Activity”, is now available to read online.

Well done, Jordan & collaborators!

Brito teaches MSEN 489/689 lecture

PhD student Jordan Brito got some practice teaching during one of the MSEN 489/689 lectures (Techniques for Polymer and Soft Matter Characterization). She gave a lecture on ATR-FTIR to the classroom of undergraduate and graduate students. She will also hold an in-person demo to show the benefits and limitations of the technique.

This valuable experience will help prepare her for a career in academia!

Jordan Brito gave a lecture on ATR-FTIR in MSEN 489/689