Research Seminar - Emma Vargo

Future technologies depend on the development of materials with (1) structural hierarchies of molecular to macroscopic features, (2) coexisting mechanical, optical, electronic, magnetic, and/or transport functionalities, (3) chemical sensitivity and selectivity, and (4) responsiveness to external stimuli. These goals presently exceed the capabilities of advanced fabrication techniques. However, these same traits are ubiquitous in biological materials. In this talk, I will describe the Ting Xu Group’s efforts to translate the advantages of biology into new application areas. Our group focuses on designing functional soft materials using synthetic polymers, peptides, proteins, small organic molecules, and nanoparticles as building blocks. The first part of this talk will be a survey of recent projects, including biological-synthetic hybrid materials and synthetic systems with bio-like behaviors. The second part of this talk will highlight an ongoing project—self-assembly of nanocomposite multilayers—which represents an exciting milestone in our efforts to design new hierarchical, multifunctional materials.

Emma is a 5th-year Materials Science & Engineering graduate student in Prof. Ting Xu's group. Her work focuses on the self-assembly of supramolecular nanocomposites, and she is currently exploring how molecular building blocks can coordinate and self-regulate across microscopic distances. Her favorite biological material is a Morpho butterfly wing, which is colored by beautiful tree-like nanostructures.