Biomineralization,, nanowires, and soft materials: processes and properties at the nanometer scale

我的研究兴趣集中在纳米尺度的机械性能和工艺。例如，我的兴趣之一是结晶，特别是通过吸附在晶体生长面上的分子“毒药”来控制结晶。这与工业（例如，防止柴油燃料中蜡结晶的冬季添加剂）和生物学（例如，允许某些生物体在零度以下生存的蛋白质）中重要的广泛系统相关。我的研究小组的另一个主题是纳米纤维、金属丝和纳米管的特性。了解这些材料的机械性能是它们在技术上应用的先决条件。这两个主题在我的实验室中使用的一种工具中交叉：原子力显微镜（AFM），它通过一个锋利的微加工探针来感知表面特征和特性。然而，我们在必要时采用了一套其他技术。例如，我们正在研究聚乙烯醇水凝胶，它的微观结构包括从纳米到几十微米的长度尺度。为了揭示这种应用于活性伤口敷料和血管移植的材料的结构，我们采用了机械测试、中子散射和数值模拟。

My research interests focus on mechanical properties and processes at the nanometer scale. For example, one of my interests is crystallization and, in particular, its control by molecular "poisons" that adsorb to crystal growth faces. This is relevant to a wide range of systems that are important in industry (e.g., winter additives that prevent wax crystallization in diesel fuels) and biology (e.g., proteins that allow some organisms to survive subzero temperatures). Another theme in my research group has been the characterization of nanofibres, wires, and tubes. Understanding the mechanical properties of such materials is a prerequisite to their use in technology. These two themes intersect in one of the tools employed in my laboratory: the atomic force microscope (AFM), which senses surface features and properties through a sharp, microfabricated probe. However, we employ a suite of other techniques as necessary. For instance, we are studying poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels, which have microstructures involving length scales ranging from nanometers to tens of micrometers. To unravel the structure of this material whose applications include active wound dressings and vascular grafts, we employ mechanical testing, neutron scattering, and numerical modeling.