Alberto Striolo

Research Interests

Our goal is understand how molecules behave at interfaces (solid-liquid, liquid-gas, and liquid-liquid). The molecules of interest include proteins, polymers, surfactants, solvents, and, most importantly, water.

Our research, exquisitely fundamental, will result in practical applications as diverse as nanofluidic devices, safe storage systems for nuclear waste, enhanced oil recovery, and water desalination operations.

Current active projects investigate aqueous electrolyte solutions (towards enhancing ion-exchange processes), lubrication in cartilage (to remediate osteoarthritis symptoms), self-assembling colloidal systems (to design ‘molecular factories’), heat transfer in nanocomposite materials (to engineer advanced lubricants for extreme conditions), and the optimization of heterogeneous catalysts (our goal is 100% product selectivity).

We deploy an arsenal of inter-disciplinary approaches in which accurate experimental results are coupled to state-of-the-art computational and theoretical investigations. Our laboratory is equipped with one computational cluster, hotohke, and with experimental machinery suitable for the study of interfacial phenomena. We developed significant expertise in conducting classical Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. We are extending our capabilities to include ab initio methods and integral equations. When the experiments required to validate our theoretical predictions cannot be performed within our facilities, we rely on experienced collaborators with whom we have established a fruitful intellectual exchange of ideas, problems, and solutions.

Our work is generously supported by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST), by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), by the US Department of Energy (DoE), and by the Petroleum Research Fund, administered by the American Chemical Society (ACS PRF).

The results of our research have been featured in over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and 3 book chapters, and presented at over 70 invited or contributed seminars.

For more details, please visit our research web page

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 (2009) 5536.

N.R. Tummala and A. Striolo, SDS Surfactants on Carbon Nanotubes: Aggregate Morphology, ACS Nano 3 (2009) 595.

D. Konatham and A. Striolo, Molecular Design of Stable Graphene Nano-Sheets Dispersions, Nano Letters 8 (2008) 4630.

D. Argyris, N.R. Tummala, A. Striolo, and D.R. Cole, Molecular Structure and Dynamics in Thin Water Films at the Silica and Graphite Surfaces, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 112 (2008) 13587-13599. Also featured in the cover art of J. Phys. Chem. C, issue # 35, September 4th, 2008.

B.H. Morrow and A. Striolo, Morphology and Diffusion Mechanism of Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Carbon Nanotube Bundles, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 111 (2007) 17905.