About this Event
Characterizing Solvent- and Environment-Dependent Sub-1 nm Pore Architectures in Self-Assembled Polymer Membranes by Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering
Speaker: Jack Granite
Abstract: Chemical separations account for an estimated 15% of global energy consumption, largely due to the energy intensity of thermally driven processes like distillation. Membrane technologies could substantially reduce this energy burden, particularly for purification of hydrocarbon mixtures. Self-assembled materials formed from amphiphilic monomers (polymerizable surfactants) are an emerging class of membranes with uniform, sub-1 nm pores. These materials feature continuous nanochannels where transport of chemical species occurs between cross-linked aggregate structures, such as lamellae and hexagonally packed cylinders. To date, development has focused mainly on aqueous separations, and whether these ordered nanostructures persist in organic media is not well understood. In this talk, I will show how transmission small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and grazing-incidence SAXS (GISAXS) reveal the nanoscale structure of these membranes under conditions relevant to hydrocarbon separations and thin-film composite membrane fabrication. SAXS of solvent-swollen membranes identifies key monomer design principles that result in the preservation of self-assembled morphologies upon replacement of water with organic solvents. I will then extend the analysis to thin films, using GISAXS in a custom solvent-vapor chamber to describe the ordering and orientation of nanostructures under ambient conditions, organic solvent vapor, and varied relative humidity.
About the Speaker: Jack Granite received his Honors Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (B.ChE.) from the University of Delaware in 2023. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, working in the lab of Chinedum Osuji. His research lies at the intersection of membrane science, nanomaterials, and polymer physics, where he develops self-assembled polymer membranes for hydrocarbon and ion separations. During his graduate studies, he has been a graduate fellow in the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology and has received the Langmuir Graduate Award from the American Chemical Society Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry. Beyond his research, Jack is committed to teaching and mentorship in the lab and the classroom. He helped launch a program for graduate training in engineering pedagogy in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and received the Penn Prize for Excellence in Graduate Teaching for his work teaching thermodynamics. In his free time, Jack is an avid skier, amateur guitarist, and proud cat dad.
Special Presentation: Introduction to Fabublox: A Platform for Creating, Simulating, and Sharing Nanofabrication Processes
Speaker: David Barth
The LRSM X-Ray Scattering Facility: Multiscale Structural Characterization
Speaker: Iryna Golovina
Abstract: From nanoparticles and polymer membranes to advanced thin films, understanding structure is key to understanding performance. This presentation introduces the LRSM X-ray Scattering Facility, an open-access resource that helps researchers probe structure across length scales ranging from hundreds of nanometers to interatomic dimensions. The facility combines SAXS, WAXS, GISAXS, GIWAXS, XRD, HRXRD, and XRR capabilities with specialized in situ environments for temperature, humidity, and mechanical testing. Research examples will highlight applications in polymers, membranes, nanoparticles, porous materials, and functional thin films. The talk will also discuss the facility's user community, training opportunities, and access model.
About the Speaker: Iryna Golovina, Ph.D., is a Research Project Manager at the University of Pennsylvania's Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM), where she manages the X-Ray Scattering Facility. Dr. Golovina supports a diverse user community through advanced X-ray scattering and diffraction techniques, providing user training, educational initiatives, instrumentation maintenance and upgrades, and scientific consultation to researchers from Penn, other academic institutions, and industry. Prior to joining Penn, she held research positions at Drexel University and the University of Chicago. Her scientific expertise includes materials synthesis and characterization, thin films, ferroelectric and dielectric materials, nanostructured materials, and structure-property relationships.
Event venue & nearby stays
Singh Center for Nanotechnology, Glandt Forum, Philadelphia, United States
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