1. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
化工学院第七届国际交流月系列讲座
Prof. Paul R. Van Tassel
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
Yale University
Dr. Paul R. Van Tassel is Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University. He received Ph.D. from University of Minnesota Graduate School in He works in the fields of biomolecules at interfaces, nanofilm biomaterials, macromolecular adsorption under electric potential, layer-by-layer assembly. adsorption in templated porous materials, optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy, molecular computer simulation, and statistical mechanicsfocus. He received National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 1998, National Academy of Engineering: Frontiers of Engineering in 1999, and John J. Lee Associate Professorship of Chemical Engineering in He was elected as a member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering in 2011.
Lecture 1: May 3rd, :00 am - 12:00 pm Room Building 7
Engineering the Biomolecular Interface
The transmission of information within biological systems often involves biomolecules binding to interfaces. Just as much of chemistry occurs at interfaces (e.g. catalysis), much of biology occurs at interfaces as well. In this lecture, we introduce the concept of the interface, address its thermodynamic and dynamic properties, and apply these principles to proteins at surfaces. We develop an electrostatic formalism for charged biomolecules in electrolytic solution, and address specific binding among biomolecules. We discuss different modes of surface binding, and introduce modern instrumentation for their characterization. Finally, case studies in protein adsorption and polyelectrolyte-based thin film biomaterial formation are presented.
Lecture 2: May 4th, :00 am - 12:00 pm Room Building 7
Polyelectrolyte Nanofilms as Biomolecular Delivery Systems
Thin film biomaterials of nanoscale thickness offer exciting possibilities in tissue engineering and drug/gene delivery. The layer-by-layer assembly of oppositely charged macromolecules provides a facile method toward nanofilm biomaterials for a variety of cell contacting applications. In this lecture, we introduce fundamental principles behind the layer-by-layer assembly of charged polymers, and discuss how film structure and mechanics may be controlled via assembly conditions and polymer chemistry. We describe how bioactivity and mechanical rigidity – two key film properties – are often inversely related, and how they may potentially be decoupled through advanced methods such as surface-localized chemical cross-linking, nanoparticle templating, and spinodal decomposition-like processes. Applications of each strategyis discussed in the context of tissue engineering – where one seeks to create functioning tissue by implanting cells housed within a biomaterial scaffold.
Lecture 3: May 4th, :00 pm - 8:00 pm Room Building 7
Interactions among Highly Charged Macromolecules: From Biology to Nanotechnology
Interactions among charged macromolecules – e.g. nucleic acids, peptides, proteins, micelles, carbon (and other) nanotubes – govern many natural processes (e.g. nucleic acid condensation, molecular recognition) and technological applications (e.g. nanomaterial self-assembly, therapeutic delivery, gene transfection, biosensing). In this talk, we first describe how highly charged macromolecules interact, emphasizing scenarios where strong coupling among charge balancing counterions can lead to a net attraction among like-charged molecules. We then discuss recent experiments in our lab, where like charged polymers appear to attract one another at an electrified interface under relatively weak coupling conditions. Finally, we introduce a statistical mechanical model to predict the interaction forces between like-charged polymers, and discuss implications toward biological and interfacial assembly over a range of coupling conditions.
邀请人：王文俊
化学工程与生物工程学院
化学工程联合国家重点实验室（浙江大学）