Nanotechnology
Nanostructured materials represent the one of the five technological pillars of the Biointerfaces Institute. The focus of this work is on simulating nanomaterial self-assembly and developing the different kinds of nanotubes, nanoprobes, nanocatalysts and nanostructures for applications in medicine, energy conversion, and electronics.
Biointerfaces Institute researchers use nanostructured materials in drug delivery, neural interface, rare cell detection, different imaging modalities, and microfluidics organ replicas. Research groups from UM Medical School or Biomedical Engineering department focusing on the end-use therapeutics or diagnostics utilize nanoparticles developed by BI research groups specializing in particle synthesis. Some of the nanomaterials that developed in BI are unique to UM. They include “janus” biodegradable nanoparticles, iron sulfide (FeS2) nanoparticles, aramid nanofibers (ANFs), and biomimetic composites. Examples of ongoing projects taking advantage of unique properties of nanomaterials developed at the Biointerface Institute include selective targeting of breast cancer cells, long-term implants for brain recording, artificial bone marrow, single cell metabolism monitoring with SERS-active nanoparticle assemblies, and others.
Basic research on nanomaterials that is expected to advance the field of biointerfaces in the next 5-10 years includes replication of protein functions by inorganic nanostructures, theory and practice of nanoparticle self-organization phenomena, DNA mechanics, high-speed computer simulations of nanoparticle dynamics, membrane-particle interactions, and wetting at nanoscale interfaces. Considerable effort is also invested in understanding the challenges for scaled up manufacturing nanoscale materials and devices by bridging nanotechnologies with different types of high-throughput lithography and microelectromechanical devices.
Surface Corrugation offers important parameters to design physico-chemical properties of particles. The 'Hedgehog' particles are constructed by hydrothermal and sonochemical growth of ZnO nanowires on arbitrary microspheres.
The micron scale ovals, constructed by self-assembly of CdTe nanoparticles, are buried under layers of graphene oxide sheets. This image depicts a handful of buried eggs ready to hatch.
Related Press Releases & Articles
- November 5, 2018 / Award
Larson receives Polymer Physics Prize
Ron Larson is honored with the 2019 Polymer Physics Prize from the American Physical Society.
- October 31, 2018 / Article
Recent BI Publications
Recent publications from BI Research Groups
- October 25, 2018 / Award
Glotzer receives Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics
Sharon Glotzer is the 2019 recipient of the Aneesur Rahman Prize for Computational Physics. The award granted by the American Physical Society with support from IBM recognizes outstanding work and disseminating information in computational physics.
- October 23, 2018 / Article
Call for Nominations for BI Innovator Awards
The Biointerfaces Institute seeks nominations for its inaugural round of BI Innovator Awards.
The goal of the Innovator Award is to recognize faculty, graduate student and postdoctoral researchers who are active contributors to the interdisciplinary research, innovation and translational ecosystem at BI.
- June 22, 2018 / Press Release
Mike Solomon Appointed Dean of Rackham Graduate School
BI Faculty member and Chemical Engineering Professor Mike Solomon will serve as the next dean of Rackham Graduate School and vice provost for academic affairs-graduate studies.
- May 3, 2018 / Article
Tessier elected to the AIMBE College of Fellows Class of 2018
Peter Tessier was elected a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). AIMBE comprises of leaders in medical and biological engineering, consisting of academic, industrial, professional society councils and elected fellows.
- May 1, 2018 / Award
Congratulations Microposter Winners
Thank you to all of the poster presenters who attended the BIRG 2nd Microposter Session and congratulations to our winners!
- April 16, 2018 / YouTube Video
Tuteja lab reports on new omniphobic coatings that repel almost everything
In a paper recently published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, the Tuteja lab reports on recent findings on omniphobic coatings that could be applied on a variety of surfaces to repel almost any liquid.
- April 11, 2018 / Award
Kotov awarded Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship
Nick Kotov is one of members of the 2018 class of the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship, awarded by the Department of Defense.
- March 1, 2018 / Article
Interdisciplinary team of BI researchers publish new article on 3-D Jet Writing Technique
The article entitled “3D Jet Writing: Functional Microtissues Based on Tessellated Scaffold Architectures” appears in Advanced Materials.
- February 22 @ 2:00 pm
Seminar on “Materials for Biodegradable Electronics” – John Rogers, Northwestern University
This event is co-hosted by the University of Michigan ACS POLY/PMSE Student Chapter and the Biointerfaces Institute Researcher Group.
- February 21, 2018 / YouTube Video
Kotov awarded Gold Prize Award in the Mobile World Scholar Challenge
Nick Kotov’s work on biomimetic composites is recognized by the Mobile World Scholar Challenge
- January 25, 2018 / Featured
New Science Article from the Kotov Lab
The article entitled “Chiromagnetic Nanoparticles and Gels” appeared in the January 19 issue of Science.
- January 23, 2018 / Press Release
Diabetes and Its Complications Challenge Seed Funds Awards
We are pleased to announce our selection for the Diabetes and Its Complications Challenge seed fund competition.
- November 29, 2017 / Press Release
Nanoparticles self-assemble into nanoshells
Research in the Kotov group demonstrated the self-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles into nanoshells, which can potentially be used for gene delivery applications. More details here.
- November 29, 2017 / Featured
Kevlar-Based Cartilage
Nick Kotov develops artificial cartilage materials from Kevlar-based nanofibers.
- November 5, 2017 / Press Release
Lee Lab – Bioplasmonics Group
The Bioplasmonics Group, directed by Prof. Somin Lee, works at the interface between life science, physical science and engineering, drawing from a combination of bottom-up and top-down nanofabrication approaches, to design and develop smart biophotonic technologies and uncover biological complexities in the development of tissues and in cancer. Specifically, they have recently developed novel tools, including an mechano-optical plasmonic nanoantenna, to measure the temperature of proteins in cells. Prof. Lee received a Young Investigator Award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to support this research.
- October 24, 2017 / Article
Glotzer article in Langmuir
The Glotzer group published an article entitled “Virial Coefficients and Equations of State for Hard Polyhedron Fluids” in Langmuir.
- October 18, 2017 / Featured
Langmuir cover highlights research from Larson and Solomon
Research on controlled levitation of surface-modified colloids by electric fields was recently published in Langmuir and selected as the issue’s cover art. The work was performed in Ron Larson and Michael Solomon’s groups. Lead author, Carlos A. Silvera Batista, was a UM Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in the Solomon lab and recently joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt University as an Assistant Professor.
- October 16, 2017 / Article
The Kotov group reports on stretchable conductors
The article “Stretchable conductors by kirigami patterning of aramid-silver nanocomposites with zero conductance gradient” appeared in Applied Physics Letters.
Our Nanotechnology Researchers
Neural Engineering
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Scott VanEpps
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Research Focus: Nanotechnology Contact Information:jvane@umich.eduThe VanEpps laboratory focuses on life-threatening infections, particularly those associated with implanted medical devices. His research addresses the biophysical processes of bacterial cell-cell interaction, bacterial interactions with abiotic surfaces, and biofilm development. The overarching goal of his team is to translate novel technologies aimed at the detection of subclinical medical device related infection, prevention of bacterial adhesion and colonization of devices, and in situ treatment of established biofilms for device salvage strategies.
Peter Tessier
Albert M. Mattocks Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Engineering Research Focus: Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials and Drug Delivery Contact Information:ptessier@umich.eduThe Tessier lab aims to develop next generation technologies for designing, discovering, engineering, characterizing, formulating and delivering biologics ranging from small affinity peptides to large monoclonal antibodies for molecular imaging, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Michael Solomon
Dean of Rackham School of Graduate Studies and Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs - Graduate Studies; Professor of Chemical Engineering and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research Focus: Nanotechnology Contact Information:mjsolo@umich.eduThe Solomon Group research interests are in the area of soft matter – materials with properties intermediate between fluids and solids. The Solomon group has developed and applied 3D confocal microscopy, rheological, and light scattering methods to study the soft matter phenomena of self-assembly, gelation, and the biomechanics of bacterial biofilms.
Anna Schwendeman
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Focus: Nanotechnology Contact Information:annaschw@umich.eduSchwendeman’s principal research interest is to understand how phospholipid composition of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) affects its potency and to design short synthetic peptides that mimic various functions of Apolipoprotein A-I, the main HDL protein. Laboratory work focuses on HDL for treatment of sepsis, Alzheimer’s disease, complications of diabetes, lupus and other autoimmune diseases and using synthetic HDL nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery purposes and designing artificial HDL based on gold nanoparticles.
Ron Larson
A. H. White Distinguished University Professor of Chemical Engineering; George Granger Brown Professor of Chemical Engineering; Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research Focus: Nanotechnology Contact Information:rlarson@umich.eduThe Larson Group’s research interests include the structure and flow properties of viscous or elastic fluids, sometimes called “complex fluids,” which include polymers, colloids, surfactant-containing fluids, liquid crystals, and biological macromolecules such as DNA, proteins, and lipid membranes. The Larson group applies these concepts to drug release materials, coating materials, personal care products, and other applications of advanced materials.
Somin Eunice Lee
Assistant Professor Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research Focus: Nanotechnology Contact Information:sleee@umich.eduDr. Lee and the Bioplasmonics Group focuses on advancing innovations utilizing nanoscale-dependent properties to enable unique spatial and temporal capabilities needed for quantification in bioscience and medicine. Areas of expertise include plasmonics, nanophotonics, and bionanotechnologies.
Sharon Glotzer
Anthony C. Lembke Department Chair of Chemical Engineering; John Werner Cahn Distinguished University Professor of Engineering; Stuart W. Churchill Collegiate Professor of Chemical Engineering; Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Physics, and Applied Physics Research Focus: Nanotechnology Contact Information:sglotzer@umich.eduGlotzer’s research on computational assembly science and engineering aims toward predictive materials design of colloidal and soft matter, with current emphasis on shape, packing, and assembly pathways.
Nicholas Kotov
Joseph B. and Florence V. Cejka Professor of Engineering; Professor of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Macromolecular Science and Engineering Research Focus: Nanotechnology, Single Cell Technologies Contact Information:kotov@umich.eduResearch in the Kotov Group focuses on self-organization of nanocolloids, layer-by-layer assembly, ultrastrong nanocomposites, tissue engineering with nanomaterials, nanoscale drugs, and implantable biomedical devices.
Colin Greineder
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Research Focus: Nanotechnology Contact Information:coling@umich.eduResearch Interest: Affinity Ligand Drug Targeting