Molecular Systems Design & Engineering Blog

Dr. Wenjie Xia is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University. He received his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northwestern University in 2016. His research interests lie in modeling and computational design of polymers, soft matter, and multifunctional behaviors of complex materials. He has authored over 80 peer-reviewed papers published in prestigious journals in polymer science, multiscale modeling, and computational materials, including Advanced Materials, Science Advances, Matter, ACS Nano, Nano Letters, etc. He has been recognized by multiple awards, including NSF CAREER Award, ACS PMSE Young Investigator Award, ND-ACES Early Career Faculty Award, RSC MSDE Emerging Investigator, and NIST MML Accolade for Technical Excellence “for leading the development of a new multiscale modeling approach for glass-forming polymer materials”.

Read Wenjie’s Emerging Investigator manuscript: Molecular insights into the hydration of zwitterionic polymers, DOI:10.1039/D3ME00020F

This will be free to read until September 20th! Read the interview with Wenjie below;

1. How do you feel about MSDE as a place to publish research on this topic?

MSDE presents an ideal platform to showcase our group research on modeling and computational design of molecules and polymers. With its reputation for upholding rigorous peer-review standards, MSDE provides a credible avenue to disseminate our research and contribute to the advancements in our field.

2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?

I am thrilled by the potential that emerging and advanced computational techniques, such as multiscale modeling and AI, hold for predicting and designing complex molecular systems at a fundamental level. The most challenging aspect of my research lies in establishing an effective strategy to overcome the spatiotemporal limitations of molecular modeling to achieve improved predictions at extended and multiple scales in a computationally efficient manner.

3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

In design and engineering of complex molecular systems, such as zwitterionic polymers, the most important question to be answered is how to delineate their “structure-processing-property” relationships of those materials, which requires a fundamental understanding of their intricate intermolecular interactions and microstructures.

4. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?

From my personal experience, it is really valuable to cultivate a strong network of peers, mentors, and collaborators. Building meaningful connections within your field and even beyond really offers diverse perspectives, valuable guidance and tremendous opportunities for research collaboration.

Follow Wenjie on Twitter; @WenJXia

You can also find Wenjie on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wenjie-xia/

Dr. Mehraeen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He received his B.S. from University of Tehran, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. He joined UIC in 2016 after postdoctoral work in the Department of Chemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology and MIT. Professor Mehraeen’s specialty is charge transport in organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells, and directed self-assembly of sub-10 nm particles on patterned surfaces. The emphasis of OPVs research thrust is on understanding of the charge transport mechanisms, and the fundamental relationships between morphology of the active materials and bimolecular recombination losses. The focus of directed self-assembly of sub-10 nm particles research thrust is on gaining control of the self-assembly process to make superlattices using flow field and substrate patterning. A new focus of his research activities is on molecular design using a combination of density functional theory, machine learning algorithms, and artificial intelligence. Overall, the objectives of his program are pursued through a combination of theoretical methods and computational simulations, enabling the attainment of a deeper understanding of the core issues of interest to better guide experimental efforts in novel materials synthesis and nanofabrication. Professor Mehraeen’s research work has been funded by NIH, and Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program. Shafigh is the recipient of MIT Ascher Shapiro Award for excellence in educational prowess in 2014, and UIC College of Engineering Teaching Award in 2018, 2019, and 2023.

Read Shafigh’s Emerging Investigator Series article: Unraveling the impact of template geometry and confinement on template-assisted self-assembly of nanoparticles. DOI:10.1039/D3ME00024A

This article will be free to access until September 15th! Read the interview with Shafigh below;

In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?

The challenging task in this field is to thoroughly understand the mechanisms of Directed Self-Assembly (DSA) of Sub-50 nm Particle (abbreviated as SNP) arrays on templates at moving three-phase (solid- liquid-gas) interfaces, and utilize that understanding to investigate ways to manipulate DSA and ordering of assemblages with single particle precision (placing a single particle at every predefined position). The DSA process is a self-assembling system of discrete components, which is aided by utilizing stimuli such as external fields or templates for selective depositions. This process is currently considered as one of the main ways for nano-fabrication because of its simplicity, versatility, and spontaneity. DSA of SNP arrays onto 2D structures gives rise to novel collective properties that can be tuned by manipulating the external stimuli, interactions between SNPs, or particle size. Arrays of SNPs, such as semiconductor quantum dots, nanorods, and nanotetrapods, with such tunable properties have applications in electronics, magnetics, photonics, and catalysis. Ordered arrays of SNPs on template surfaces will also influence the fundamental nanoscale view of materials properties and the practical manifestation of bottom-up manufacturing technologies. SNPs are promising building blocks for nanotechnology due to their ease of fabrication and high degree of uniformity. However, this promise will be fulfilled only if a method to address single SNPs and their positioning in large arrays with desired arrangement on textured substrates is developed. To develop this method, a rigorous understanding of the mechanisms of DSA of SNP arrays on template surfaces is required.

Find out more about Dr Shafigh Mehraeen and their groups research on their website: https://tranzabi.people.uic.edu/

Reika Katsumata is an assistant professor in Polymer Science and Engineering Department at UMass Amherst since 2018. After obtaining her B.E. and M.E. degrees in Organic and Polymeric Materials at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Reika made a big move to the States, where she earned Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining UMass, she completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Katsumata Group’s overarching research goal is to design extremely confined soft/hard interfaces, focusing on dynamics, wettability, and mechanics with a novel processing method of polymer-assisted rapid thermal annealing. She has been awarded the ACS petroleum research fund Doctoral New Investigator Grant (2019), NSF CAREER Award (2021), 3M Non-Tenure Faculty Award (2022), Japan Science and Technology Agency PRESTO Award (2022), AFOSR Young Investigator Award (2023), and ACS PMSE Early Stage Investigator Award (2023).

Read Reika’s Emerging Investigator article: Recent advances and emerging opportunities in rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of polymers. DOI: 10.1039/D2ME00283C

This article will be free to access for all until September 10th 2023! Read the interview with Reika below;

1. How do you feel about MSDE as a place to publish research on this topic?
   
   The interdisciplinary readership of MSDE has been the ideal audience for the topic of polymer-assisted rapid thermal annealing (RTA).
   2. What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?As summarized in this review paper, I am overwhelmingly excited to be a part of the adventure in this new research field!
   
   3. In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?How does the molecular structure influence the degradation behaviors of polymers under high heating rates?4. Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?Pursue projects you are genuinely passionate about, rather than following hot topics.Follow Reika on twitter! @Katsumata_R_