Guest Professor to Talk About the Stability of Nanomaterials

March 28, 2012

BRANDON, MB — Dr. Alan Denton, of the Department of Physics, North Dakota State University, is the next lecturer in the Brandon University Science Seminar Series. On Friday, he will explain the “Stability of Nanomaterials: A Multiscale Modelling Approach”.

“Soft nanomaterials typically comprise giant molecules (polymers or amphiphiles) or mesoscopic particles (colloids or nanoparticles) with sizes ranging from nanometers to microns,” said Dr. Denton. “Weak and highly tunable intermolecular forces render these remarkable materials mechanically fragile and impart unusual thermal and optical properties.”

He adds that polymers are ubiquitous as rubbers, plastics, and fabrics, while biopolymers (DNA, proteins) and lipids (biomembranes) are the building blocks of life. As liquid crystals lurk behind flat panel displays, colloids have infiltrated daily life in the form of paints, clays, foods, and pharmaceuticals. Practical applications of soft materials often rely on controlling stability by suppressing or promoting phase separation.

“After a brief introduction to soft matter and challenges to computational modelling posed by multiple length scales, I will illustrate the powerful concept of effective interactions in the context of charged colloids,” he said. “Finally, I will describe our exploits with soft materials in science outreach.”

Dr. Denton’s seminar is open to the public and admission is free. It will take place Friday, March 30, at 3 p.m., in Room 447, in the Brodie Building.
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For more information, please contact:

Joanne F. Villeneuve
Communications
Brandon University
270 – 18th Street
Brandon, MB R7A 6A9
Tel. 204-727-9762
villeneuvej@brandonu.ca
https://www.brandonu.ca

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