Particle & Fiber Formation
Research Description
Dr. Velev was the first to report the use of colloidal crystals as templates for the preparation of “inverse opals,” which are now one of the most widely studied classes of photonic materials. The original report was on “inverse opal” silica. Velev and collaborators later synthesized a unique new type of material, hierarchically porous structured gold, via assembly of metallic nanoparticles. In more recent years Dr. Velev and collaborators developed a number of scalable, rapid and cost-effective processes for the synthesis of functional nanomaterials by biphasic precipitation under shear. Their “shear nanospinning” liquid-based technique for scalable fabrication may revolutionize the scale and scope of nanofiber application. Velev at al. also introduced a new class of environmentally-benign microbicidal nanoparticles with biodegradable cores made of lignin.
Current Projects
Versatile Nanofabrication by Shear-Driven, Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation Rachel Bang
Soft Dendritic Colloids Austin Williams
Environmentally Benign Nanoparticles Cathryn Conner
Previous Projects
Encapsulation and Delivery of Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals Stoyan Smoukov & Tian Tian
Nanospinning – A Novel, Scalable Method for the Production of Nanofibers Stoyan Smoukov
Assembly of Particles from Microspheres and Nanoparticles in Drying Droplets on Superhydrophobic Substrates Vinayak Rastogi
Synthesis and Self-assembly of Particles with Anisotropic Shape, and/or Dipolar Charge Rossitza Alargova