Faculty Directory
Kenneth Shull

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Contact

2220 Campus Drive
Cook Hall 1137
Evanston, IL 60208

Email Kenneth Shull

Website

Shull Research Group

Departments

Materials Science and Engineering

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Education

Ph.D. Materials Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

M.S. Electronic Materials, MIT, Cambridge, MA

B.S. Materials Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA


Research Interests

Our focus is on the properties of polymer surfaces and interfaces, with an emphasis on the adhesion of "soft materials." Examples range from traditional pressure-sensitive adhesives (sticky tape) to highly specialized polymeric gels commonly used in biomedical applications.

There is little understanding of the relationship in these systems between polymer adhesion and the structure of the interface on molecular or submolecular scale. We seek to make this connection through studies of well-characterized model systems synthesized in our own lab and through carefully designed fracture mechanics experiments.

Related problems of interest to us include polymer/inorganic composites and the origins of adhesion and mechanical response in biological systems.


Significant Recognition

  • Fellow, American Physical Society, 2002
  • NSF Young Investigator Award, 1994–99
  • Department Teacher of the Year, 1995
  • McCormick Adviser of the Year, 1998

Selected Publications

  • Irie, Lauren M.; Lewis, Broderick; Nensel, Ashley K.; Latawiec, Elisabeth I.; Kuningas, Anni J.; Wasielewski, Michael R.; Wang, Zheng; Shull, Kenneth R.; Gianneschi, Nathan C., Allomelanin-Inspired Polyurethane Nanocomposites with Multi-Radiation Resistance and Enhanced Mechanical Properties, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (2025).
  • Xiao, Ruiqi; Pal, Subhadeep; Rademacher, Christopher P.; Chen, Jie; Wang, Qifeng; Chen, Wei; Shull, Kenneth R.; Keten, Sinan; Wang, Muzhou, Real-Time Visualization of Single Polymer Conformational Change in the Bulk State during Mechanical Deformation, Physical review letters (2025).
  • Hall, Margaret A.; Lewis, Broderick; Shull, Kenneth R., Thermomechanical Characterization of High Tg Disulfide-Containing Thermoplastic Polyimides, Macromolecules (2025).
  • Hafner, Benjamin R.; Pal, Subhadeep; Lewis, Broderick; Keten, Sinan; Shull, Kenneth R., Network Topology and Percolation in Model Covalent Adaptable Networks, ACS Macro Letters (2024).
  • Silvaroli, Anthony J.; Chang, Victoria; Heyl, Tyler R.; Beebe, Jeremy M.; Ahn, Dongchan; Mangold, Shane; Clark, Brian; Wang, Muzhou; Shull, Kenneth R., Effects of Composition and Cure Parameters on the Mechanical and Optical Properties of Silicone/Methacrylate Hybrid Elastomers, Macromolecules (2024).
  • DePolo, Gwen; Iedema, Piet; Shull, Kenneth; Hermans, Joen, Comprehensive Characterization of Drying Oil Oxidation and Polymerization Using Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy, Macromolecules (2024).
  • Lewis, Broderick; Dennis, Joseph M.; Park, Cheol; Shull, Kenneth R., Glassy Dynamics of Epoxy-Amine Thermosets Containing Dynamic, Aromatic Disulfides, Macromolecules (2024).
  • dePolo, Gwen; Lesaine, Arnaud; Faustini, Marco; Laporte, Lucie; Thillaye du Boullay, Côme; Barthel, Étienne; Hermans, Joen; Iedema, Piet D.; de Viguerie, Laurence; Shull, Kenneth R., Using the Quartz Crystal Microbalance to Monitor the Curing of Drying Oils, Analytical Chemistry (2024).