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CBE Seminar: “Phase Behavior and Self-Assembly of Active Colloids”

January 27, 2021 at 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Abstract

In recent years, a new type of synthetic microparticle has captured the imagination of researchers across the physical and biological sciences. These so-called active colloids convert chemical or environmental free energy into irreversible directed motion. Impressively, the active force generated by the particles can lead to self-propelling speeds of tens of hundreds of microns per second. Active colloids challenge our theoretical understanding of nonequilibrium phenomena and simultaneously represent a potentially innovative approach to directed transport and material design at the microscale. In this talk, I will discuss one of the most striking features of active colloids, which is their rich and complex nonequilibrium phase behavior. Special emphasis will be given to motility-induced phase separation where purely repulsive active colloids undergo a liquid-gas phase transition. This talk will provide a quantitative understanding of this phenomenon by generalizing concepts in classical statistical mechanics and liquid state theory to active systems. This newfound understanding can be leveraged to improve the self-assembly of many complex colloidal structures using active colloids.

Stewart A. Mallory, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow - California Institute of Technology

Faculty Candidate

Dr. Stewart A. Mallory is currently an Arnold O. Beckman postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the development of nonequilibrium theories for the behavior of soft complex materials, with a particular interest in novel techniques to manipulate and self-assemble matter at the colloidal scale. He received his B.S. and B.A. in chemistry and mathematics from the University of Hawaii, and completed his Ph.D. in chemical physics at Columbia University, as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow.

Details

Date:
January 27, 2021
Time:
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Event Category:
Event Tags:
Website:
https://cbe.seas.upenn.edu/events/

Venue

Zoom – Email CBE for link

Organizer

Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Phone
215-898-8351
Email
chebiom@seas.upenn.edu
View Organizer Website