ESR 15 : Rodrigo Rivas Barbosa
I did my bachelor’s and master’s studies at the University of Guanajuato working in Prof. Marco Laurati’s group. First, for the bachelor’s, we studied the glass transition of thermosensitive colloidal particles using confocal microscopy and particle-tracking techniques to obtain structural and dynamical information. During the master’s, aiming for shorter length-scale detail, by means of Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) we studied the internal structure of (also) thermosensitive core-shell particles that could potentially be used for drug delivery applications.
The knowledge I have acquired so far has made me grow fond of colloidal systems. It is impressive the very vast use colloidal systems have, from models of atomic systems to biosensing applications. I am excited to keep on studying colloidal systems but now with a different approach, this time with simulations, arguably allowing me to have more control of the system parameters and perhaps yielding somewhat more general results. Being part of a big project like SuperCol has great advantages, tight collaboration will make us move forward with larger and more certain steps.
Project topic: Modeling Super-Selectivity in Particle-Particle and Particle-Surface Interactions
Rational design of colloidal particles surfaces will allow particles to achieve super-selectivity which enables them to efficiently fulfill specific tasks like sensing. Motivated by this, we use simulations techniques to understand the implications of multivalency in particle-particle and particle-surface interactions.
Home country:
Mexico
SuperCol partner:
University of Rome La Sapienza
Supervisor:
Dr. Emanuela Zaccarelli
Starting date:
November 1st, 2020
Secondments:
- Eindhoven University of Technology, M20-22, Duration 3 months
- Stahl, M31-32, Duration 2 months
