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  • May
    2

    ChBE Seminar Series: "Interfacial colloidal interactions, dynamics, and assembly: from biomembranes to ordered 2D materials" - Peter Beltramo, University of Massachusetts

    McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

    9:30 AM LR4, Technological Institute

    EVENT DETAILS

    ChBE Seminar Series:

    The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present a seminar by Peter Beltramo from the University of Massachusetts as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.

    Dr. Peter Beltramo will present a seminar titled "Interfacial colloidal interactions, dynamics, and assembly: from biomembranes to ordered 2D materials.”

    ABSTRACT: Soft matter interfaces are ubiquitous across diverse technologies ranging from pharmaceuticals to chemical formulations. The presence of surfactant molecules or colloidal particles at fluid interfaces gives the interface distinct properties in response to flow, deformation, and external fields that must be measured, understood, and manipulated for desired functionalities. This talk will focus on colloidal interactions in two such systems: crowded artificial biological membranes and anisotropic particles at air-water interfaces. In the first part of the talk, we discuss the effects of increasing concentration of model membrane inclusions in an artificial cell membrane on inclusion diffusivity and the apparent viscosity of the membrane. In the second part of the talk, we highlight our recent discovery that particle surface porosity severely attenuates the capillary attraction between colloidal ellipsoids at fluid interfaces, enabling the development of ordered anisotropic 2D monolayers. By monitoring the dynamics of two particles approaching one another, we find that porous particles exhibit a strikingly shorter-range capillary interaction potential. Interferometry measurements of the fluid deformation surrounding a single particle quantitatively confirm the decrease in capillary interaction energy and point to roughness-induced changes to interfacial pinning as the mechanism for reduced attraction. Lastly, we show how this reduction in interparticle capillary attraction and alteration in interfacial pinning manifests in the overall 2D interfacial assembly of such particles, informing an approach for the development of anisotropically ordered 2D materials.

    Peter Beltramo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at UMass Amherst. He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware in 2014, where he studied the electrokinetics and self-assembly of colloidal suspensions. Before starting at UMass Amherst in 2018, he completed a postdoc in Soft Materials at ETH Zurich. At UMass, his lab studies interfacial soft matter in contexts ranging from membrane biophysics and biomimetic materials to particle stabilized emulsions and ordered 2D materials. His recent recognitions include the NSF CAREER Award, ACS-PRF Doctoral New Investigator Award, and a Lilly Teaching Fellowship at UMass Amherst.

    Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!

    *Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.

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    TIME Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

    LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute    map it

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    CONTACT Olivia Wise    olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)

  • Mar
    15

    Winter Classes End

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

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    TIME Saturday, March 15, 2025

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Mar
    17

    Winter exams begin

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    TIME Monday, March 17, 2025

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

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  • Mar
    22

    Spring Break Begins

    University Academic Calendar

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    TIME Saturday, March 22, 2025

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Mar
    31

    Spring Break Ends

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    TIME Monday, March 31, 2025

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

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  • Apr
    1

    Spring Classes Begin - Northwestern Monday: Classes scheduled to meet on Mondays meet on this day.

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    TIME Tuesday, April 1, 2025

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

  • Jun
    15

    2024-2025 Commencement Ceremony

    University Academic Calendar

    All Day

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    TIME Sunday, June 15, 2025

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    CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

    CALENDAR University Academic Calendar