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

We use fundamental understandings of polymer physics to explore the self-assembly, mechanics, and applications of soft materials. While we are often interested in the direct characterization of materials on the nanometer scale, much of our experimental work probes the “meso” scales that exist between the ‘nanoscopic’ level and the bulk, macroscopic level. Our aim is to understand how molecular processes affect observable bulk properties. We seek to develop a deep fundamental understanding of the physical behavior of polymeric materials, and ultimately use that knowledge both to enhance current applications of advanced materials, and to introduce new applications.


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).