Current engineering research projects include
- Modeling of Block Copolymer Directed Self Assembly – computer simulation is being used to determine structure-property relationships between block copolymer structure, molecular distribution, and underlayer composition with properties such as line edge roughness, phase behavior, and lamellar defect behavior. See our paper the free energy of film lamellae: Peters. A.; Lawson, R.; Ludovice, C. “Free Energy Difference of Pitch Variation and Calculation of the Order-Disorder Transition in Block Copolymers Systems Using Thermodynamic Integration,” Nanotechnology, in press.
- Efficient Modeling Approaches to Polymer Systems – techniques including the use of graphic processing units (GPUs) and stochastic simulation methods to increase the conformational diffusivity of polymers. Protracted Colored Noise Dynamics (PCND), a previously developed method has been adapted for polymer systems and is currently being applied to various polymer systems. See Peters, A.; Lawson, R.; Ludovice, P.; Henderson, C.; “Detailed mesoscale dynamic simulation of block copolymer directed self-assembly processes: application of protracted colored noise dynamics,” SPIE , Alternative Lithographic Technologies IV, 8323 (March 1, 2012).
- Extraction and Analysis of Plant Alkaloids – various modeling techniques are being used to understand how important plant-derived alkaloids activate receptors in humans, and how these compounds may be efficiently extracted and isomerized for various medical applications.
Recent engineering research projects include
- Modeling of Polynorbornene Photoresists
- Modeling of ROMP Polynorbornene Polymers for Catalyst Supports