Brian P. Grady

Research Interests

Over the past 50 years, plastics and rubbers have be¬come part of our daily lives; in fact, one-third to one-half of all chemical engineers are employed in a polymer-relat¬ed industry. Our research has three focuses: the first is on polymer systems with two different components, such as polymer-matrix composites, phase separated copolymers or polymer blends. The second is the use of surfactants to make nanostructured polymers, both on surfaces and in solution. For the former, we use a process called admi¬cellar polymerization which uses adsorbed surfactant structure, while for the latter we use emulsions to cre¬ate nanoparticles from biodegradable polymers for drug delivery. The second goal has led to the third area of interest to our group: the fundamental characteristics of surfactants in solution with an emphasis on adsorption at the solid-liquid interface. The goal of our research is to quantify how and why the separate components influence the properties of the material by understanding the underlying micro- or nano¬structure. In other words, we are interested in determining the fundamental interrelation-ship between chemical structure, morphology, and properties. Our group uses extremely high-tech equipment to explore these characteristics including x-ray and light scattering, electron and atomic force microscopy and high-pressure liquid chromatography. Our laboratory is involved in collaborations with both academic and industrial colleagues in which we bring these important characterization tools to study relevant and practical problems. As of August 2009, the results of our research have been featured in over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and 10 book chapters.

Go to Brian Grady's Research Website

Selected Publications

L. Shi, M. Ghezzi, G. Caminati, P. Lo Nostro, B.P. Grady, A. Striolo, “Adsorption Isotherms of Aqueous C12E6 and CTAB Surfactants on Solid Surfaces in the Presence of Low-Molecular-Weight Co-Adsorbents”, Langmuir, 25, 5536 (2009)

M.N. Tchoul, W.T. Ford, M.L.P. Ha, I. Chavez-Sumarriva, B.P. Grady, G.L. Lolli, D.E. Resasco, S. Arepalli, “Composites of single-walled carbon nanotubes and polystyrene: preparation and electrical conductivity”, Chemistry of Materials, 20, 3120 (2008).

M. Marquez, S. Kim, J. Jung, N. Truong, D. Teeters, B.P. Grady, “Factors Affecting the Synthesis of Polymeric Nanostructures from Template Assisted Admicellar Polymerization” Langmuir, 23, 10008 (2007).

C.M. Burba, R. Frech, B.P. Grady, “Stretched PEO-LiCF3SO3 films: Polarized IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction” Electrochimica Acta, 53, 1548 (2007).

M. Ha, B.P. Grady, D.E. Resasco, L. Balzano, and W.T. Ford, “Composites of Single-wall Carbon Nanotubes and Copolymer Latices of Styrene and Isoprene”, Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 208, 446 (2007).

R.D. Kopke, R.A. Wassel, F. Mondalek, B.P. Grady, K. Chen, J. Liu, D. Gibson, K.J. Dormer “Magnetic Nanoparticles: Inner Ear Targeted Molecule Delivery and Middle Ear Implant”, Audiology and Neurotology 11,123 (2006).

O. Probst, E.M. Moore, B.P. Grady and D.E. Resasco, “Nucleation of Polyvinyl Alcohol Crystallization by Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes”, Polymer, 45, 4437 (2004).

A.D.W. Carswell, E.A. O’Rear, B.P. Grady, “Adsorbed Surfactants as Templates for the Synthesis of Morphologically Controlled Polyaniline and Polypyrrole Nanostructures on Flat Surfaces: From Spheres to Wires to Flat Films”, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 125, 14793 (2003).

H. Gecol, J.F. Scamehorn, S.D. Christian, B.P. Grady, and F.E. Riddell, "Deinking of Water Based Ink Printing from Plastic Film using Nonionic Surfactants", Journal of Surfactants and Detergents, 5, 363 (2002).