PICS Colloquium: “Modeling Assembly of Colloids with Charges and with Mobile Binders”

Speaker: Assistant Professor of Chemistry at New York University

Abstract: In this talk, I will present our recent efforts in probing the physical processes underlying self-assembly of colloidal gels and crystals. Nano-meter to micron sized particles in suspension can be a powerful platform for assembly novel functional materials, but the challenge is to design interactions such that desired functionality is achieved. Moreover, for practical purposes this must be done on a large scale. First, I will discuss our work on using particles with many mobile binding sites, where particles can ‘choose’ their number of neighbors by assembling adhesion patches between particles. Second, I will discuss nucleation and growth of crystals formed from pairs of charged colloidal particles in suspension.

Bio: Glen Hocky is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at New York University, and Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry. His research interests broadly involve using (and developing new) techniques from statistical mechanics and computational modeling to better understand how molecular interactions give rise to large scale collective phenomena. His research interests lie at the intersection between chemistry, physics, biology, and materials science. Prior to NYU, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the James Franck Institute at the University of Chicago and a Graduate Student in Chemical Physics at Columbia University. As a postdoc, he mainly used theory and simulation to study proteins that regulate the mechanics and dynamical features of the actin cytoskeleton. During his Ph.D., he used model glass-forming liquids to study the structural origin of dynamical arrest in supercooled liquids.