Functional Interfaces

Material interfaces play a crucial role in such fundamental phenomena as adhesion, friction, separation, imagelight scattering, and heterogeneous molecular interactions. Therefore, a wide-ranging control over the interfacial material properties would catalyze implementation of a vast range of innovations spanning multiple disciplines such as sensing and recognition, heterogeneous catalysis, electrocatalysis, polymer science, material separation and filtration, nano-scale manufacturing, molecular electronics and others. Chemical engineers at the University of Rochester advance fundamental molecular engineering at interfaces, especially as applied to novel molecular and thin-film coating, nano-scale fabrication, processing of soft materials, and interfacial molecular interactions and transport.  The Chemical Engineering Department and the University of Rochester provide researchers with access to a broad range of preparation and characterization equipment, and to excellent computational tools.

Active Faculty / Research Area

A. M. Müller: Solid-State Electrocatalysis; Pulsed Laser in Liquids Synthesis of Controlled Nanomaterials; Nanocatalyst Property–Functionality Relationships; Selective CO2 Reduction Catalysis

A. ShestopalovMonomolecular Interfaces; Nano-Scale Contact Patterning; Electronic Properties of Monomolecular Films; Multicomponent Anisotropic Colloids

W. Tenhaeff: Electrochemical Energy Storage; Solid State Lithium Batteries and Solid Electrolytes; Polymer Thin Films, Interfaces and Thin Film Synthesis & Characterization; Vacuum Deposition Techniques

A. WhiteModeling Peptide Self-Assembly; Data-Driven Molecular Simulation; Molecular Modeling Methods Development; Materials Design; Deep Learning; Artificial Intelligence in Chemical Engineering

M. Z. YatesThin Films; Membranes; Coatings; Small Particles; Crystallization; Microencapsulation; Electrolytic Surface Coatings and Electrochemical Surface Modification