Dr. Russell J. Composto
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering,
and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Education:
PhD Materials Science and Engineering 1987 – Cornell University
MS Materials Science 1984 – Cornell University
BA Physics 1982 – Gettysburg College
Member of:
Nano/Bio Interface Center (NBIC)
Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM)
Institute for Medicine and Engineering (IME)
Penn Center for Energy Innovation
composto@seas.upenn.edu, LRSM 321, (215) 898-4451
AuthorDashboard – Russell J Composto
Visiting Researchers
Dr. Hyun-Su Lee
Visiting Scientist
leeh1@seas.upenn.edu
Google Scholar: here
Education: Ph.D. in Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
Project Title: Nanocarrier Drug Delivery to Improve Access and Outcomes in Lung Transplant
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Jaehyun Kim
Postdoctoral Researcher (MSE & CBE)
kjaehyun@seas.upenn.edu
Google Scholar: here
LinkedIn: here
Education: Ph.D., Sungkyunkwan University; B.S., Sungkyunkwan University.
Project Title: Gold nanoparticle capsule-based plasmonic sensor
Collaborator: Daeyeon Lee, (CBE). Remi Dreyfus (CNRS)
Funding Source: COMPASS
Project Description: I research on submicron size gold nanoparticle capsule sensor for micro pressure detection. Recently micro cracks can induce irreversible damage to NEMS or MEMS sensor. Detection before the detrimental damage is important for more sensitive and complex devices.
Dr. Yechan Kim
Postdoctoral Researcher (MSE & CBE)
yckim@seas.upenn.edu
Google Scholar: here
Education: Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology
Project Title: Nanoparticle Dynamics in Polyelectrolyte Brushes
Collaborator: Co-advisor: Karen I. Winey (MSE & CBE, Penn); Collaborator: Jan Genzer (CBE, NCSU) and Yale Goldman (PSOM, Penn)
Funding Source: NSF CBET grant
Project Description: The main objective of my project is to understand the adsorption, desorption, and mobility of nanoparticles at interfaces coated with responsive polyelectrolyte. Based on this, we will provide strategies for designing of separation, sensing, and purification devices with improved performance.
Ph.D. Students
Mike Boyle
Ph.D. Candidate (MSE)
mboy@seas.upenn.edu
Education: B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania
Project Title: Controlling Nanoparticle Adsorption to Weak Polyelectrolyte Layer-by-Layer Films
Collaborators: Wilfredo Mendez Ortiz (CBE), Hyun-Su Lee (MSE), Katie Rose (CBE), Kathleen J. Stebe (CBE), Yale E. Goldman (Physiology, PSOM), Daeyeon Lee (CBE), Russell J. Composto (CBE)
Funding Sources: NSF, NSF GRFP
Project description: Designing materials to control adsorption of nano-sized objects is important in many applications including the separation and purification of proteins, nanoparticle (NP) synthesis, and water filtration. Essential to this task is an understanding of the underlying interactions that influence nanoparticle transport and adsorption. Using a model layer-by-layer (LbL) system of alternating poly(allyl amine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), we study the adsorption of 20 nm poly(ethylene glycol)-carboxylic acid functionalized gold NPs (Au-PEG12-COOH NPs) to 50 nm LbL films on silicon/glass substrates. By complimenting macroscopic quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) with microscopic label-free interferometric scattering microscopy (iSCAT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements, we demonstrate the ability to control adsorption by modifying the capping layer chemistry (PAA vs. PAH), adsorption experiment solution pH, and thermal crosslinking temperature of LbL films prior to particle exposure and quantify effects of these variables on surface coverage, interaction mechanism, and kinetics of adsorption.
Aria Zhang
Ph.D. Candidate (MSE)
ariaczh@seas.upenn.edu
Education: B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University
Project Title: Phase evolution of polymer-grafted nanoparticles in a polymer nanocomposites
Collaborators: N/A
Funding Sources: NSF GRFP, REACT
Project description: My project is to study the phase behavior of nanoparticles grafted with polymers in a polymer matrix. The objective is to investigate the dependence of phase behavior on nanoparticle sizes film thicknesses, and other parameters. ToF-SIMS, AFM, and TEM are used to depth profiles the films, probe the topography, and image the film cross-sections, respectively. The spatial arrangement of the nanoparticles in a polymer matrix can enhance the polymer properties, leading to a wide range of applications, such as modified surface properties of polymer nanocomposites with an enriched surface layer of silica nanoparticle, and tunable optical properties of polymers by incorporating gold nanoparticles into the system.
Weiwei Kong
Ph.D. Candidate (MSE)
weiweik@seas.upenn.edu
LinkedIn: here
Education: B.S.E. in Polymer Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University
Project Title: Polymer kinetics under confinement inside metal complex
Collaborators: Zahra Fakhraai (Chemistry), Eric Detsi (MSE), Eric Stach (MSE)
Funding Sources: NSF/DMR
Project description: Recent research on nanocomposites has been focused on adding inorganic nanofibers into polymer matrices to impart properties not found in individual polymers. To further enhance the mechanical properties and ion conductivity, we fabricate bicontinuous polymer infiltrated scaffold metal (PrISM). PrISM composites are made by infiltrating polymers into the nanoporous gold (NPG) which has a bicontinuous structure. The infiltration kinetics depends on factors such as polymer molecular weight, polymer affinity with the gold scaffold, and the gold scaffold ligament size. The objectives of my project are to determine the effect of confinement on polymer infiltration, the effect of different polymer types on the infiltration kinetics, and the ion conductivity of the PEO filled NPG system.
Katie Sun
Ph.D. Student (MSE)
katiesun@seas.upenn.edu
Education: B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Rutgers University
Project Title: Nanoparticle Interactions and Nanoscale Transport in Polyelectrolyte Brushes
Collaborators: Co-advised: Karen I. Winey (MSE & CBE)
Funding Sources: NSF CBET
Project description: I will be researching nanoparticle (NP) dynamics through investigating NP absorption, desorption and transport at interfaces, particularly interfaces modified by charged polymers. The adsorption thermodynamics and diffusion of NPs at model and polyelectrolyte brush interfaces will be investigated, as well.
Justin Hughes
Ph.D. Student (MSE)
jhughes3@seas.upenn.edu
Education: B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland College Park
Project Title: Thermodynamic and Dynamic behavior of polyelectrolyte grafted brushes studied with autonomous experimentation
Collaborators: N/A
Funding Sources: NSF DMR
Project description: I will be studying the thermodynamic and dynamic behavior of charged polymer brushes with a combination of experimental and computational methods.
M.S. Students
Gautam Rajesh Jain
M.S. Student (MSE)
gjain459@seas.upenn.edu
Education: BTech in Polymer Engineering and Masters in Nanotechnology
Project Title: AFM Studies of Layer-by-Layer Films
Collaborators: Mike Boyle (MSE)
Project Description: My project is to determine the non-DLVO forces that act on the surface of polymer layer-by-layer (LbL) films. I will be using AFM contact mode with functionalized gold tips for determining the non-DLVO forces by controlling the trigger force and velocity with which the tips interact with polymer LbL films.
Undergraduate Students
Sahana Sundar
Undergraduate (MSE)
ssundar2@seas.upenn.edu
Sahana is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. She was accepted to the 2020 Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring program, to participate in research under the mentorship of Shawn Maguire and Connor Bilchak. She is currently studying the optical properties of nanoporous metals and nanoparticle analogues.
Isa Pan
Undergraduate (MSE)
chuyipan@seas.upenn.edu
Isa is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania in the VIPER program majoring in Materials Science & Engineering and Chemistry. She joined the group in the summer of 2022. She is currently studying the pH dependence of polymer brushes under the mentorship of Weiwei Kong.