Advanced Topics in ChBE
Materials
and Interfaces
Environmental
Engineering
Biomolecular
Engineering
Micro and Nano
Fabrication
Molecular Bioengineering
Molecular Bioengineering exists at the interface between engineering and molecular
biology (cells and molecules) and focuses on both understanding and engineering
complex living systems for applications ranging from drug delivery and tissue
engineering to biological synthesis of alternative fuels.
q
ΔT
q
Co-localization of focal adhesion complexes in
fibroblasts cultured on thermoresponsive
polymer brushes.
Kevin Ling ‘12
Materials & Interfaces
A fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical properties of
interfaces in natural and engineered materials is of paramount importance
and finds engineering significance in fields as diverse as drug delivery, water
treatment, semiconductor processing, biology, and nanotechnology.
Microdrop
NI-IMAQ
Image
Acquisition
binder
reservoir
strobe
Monito
r
CCD
Camera
Frequency,
pulse width,
voltage
Voltage
generator+
Oscilloscope
Environmental Engineering
While chemical engineers are trained to deal with all aspects of environmental
issues, their main focus has been in air pollution control, solid waste management,
and hazardous waste management. In response to the growing demand for energy
and adverse environmental impacts of fossil fuels, chemical engineers have been
active in search for new fuel sources including conversion of waste materials
(plastics, cellulosic compounds, etc.) and production of diesel fuel from algae.
Adhesion and Cohesion in
E. coli Mutant Biofilms
Environmental Fate and Transport of
MS2 Bacteriophage
Alternative Energy Production from Sustainable Sources
Micro-and Nano Fabrication
Chemical engineers are also increasingly applying their fundamental knowledge of
chemistry, physics, and math to “scale-down” processes, thereby allowing for a reduction
in material and spatial requirements while providing for more controlled operating
conditions. This scale-down gives rise to the need to fabricate systems that span length
scales that can be on the order of microns to nanometers.
Advanced Topics in ChBE
Materials
and Interfaces
Environmental
Engineering
Biomolecular
Engineering
Micro and Nano
Fabrication
Lauren S. Anderson
Assistant Professor
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Lafayette College
Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia
Cells communicate dynamically with their environment
Nucleus
Substrate
Research Area: Cell-material Interactions
How does cell phenotype (behavior) change when a cell is
cultured on a different biomaterials? Or rather,
Can cell phenotype be controlled by altering the substrate?
Project #1: Thermoresponsive Polymers
PNIPAM
P(MEO2MA-co-OEGMA)  “PMO”
LCST: 32oC
LCST: tunable,
26oC- 90oC
Temperature
LCST: Lower Critical Solution Temperature
Below LCST 
polymer miscibility
Above LCST 
phase separation
LCST
Composition
37 C: above LCST
Thermo-brushes collapsed
hydrophobic
cell adhesion.
25 C: below LCST
Thermo-brushes extended
hydrophilic
cell detachment.
Vary LCST, quantify cell phenotype
A
ΔT
37o C: ABOVE LCST
Hydrophobic 
Cell adhesion
B
25o C: BELOW LCST
Hydrophilic 
Cell detachment
q
q
C
Use tools from Molecular Biology: Real-time RT-PCR (gene expression), microscopy (phase and
confocal), Western blots/ELISA (protein expression) to quantify cellular phenotype
Project #2: Electrospinning
Scaffold architecture influences cellular phenotype
Native Extracellular Matrix
Science 2005, 310, (5751), 1135-1138
Mimic ECM by electrospinning
d
(Nano)particle Colloidal and Interfacial
Phenomena: Bioactive Materials
DW
(II)
(I)
S
+
(III)
k11
Biomacromolecule
Suspending Medium
Aggregated
Nanoparticles
ROS
Biomembrane
mimic
Ag
Solid-liquid interface
Nanoparticle
Nano-bio interface
KO/W
t cell
not to scale
Fy
Fx
James K. Ferri
Associate Professor
B.S. Johns Hopkins University
Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University
Research Interests:
o Stability in disperse systems
o Manufacturing and materials processing in microgravity,
o Nanocomposites and bioactive thin film mechanics
Nanomechanics and Interfacial
Stabilization
Surfactants
   
   0  RT  ln (1 
EG 
Polymers
Particles
T1 

)


 ln A
Gs 2
[1  1  (22  1)]
1 
G / A  2 O / S (1  cos q )  2 W / S (1  cos q )   O / W sin 2 q
 L cos q   S / L   S
G / A   W / S   O / W (1  cos q ) 2
(Nano)particle Colloidal and
Interfacial Phenomena

Adsorption Dynamics and Interfacial Rheology
T
80
80
2.7E17
5.4E16
2.7E16
5.4E15
Aggregation Kinetics
70
65
60
1
10
100
Time (s)
+
d Cz 1
  kijCi C j  CZ  kizCi
dt
2 i, j
i, j
1000
10000
2.7E17
5.4E16
2.7E16
5.4E15
75
Surface Tension (mN/m)
Surface Tension (mN/m)
75
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
70
65
60
1
10
100
Time (s)
1000
10000
(Nano)particle Colloidal and
Interfacial Phenomena

Adsorption Dynamics and Interfacial Rheology
T
80
80
2.7E17
5.4E16
2.7E16
5.4E15
Aggregation Kinetics
70
65
60
1
10
100
Time (s)
+
d Cz 1
  kijCi C j  CZ  kizCi
dt
2 i, j
i, j
1000
10000
2.7E17
5.4E16
2.7E16
5.4E15
75
Surface Tension (mN/m)
Surface Tension (mN/m)
75
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
particles/L
70
65
60
1
10
100
Time (s)
1000
10000
Summary
I, wisdom, dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
Proverbs 8.12
Javad Tavakoli






AEC 229; tavakoli@lafayette.edu ; (610) 330-5433
Ph.D., New Jersey Institute of Technology; Newark, NJ
M.S., Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Ill
B.S., Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran
P.E., Pennsylvania
Teaching areas: kinetics and reactor design, unit
operations, chemical engineering laboratories,
environmental engineering, alternative energy sources
Javad Tavakoli, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor
B.S. Shiraz University, M.S. Illinois Institute of Technology
Ph.D. New Jersey Institute of Technology

Renewable energy sources






Biomass to fuel
Waste to fuel
Catalysis
Sustainability
Industrial wastewater treatment
Hazardous waste treatment
Current Research Projects




Conversion of algae to fuel
Conversion of waste plastics to fuel
Catalytic conversion of methanol to higher
oxygenates
‘Sustainability’ and higher ed. institutions
Polly R. Piergiovanni, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Kansas
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Houston
Biofuel from algae
with Prof. Tavakoli
Dyeing Silk, 45 C
160
140
t/qt
120
100
90 mg/ml
80
90 mg/ml
60
180 mg/ml
40
360 mg/ml
20
360 mg/ml
0
0
1000
2000
Time (sec)
3000
4000
Kinetics of Dye Adsorption
Joshua A. Levinson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Research Areas:
• Semiconductor processing
technology
• Microfluidics
• Chemical kinetics
• Transport phenomena
Micro- and Nano-Fabrication Lab:
• Photolithography
• Soft-lithography
• Microscopy
• Microfluidics
Lab Equipment:
Plasma Chamber
Spin Coater
UV Exposer
Also:
• Inverted microscope w/
digital imaging
• PDMS prep/oven
• Hot Plates
• Syringe pumps
• Ellipsometer
• Disposables
Modeling and Simulation of Hydrogen Diffusion and Impurity Passivation in Zn-doped InP
•
Theoretical models for transport and kinetics of
hydrogen in III-V semiconductors
– Density of states, field-enhanced diffusion,
reversible reaction kinetics, etc.
Goal: Validate a predictive computer simulation
Experimental work derived from literature, prior
work, AND through collaboration
Theoretical work via derivation and
computational software (e.g., MATLAB)
•
•
•
Microfluidics
•
•
•
Microfluidics deals with the behavior, precise control, and manipulation of fluids
that are geometrically constrained to a small scale (sub-millimeter or less)
Significant advantages for processing and for process development
Initial work focusing on droplet formation and droplet emulsions
Research Opportunities
• Fundamental and applied problems involving
chemical kinetics and transport phenomena
– Semiconductor processing
– Dopant passivation in III-V materials - modeling and computation
– Other topics possible (e.g., etching, growth, etc.)
– Microfluidics studies
– Droplet formation, emulsions, and dynamics
– Reactions
– Potential for drug delivery and lab-on-chip applications
• Projects via EXCEL, Honors Thesis, and
Independent Study formats