CAREER: Hydrophilic Macroionic Solutions

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In this CAREER award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Prof. Tianbo Liu of Lehigh University and his graduate student and postodoctoral associate colleagues will study the formation and properties of interesting, hydrophillic, nanometer-sized, macroions. These macroions resemble blackberries, in that they are single-layer vesicles, composed of many large, hydrophillic polyoxometalate clusters. This will be done using laser light-scattering, small-angle x-ray scattering and atomic force and transmission electron microscopy techniques. Prof. Liu and his team will study the kinetics and thermodynamics of these interesting chemical systems. In addition to his course-development, Prof. Liu will continue to mentor high-school students from under represented groups in research projects for national competitions.The interesting "blackberry" materials may eventually find use as biomimetic systems, or they may be useful as nanocontainers. The results of these studies are likely to shed light on other self-assembly processes that occur in nature.