Lauren Zarzar
Lauren Zarzar
Seminar
Wed, Dec. 2, 2015, 3:15pm - 4:15pm
Frick Chemistry Laboratory, Taylor Auditorium
Host: John Groves
Wed, Dec. 2, 2015, 3:15pm - 4:15pm
Frick Chemistry Laboratory, Taylor Auditorium
Host: John Groves
Dynamic Soft Materials: Gels, Bubbles, and Drops
Dynamic materials that sense and adapt to their surroundings are primed to be integral components of future technologies. However, designing dynamic behavior into what is perhaps an otherwise static material is a significant challenge that often requires development of novel chemo-mechanical transduction strategies. We will explore different approaches by which chemical or environmental stimuli can be coupled to movement within nano/microscale materials in order to create systems with uniquely responsive and functional behavior. Three such soft materials will be highlighted: 1) hydrogel-driven actuators, 2) micro-environments enabling bubble-directed flow, and 3) reconfigurable complex droplets.