Texas A&M University, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
PhD student Kartik Kumar Rajagopalan was selected as a recipient for Phi Kappa Phi’s Love of Learning Award. The Love of Learning Awards help fund post-baccalaureate professional development for active Phi Kappa Phi members. The committee was impressed with Kartik’s superior academic record and life/career ambitions.
Congratulations, Kartik!
PhD candidate Aliaksei Aliakseyeu’s research was recently accepted to Macromolecules!
The article, titled “Impact of Star Polyacid Branching on Polymer Diffusion within Multilayer Films“, is now available to read online. This article explores the effect of polymer branching on the diffusion of polymers with LbL films assembled at low pH and considers different factors that affects the polymer dynamics within the film.
Congratulations, Aliaksei!
Many congratulations to Diana Al Husseini and Qing Zhou for successfully defending their dissertations!
Dr. Al Husseini earned her degree based on her work on nanoparticle assembly for gas-sensing applications. Her dissertation is titled “Surface Functionalization for Selective Mid-Infrared On-Chip Sensing”.
Dr. Zhou earned his degree based on his work on 3D-printable, shape-reconfigurable polymer networks. His dissertation is titled “Effect of Crosslinker Flexibility and Crosslinking Density on Thermo-Mechanical Behavior of 3D Printable Diels-Alder Polymer Networks”.
PhD student Jordan Brito’s research was recently accepted to ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces!
The article, titled “Hierarchically Structured, All-Aqueous-Coated Hydrophobic Surfaces with pH-Selective Droplet Transfer Capability“, is now available to read online. In this article, hydrophobic coatings with pH-responsive droplet capture were created using an all-aqueous layer-by-layer deposition technique. The fluorinated anionic polyphosphazenes used in these coatings endowed the surfaced with a novel combination of hydrophobicity with pH sensitivity, allowing for pH-sensitive droplet transfer.
Congratulations, Jordan!
PhD student Kartik Kumar Rajagopalan was one of two graduate students selected to receive the SPE-Henry Kahn Scholarship! The scholarship is sponsored by The Society of Plastics Engineers. The SPE Scholarship is awarded to both graduate and undergraduate students who display excellence both academically and in their respective research fields.
Congratulations, Kartik!
PhD student Zhen Sang’s research was recently accepted to Chemical Engineering Journal!
The article, titled “Dynamic Polymer Network Conductive Nanocomposites: Low Percolation Threshold and Joule-heating-induced Network Plasticity“, is now available to read online. In this work, we report a novel nanocomposite based on Diels-Alder polymer (DAP) dynamic networks. These nanocomposites showed an extremely low percolation threshold at 0.04 wt% filler loading as well as the ability of permanent shape reconfiguration by Joule-heating. Reprogramming directions and time sequences in material motions can facilitate implementations of these actuation systems for applications requiring complex reprogrammable shape manipulations.
Congratulations, Zhen!
PhD candidate Aliaksei Aliakseyeu’s research was recently accepted to Polymer Chemistry!
The article, titled “Nonionic star polymers with upper critical solution temperature in aqueous solutions“, is now available to read online. In this article, novel upper critical solution temperature (UCST) star poly(2-ureido methacrylates) synthesized via ARGET ATRP technique showed DMSO-controlled UCST behavior and enhanced trapping abilities of model drug molecules.
Congratulations, Aliaksei!
Kartik Kumar Rajagopalan was one of six finalists selected for the 2022 Eastman Chemical Student Award! He will be giving an oral presentation at ACS Fall 2022 in the Eastman Chemical Student Award symposium over his submitted paper, entitled “Infrared Spectroscopy Study of Polymer Gelation Mechanism in Inorganic Salt Hydrates”.
The award is sponsored by Eastman Chemical Company, and the competition is organized by the PMSE division of ACS. The purpose of this award is to “recognize research excellence by a graduate student in applied polymer science”.
Congratulations, Kartik!
PhD students Jordan Brito and Kartik Kumar Rajagopalan presented their work at ACS Spring 2022 virtually and in San Diego, CA.
Prof. Sukhishvili and Jordan presented in the “Polyphosphazenes in Biomedicine, Engineering and Pioneering Synthesis” symposium. Prof. Sukhishvili presented “Polyphosphazenes in layer-by-layer coatings“, and Jordan presented “Highly hydrophobic, pH-responsive, nanostructured layer-by-layer coatings from anionic fluorinated polyphosphazenes“.
Kartik presided over the session “General Papers/New Concepts in Polymeric Materials”. He also presented his work entitled, “Thermo-responsive salogels with dynamic covalent bonds for shape stabilization of an inorganic phase change material“.
