The self-assembly of materials is oftentimes restricted by the capacity to grow and deform building blocks. Here, I will present a strategy that leverages the properties of polymeric micelles to fine-tune the size of monodisperse colloids. This approach becomes essential to explore systems where both concentration and size govern global behavior (e.g., packing, crystallization, etc.). Further polymerization of expanded colloids offers an additional platform to create colloids with new morphologies and study complex colloidal transitions.
Dr. Jairo Diaz specializes in the experimental study of soft matter (e.g., liquids, gels, etc.). As a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Soft Matter Research (CSMR) in New York University (NYU), Dr. Diaz focused on the fabrication and self-assembly of DNA-coated colloids working with Prof. Pine. Together with NYU Prof. Grier and Prof. Hoyos from the ESPCI-CNRS in France, Dr. Diaz also investigated the hydrodynamic phenomena involved during the acoustic levitation of emulsion droplets. Dr. Diaz further extended his training in soft matter to biological systems working with Prof. Elbaum-Garfinkle at the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) Structural Biology Initiative at The City University of New York (CUNY). Dr. Diaz received his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Colombia, Bogota, and his Ph.D. in Materials Science in Prof. Youngblood’s Lab at Purdue University. His doctoral research was primarily focused on controlling the self-assembly of chiral cellulose nanocrystals. His work has enabled new avenues for the exploration of soft materials, deserving recognition from Purdue University, the Materials Research Society, and the Simons Foundation.
Jairo Diaz Amaya, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, Rochester Institure of Technology
Host: Michelle Driscoll
Joan West
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