Alamgir Karim

Last updated
Alamgir Karim
Alma mater St. Stephen's College, Delhi
Northwestern University
Scientific career
Institutions University of Houston
Thesis Neutron reflection studies of interdiffusion in polymers  (1990)
Doctoral advisor Gian P. Felcher
Other academic advisors Matthew Tirrell
Website Karim Research Group

Alamgir Karim is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Houston noted for his work on polymer and polymer nanocomposite materials.

Contents

Education

Karim received a B.Sc. degree in physics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi in 1985. He worked under [[]] at Northwestern University, where he received a PhD in physics in 1991. He worked as a postdoctoral research associate under Matthew Tirrell at the University of Minnesota in 1991 -- 1992.

Career

Karim joined the Polymers Division at the National Institute of Science and Technology in 1993, advancing from Physicist to Group Leader. In 2004 he was named a Fellow of the American Physical Society [1] from the Division of Polymer Physics for pioneering research on polymer thin films and interfaces, polymer brushes, blend film phase separation, thin film dewetting, pattern formation in block copolymer films, and the application of combinatoric measurement methods to complex polymer physics. In 2008 he moved to the Department of Polymer Engineering at the University of Akron, where he was the Goodyear Chair Professor. In 2017 he joined the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Houston (UH), where he is the Dow Chair and Welch Foundation Professor.

Karim is an expert in the processing of polymer thin films, [2] polymer brushes [3] block copolymers, [4] polymer blends, [5] and polymer-nanoparticle mixtures. [6] He has applied these materials to produce membranes, [7] phase gratings [8] , and sensors [9] , among other applications.

At UH, he has developed methods to process chitin, [10] increase the energy density of capacitors [11] , and manipulate polyelectrolyte coacervate droplets [12] . In 2024 he proposed that coacervate droplets suspended in deionized water could potentially act as protocells for the origins of life. [13]

His most-cited research article demonstrated a method to calculate the elastic moduli of polymer thin films from the spacing of wrinkles on polymer films. [14]

Awards and recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyvinylidene fluoride</span> Non-reactive thermoplastic fluoropolymer

Polyvinylidene fluoride or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) is a highly non-reactive thermoplastic fluoropolymer produced by the polymerization of vinylidene difluoride. Its chemical formula is (C2H2F2)n.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copolymer</span> Polymer derived from more than one species of monomer

In polymer chemistry, a copolymer is a polymer derived from more than one species of monomer. The polymerization of monomers into copolymers is called copolymerization. Copolymers obtained from the copolymerization of two monomer species are sometimes called bipolymers. Those obtained from three and four monomers are called terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Copolymers can be characterized by a variety of techniques such as NMR spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography to determine the molecular size, weight, properties, and composition of the material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewetting</span> Retraction of a fluid from a surface it was forced to cover

In fluid mechanics, dewetting is one of the processes that can occur at a solid–liquid, solid–solid or liquid–liquid interface. Generally, dewetting describes the process of retraction of a fluid from a non-wettable surface it was forced to cover. The opposite process—spreading of a liquid on a substrate—is called wetting. The factor determining the spontaneous spreading and dewetting for a drop of liquid placed on a solid substrate with ambient gas, is the so-called spreading coefficient S:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radical polymerization</span> Polymerization process involving free radicals as repeating units

In polymer chemistry, free-radical polymerization (FRP) is a method of polymerization by which a polymer forms by the successive addition of free-radical building blocks. Free radicals can be formed by a number of different mechanisms, usually involving separate initiator molecules. Following its generation, the initiating free radical adds (nonradical) monomer units, thereby growing the polymer chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural fiber</span> Fibers obtained from natural sources such as plants, animals or minerals without synthesis

Natural fibers or natural fibres are fibers that are produced by geological processes, or from the bodies of plants or animals. They can be used as a component of composite materials, where the orientation of fibers impacts the properties. Natural fibers can also be matted into sheets to make paper or felt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentacene</span> Hydrocarbon compound (C22H14) made of 5 fused benzene rings

Pentacene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of five linearly-fused benzene rings. This highly conjugated compound is an organic semiconductor. The compound generates excitons upon absorption of ultra-violet (UV) or visible light; this makes it very sensitive to oxidation. For this reason, this compound, which is a purple powder, slowly degrades upon exposure to air and light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coacervate</span> Aqueous phase rich in macromolecules

Coacervate is an aqueous phase rich in macromolecules such as synthetic polymers, proteins or nucleic acids. It forms through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), leading to a dense phase in thermodynamic equilibrium with a dilute phase. The dispersed droplets of dense phase are also called coacervates, micro-coacervates or coacervate droplets. These structures draw a lot of interest because they form spontaneously from aqueous mixtures and provide stable compartmentalization without the need of a membrane—they are protocell candidates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanocomposite</span> Solid material with nano-scale structure

Nanocomposite is a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers (nm) or structures having nano-scale repeat distances between the different phases that make up the material.

Shape-memory polymers (SMPs) are polymeric smart materials that have the ability to return from a deformed state to their original (permanent) shape when induced by an external stimulus (trigger), such as temperature change.

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a small-angle scattering technique by which nanoscale density differences in a sample can be quantified. This means that it can determine nanoparticle size distributions, resolve the size and shape of (monodisperse) macromolecules, determine pore sizes, characteristic distances of partially ordered materials, and much more. This is achieved by analyzing the elastic scattering behaviour of X-rays when travelling through the material, recording their scattering at small angles. It belongs to the family of small-angle scattering (SAS) techniques along with small-angle neutron scattering, and is typically done using hard X-rays with a wavelength of 0.07 – 0.2 nm. Depending on the angular range in which a clear scattering signal can be recorded, SAXS is capable of delivering structural information of dimensions between 1 and 100 nm, and of repeat distances in partially ordered systems of up to 150 nm. USAXS can resolve even larger dimensions, as the smaller the recorded angle, the larger the object dimensions that are probed.

Polymer nanocomposites (PNC) consist of a polymer or copolymer having nanoparticles or nanofillers dispersed in the polymer matrix. These may be of different shape, but at least one dimension must be in the range of 1–50 nm. These PNC's belong to the category of multi-phase systems that consume nearly 95% of plastics production. These systems require controlled mixing/compounding, stabilization of the achieved dispersion, orientation of the dispersed phase, and the compounding strategies for all MPS, including PNC, are similar. Alternatively, polymer can be infiltrated into 1D, 2D, 3D preform creating high content polymer nanocomposites.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (variously abbreviated PNIPA, PNIPAM, PNIPAAm, NIPA, PNIPAA or PNIPAm) is a temperature-responsive polymer that was first synthesized in the 1950s. It can be synthesized from N-isopropylacrylamide which is commercially available. It is synthesized via free-radical polymerization and is readily functionalized making it useful in a variety of applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperature-responsive polymer</span> Polymer showing drastic changes in physical properties with temperature

Temperature-responsive polymers or thermoresponsive polymers are polymers that exhibit drastic and discontinuous changes in their physical properties with temperature. The term is commonly used when the property concerned is solubility in a given solvent, but it may also be used when other properties are affected. Thermoresponsive polymers belong to the class of stimuli-responsive materials, in contrast to temperature-sensitive materials, which change their properties continuously with environmental conditions. In a stricter sense, thermoresponsive polymers display a miscibility gap in their temperature-composition diagram. Depending on whether the miscibility gap is found at high or low temperatures, either an upper critical solution temperature (UCST) or a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower critical solution temperature</span> Critical temperature below which components of a mixture are miscible for all compositions

The lower critical solution temperature (LCST) or lower consolute temperature is the critical temperature below which the components of a mixture are miscible in all proportions. The word lower indicates that the LCST is a lower bound to a temperature interval of partial miscibility, or miscibility for certain compositions only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grazing-incidence small-angle scattering</span>

Grazing-incidence small-angle scattering (GISAS) is a scattering technique used to study nanostructured surfaces and thin films. The scattered probe is either photons or neutrons. GISAS combines the accessible length scales of small-angle scattering and the surface sensitivity of grazing incidence diffraction (GID).

Timothy P. Lodge is an American polymer scientist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Armes</span> Professor of Polymer Chemistry and Colloid Chemistry at the University of Sheffield

Steven Peter Armes is a Professor of polymer chemistry and colloid chemistry at the University of Sheffield.

Polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) is the occurrence of phase separation in a multicomponent mixture induced by the polymerization of one or more components. The increase in molecular weight of the reactive component renders one or more components to be mutually immiscible in one another, resulting in spontaneous phase segregation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solvent vapour annealing</span> Chemistry technique

Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) is a widely used technique for controlling the morphology and ordering of block copolymer (BCP) films. By controlling the block ratio (f = NA/N), spheres, cylinders, gyroids, and lamellae structures can be generated by forming a swollen and mobile layer of thin-film from added solvent vapor to facilitate the self-assembly of the polymer blocks. The process allows increased lateral ordering by several magnitudes to previous methods. It is a more mild alternative to thermal annealing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polysulfobetaine</span> Dipolar ion polymer

Polysulfobetaines are zwitterionic polymers that contain a positively charged quaternary ammonium and a negatively charged sulfonate group within one constitutional repeat unit. In recent years, polysulfobetaines have received increasing attention owing to their good biotolerance and ultralow-fouling behavior towards surfaces. These properties are mainly referred to a tightly bound hydration layer around each zwitterionic group, which effectively suppresses protein adsorption and thus, improves anti-fouling behavior. Therefore, polysulfobetaines have been typically employed as ultrafiltration membranes, blood-contacting devices, and drug delivery materials.

References

  1. ↑ "APS Fellows 2004". www.aps.org. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  2. ↑ Xie, R.; Karim, A.; Douglas, J. F.; Han, C. C.; Weiss, R. A. (10 Aug 1998). "Spinodal Dewetting of Thin Polymer Films". Physical Review Letters. 81 (6): 1251–1254. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.1251 . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  3. ↑ Karim, A.; Satija, S. K.; Douglas, J. F.; Ankner, J. F.; Fetters, L. J. (19 Dec 1994). "Neutron Reflectivity Study of the Density Profile of a Model End-Grafted Polymer Brush: Influence of Solvent Quality". Physical Review Letters. 81 (25): 3407–3410. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.73.3407. PMID   10057373 . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  4. ↑ Berry, Brian C.; Bosse, August W.; Douglas, J. F.; Jones, Ronald L.; Karim, A. F. (12 Sep 2007). "Orientational order in block copolymer films zone annealed below the order− disorder transition temperature". Nano Letters. 7 (9): 2789–2794. doi:10.1021/nl071354s. PMID   17691851 . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  5. ↑ Karim, A.; Slawecki, T. M.; Kumar, S. K.; Douglas, J. F.; Satija, S. K.; Han, C. C.; Russell, T. P.; Liu, Y.; Overney, R.; Sokolov, J.; Rafailovich, M. H. (10 Feb 1998). "Phase-separation-induced surface patterns in thin polymer blend films". Macromolecules. 31 (3): 857–862. doi:10.1021/ma970687g . Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  6. ↑ Barnes, Kathleen A.; Karim, Alamgir; Douglas, J. F.; Nakatani, Alan I.; Gruell, Holger; Amis, Eric J. (30 May 2000). "Suppression of dewetting in nanoparticle-filled polymer films". Macromolecules. 33 (11): 4177–4185. doi:10.1021/nl071354s . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  7. ↑ Luo, Yan; Wang, Xiaoteng; Zhang, Ten; Singh, Maninderjeet; Ammar, Ali; Cousins, Diana; Hassan, Mohammad K.; Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi; Adham, Samer; Al-Maadeed, Mariam Al Ali; Karim, Alamgir (19 Jun 2020). "Vertically oriented nanoporous block copolymer membranes for oil/water separation and filtration". Soft Matter. 16 (42): 9648–9654. doi:10.1039/D0SM00526F. PMID   32808620 . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Harrison, Christopher; Stafford, Christopher M.; Zhang, Wenhua; Karim, Alamgir (1 Nov 2004). "Sinusoidal phase grating created by a tunably buckled surface". Applied Physics Letters. 85 (18): 4016–4018. doi:10.1063/1.1809281 . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  9. ↑ Al-Saygh, Aisha; Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi; Al Maadeed, Mariam Al Ali; Vijayan P, Poornima; Karim, Alamgir; Hassan, Mohammad K. (26 Jan 2017). "Flexible Pressure Sensor Based on PVDF Nanocomposites Containing Reduced Graphene Oxide-Titania Hybrid Nanolayers". Polymers. 9 (2): 33. doi: 10.3390/polym9020033 . PMC   6432156 . PMID   30970716.
  10. ↑ Kever, Jeannie. "Researchers Take A Cue From Nature To Create Bulletproof Coatings" . Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  11. ↑ Khan, Rashda. "Sustainable Clean Future Possible with Innovative High-Energy-Density Capacitors" . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Agrawal, Aman; Douglas, Jack F.; Tirrell, Matthew; Karim, Alamgir (4 Aug 2022). "Manipulation of coacervate droplets with an electric field". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 119 (32): e2203483119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2203483119 .
  13. ↑ Zimmer, Carl. "How Did the First Cells Arise? With a Little Rain, Study Finds" . Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  14. ↑ Stafford, Christopher M.; Harrison, Christopher; Beers, Kathryn L.; Karim, Alamgir; Amis, Eric J.; VanLandingham, Mark R.; Kim, Ho-Cheol; Volksen, Willi; Miller, Robert D.; Simonyi, Eva E. (1 Aug 2004). "A buckling-based metrology for measuring the elastic moduli of polymeric thin films". Nature Materials. 3 (8): 545–550. doi:10.1038/nmat1175. PMID   15247909 . Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Greenwell, Stephen. "Karim Earns NSF's Special Creativity Award". uh.edu. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
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