Our research focuses on understanding the organization of complex materials and biological systems in space and time. In this talk, I will discuss two types of systems imaged using electron microscopy-based methods. The first system concerns the crystallization kinetics of a series of nanoparticle superlattices formed in solution. We are able to monitor, for the first time, the initial nucleation of crystallites on the fly in real-time and real-space with low-dose liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy. Single-particle tracking, statistical mechanics-based analysis and Monte Carlo simulations reveal unexpected crystallization kinetics due to inherent many-body coupling and discreteness of building blocks at the nanoscale. In the second system, we investigate the crumpling of a polymer membrane used for water desalination and filtration. Their three-dimensional morphology has intricate indications on their performances, particularly solvent permeation and solute retention. Both systems serve to achieve our common goal of deciphering fundamental rules of organization from “seeing is believing”.

Seeing is believing - from crystallizing of nanoparticles to crumpling of polymer films

256th National Meeting (2018)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.