Chinedum Osuji

Interests:

Prof. Osuji's interests are centered on the physics and physical chemistry of soft matter - studying and elucidating self-assembly and basic structure-property relationships of colloids, liquid crystals, polymers and biological materials. Research in the Osuji lab is focused on structure and dynamics of soft materials, i.e. on the relationship between the microstructure of polymer melts, surfactant phases, liquid crystals and colloidal gels and their dynamics. He works on structure-property relationships in liquid crystalline block copolymers, directed self-assembly of surfactants and polymers, rheology of colloidal gels and microfluidic platforms for studying multiphase flows. His expertise is in electron microscopy, x-ray scattering and rheology. Highlights of ongoing work include the development of self-assembled polymer nanocomposites for use as active layers in organic solar cells, the design of microfluidic mimics of vascular structures for model studies of red blood cell mechanics, and elucidation of shear thickening and aging behavior in particulate suspensions and gels. These efforts have important implications in energy generation, the design of next generation microfluidic bio-assays and the design and processing of complex fluids such as toner inks and cosmetics.