College of Science & Engineering
Twin Cities
Work in this group focuses on the use of analytic theory and simulations to elucidate molecular origins of the behavior of complex fluids. The researchers focus primarily on self-assembling systems of block copolymers and surfactants. They emphasize the study of highly simplified models to study generic aspects of behavior, rather than on accurate atomistic simulations of specific chemical systems. Work completed in recent years used extensive molecular simulations to characterize universal physical properties of block copolymer melts, and to study slow rare processes and tranpsort in copolymer and surfactant solutions. Current work is focused on NSF-supported development of open-source software for stochastic field theoretic simulations of polymer liquids, which provide an attractive alternative to simulations of particle-based models for some applications.