Our Research
The Verduzco lab focuses on the design, synthesis, and application of new polymeric materials which can potentially address a wide range of current challenges, including our growing demand for energy, disease treatment, and reducing pollution and waste
Conjugated Polymers
We develop conjugated polymers for photovoltaics, energy storage, and sensing.
Liquid Crystal Elastomers
We fabricate shape-responsive liquid crystal elastomer networks (LCE).
Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs)
We develop novel synthesis and processing approaches for COFs.
Separations
In work as part of the Nano Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Engineering Research Center at Rice University, we are working on ion and contaminant removal through capacitive deionization (CDI). Our goal is to produce CDI coatings selective to scalants and foulants, such as calcium, sulfates, selenium, and chronium.
Bottlebrush Polymers
We study and develop bottlebrush additives for the modification of surfaces and interfaces.
Bioelectronics
We develop devices that combine biological and synthetic materials
Surface Analysis
We conduct time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) to analyze organic, inorganic, and hybrid materials..
Conjugated Polymers
We develop new materials for organic photovoltaics applications, including All-Conjugated block copolymers, flexible photovoltaic networks, and conjugated ladderphane polymers.
Selected Publications:
Hu, Jakowski, Zheng, Collison, Strzalka, Sumpter, and Verduzco. “An experimental and computational study of donor-linker-acceptor block copolymers for organic photovoltaics” J. Polym. Sci. B: Polym. Phys.,2018, accepted for publication.DOI:10.1002/polb.24633 Featured in Advanced Science News: “Block Copolymers for Organic Photovoltaics”
Mok, Kipp, Hasbun, Dolocan, Strzalka, Ganesan, and Verduzco. “Parallel bulk heterojunction photovoltaics based on all-conjugated block copolymer additives,” J. Mater. Chem. A, 2016, 4, 14804 – 14813 DOI: 10.1039/c6ta06502c
Research Supported by the National Science Foundation (DMR-1352099) and the Welch Foundation for Chemical Research (C-1888)
Liquid Crystal Elastomers
We fabricate shape-responsive liquid crystal elastomer networks (LCE).
Selected Publications:
Barnes, Verduzco. “Direct Shape Programming of Liquid Crystal Elastomers” under review 2018.
Wang, Sim, Chen, Kim, Rao, Li, Chen, Song, Verduzco, Yu. “Soft Ultrathin Electronics Innervated Adaptive Fully Soft Robots,” Advanced Materials,2018, in press. 10.1002/adma.201706695.
White and Verduzco. “Liquid crystal elastomers: emerging trends and applications,” Soft Matter,2017 13, 4320. 10.1039/C7SM90086D.
Verduzco organized the 2017 International Liquid Crystal Elastomers Conference (ILCEC) at Rice University.
Research Supported by the Army Research Office (W911NF1810289)
Separations
In work as part of NEWT at Rice University, we are working on ion and contaminant removal through capacitive deionization (CDI). Our goal is to produce CDI coatings selective to scalants and foulants, such as calcium, sulfates, selenium, and chronium.
Selected Publications:
Zuo, Kim, Jain, Wang, Verduzco, and Li. “Novel Composite Electrodes for Selective Removal of Sulfate by the Capacitive Deionization Process” Environ. Sci. & Tech., DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b01868, 2018.
Jain, Kim, Owoseni, Weathers, Cana, Zuo, Walker, Li, and Verduzco. “Aqueous-Processed, High-Capacity Electrodes for Membrane Capacitive Deionization” Environ. Sci. Technol., 2018, 52, 5859–5867.
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NEWT EEC 1449500, CBET-1604666)
Bottlebrush Polymers
We synthesize, process, and characterize bottlebrush polymers for surface-active materials and coatings.
Selected Publications:
Mah, Mei, Basu, Laws, Ruchhoeft, Verduzco, Stein. “Swelling Responses of Surface-Attached Bottlebrush Polymer Networks” Soft Matter, DOI: 10.1039/C8SM01127C, 2018.
Mah, Afzali, Qi, Pesek, Verduzco, and Stein. “Bottlebrush Copolymer Additives for Immiscible Polymer Blends” Macromolecules 2018 accepted for publication, DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b00719
Pesek, Lin, Kasper, Chen, Rhode, Robertson, Stein, and Verduzco. “Synthesis of bottlebrush copolymers based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) for surface active additives,” Polymer,2016 98, 495-504. DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2016.01.057, 5-minute Audioslide Presentation
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (CMMI-1563008)
Surface Analysis
We conduct time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS) to analyze organic, inorganic, and hybrid materials.
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation program (CBET-1626418). The ToF-SIMS facility is an external user facility open to all researchers, including non-profit, government, and industrial researchers. Visit simslab.rice.edu for more information.
Bioelectronics
We develop devices that combine biological and synthetic materials. Verduzco will chair the upcoming 2019 De Lange Conference on Bioelectronics and the inaugural Gordon Research Conference on Bioelectronics.
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (CBET-1843556) under the Rules of Life (RoL): Design and Engineering of Synthetic Cells and Cell Components (DESYN-C3) program.
