My primary interests lie in studying the fundamental role of microscopic interactions in determining or influencing the morphology of materials, with particular emphasis on interfacial properties. As both experiment and theory play an important role in helping us understand the physical processes of interest, we use a balance of both in the research conducted within my group. The interface between these phases can then be investigated using a technique known as density functional theory. This approach has been particularly successful in examining the role of interactions in determining interfacial properties in single-component simple fluids.
Current work focuses on multicomponent systems.
These include colloids and colloidal dispersions, as well as polymers and polymer blends which all can display a fascinating array of morphologies. Where our colloidal studies are often aimed at modeling theoretical investigation, polymer blend and composite studies are aimed at better understanding the role of interactions during processing. Depending on a variety of aspects, including specific interactions, processing temperature, polymer crystallization, or the addition of an interfacial modifying component, morphology development during processing can be drastically altered. In order to study these issues, we use modern characterization and manipulation techniques, ranging from light scattering and laser trapping on colloidal systems to small angle x-ray and neutron scattering on polymer blends and composites.