Seminar: Stimuli-Response in Polymeric systems; from Energy Applications to Biological Phenomena<\/p>\n
Speaker
\nDr. Aykut Erbas
\nVenue
\nUNAM Conference Hall
\nStart date
\n25.01.2018 3:40 pm
\nEnd time
\n25.01.2018 5:00 pm<\/p>\n
Abstract
\nPolymers are one of the most versatile building blocks to construct stimuli-\u00ad\u2010responsive soft matter for scientists and nature, thanks to their structural and chemical diversity. While scientists use their tailorable properties to design functional and hybrid materials, nature facilitates them for organization and adaptability. However, everything comes at a cost. The heterogeneities in the zoo of polymers bring complexity, particularly when we need to know their physiochemical responses to distortions, which are essential to design robust materials and resolve certain biological questions quantitatively. Yet, to make life even harder, most synthetic and biological polymeric systems of interest carry ionic groups that can interact beyond inter-\u00ad\u2010atomic distances. These long-\u00ad\u2010 range interactions are cumbersome to treat analytically alone and necessitate computational solutions. Along with these lines, in the first part of my talk, I will discuss the electro-\u00ad\u2010mechanical responses of polyelectrolyte networks (i.e., hydrogels), which are not only excellent materials for filtration and electrolyte applications but also quite abundant in living organisms. The extensive computational simulations demonstrate that mechanical deformation of chains constituting the hydrogel leads to enhanced ionic correlations and allow an \u201cenergy conversion\u201d process. Ionic conductivity in these networks exhibits strong non-\u00ad\u2010linearity regardless of solvent properties, similar to ionic diodes. In the second part, I will change gear and discuss the role of ionic interactions in ligand dissociation kinetics by specifically focusing on the experiments and simulations of facilitated disassociation of transcription factors from single-\u00ad\u2010DNA-\u00ad\u2010binding sites. The research shows that weak inter-\u00ad\u2010molecular interactions can be a key factor in regulatory networks and thus for some biotechnological applications. I will conclude my talk with future prospects to improve and control ionic motion in polymer matrices, and with some preliminary computational results on chromatin segregation in eukaryotic cell nuclei.<\/p>\n
About the Speaker
\nDr. Aykut Erbas received his Ph.D. in Physics from Technical University Munich (TUM) -\u00ad\u2010 Germany in 2011 under the advisory of Roland R. Netz. During his graduate studies, he worked on peptide-\u00ad\u2010 surface interactions and single-\u00ad\u2010molecule friction. His thesis work revealed the contributions of cooperative rupture of hydrogen bonds on molecular mobility. Later he moved to the University of North Carolina -\u00ad\u2010 Chapel Hill, Chemistry Department, to research polymer dynamics with Michael Rubinstein. Since 2014, Dr. Erbas has been a research fellow at Northwestern University\u2019s Material Science & Engineering Department in various centers dedicated to designing bio-\u00ad\u2010inspired energy systems with Monica Olvera de la Cruz. In his research, Dr. Erbas utilizes computational simulations and theoretical models, and collaborates with various experimental groups to explore phenomena in charged polymeric systems, including hydrogels, ionic liquids, amphiphilic peptides. In addition to his materials-\u00ad\u2010oriented studies, he also researches DNA-\u00ad\u2010protein interactions and in vivo chromatin conformations with John F. Marko, a pioneering biophysicist on DNA mechanics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Seminar: Stimuli-Response in Polymeric systems; from Energy Applications to Biological Phenomena Speaker Dr. Aykut Erbas Venue UNAM Conference Hall Start date 25.01.2018 3:40 pm End time 25.01.2018 5:00 pm Abstract Polymers are one of the most versatile building blocks to construct stimuli-\u00ad\u2010responsive soft matter for scientists and nature, thanks to [\u2026] <\/p>\n