Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions

Gordon Research Conference

The Science and Application of Soft Materials in Hard(er) Environments

February 4 - 9, 2018
Chairs and
Vice Chairs and
Four Points Sheraton / Holiday Inn Express
1050 Schooner Drive
Ventura, California, United States
 Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

Colloidal, macromolecular, and polyelectrolyte solutions are of abiding interest not only because of the fascinating range of phenomena they display, but because of their tremendous utility. In many applications, such "soft materials" encounter hard(er) matter, with the hard-soft interface being where exploitable properties occur. The sensory properties of food, the durability of coatings, and the adhesion of biofilms are three examples among many. The science and technology of how hard and soft materials meet and work together will be the overall theme of the 2018 meeting of this GRC.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm
Introductory Comments by GRC Site Staff / Welcome from the GRC Chair
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm
Soft Meets Hard as an Emergent Theme from Applications
Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 8:20 pm
"Colloids and Droplets Facing a Solidification Front: Fundamentals and Applications"
8:20 pm - 8:35 pm
Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:15 pm
"Bijels: A Platform for Advanced Materials Synthesis"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am
Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Friction and Adhesion in Dispersed Systems
Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am
"Shear Jamming and Shear Thickening: A View from Force Space"
9:40 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am
"Friction in Shear Thickening and Shear Thinning Non-Brownian Suspensions"
11:10 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm
"Structure, Rheology, and 'Friction' in Therapeutic Protein Solutions"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Power Hour
The GRC Power Hour is an optional informal gathering open to all meeting participants. It is designed to help address the challenges women face in science and support the professional growth of women in our communities by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring.
Organizer:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Bonding and Fracturing
Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm
"Puncture and Cavitation of Soft Solids"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm
"Contact Formation and Debonding Mechanisms of Soft Model Adhesives"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Toughening Polymers and Softening Colloids
Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am
"Megasupramolecules"
9:40 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am
"Softness: A Machine-Learned Structural Quantity for Understanding Glassy Dynamics"
11:10 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm
"Squashing Soft Matter: Structures Under Geometrical Confinement and Implications for Surface Properties"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Bacteria on Hard and Soft Surfaces
Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm
"Bacteria Know When to Begin Biofilm Development by Sensing the Mechanics Conferred by Adhesive Polymers"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm
"Adhesion of Bacteria: Mechanisms, Forces and Contact Area"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Soft and Hard Solids
Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am
"Cement Hydrates: From Soft Gels to Concrete"
9:40 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am
"Equilibrium Cluster Formation, Gelation and Glassy Dynamics in Colloidal Systems"
11:10 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm
"A Deep Link Between Crystallization and the Glass Transition"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Business Meeting
Nominations for the Next Vice Chair; Fill in Conference Evaluation Forms; Discuss Future Site and Scheduling Preferences; Election of the Next Vice Chair
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Macromolecular Solutions on Living Materials
Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm
"Silicone Hydrophobic Polyelectrolytes on Hair"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm
"Hard Puzzles of the Soft Airway Surface Layer"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm
Processing Colloidal, Macromolecular, and Polyelectrolyte Solutions
Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:40 am
"Single Polymer Dynamics of Complex Molecular Topologies and Pi-Conjugated Materials"
9:40 am - 10:00 am
Discussion
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Coffee Break
10:30 am - 11:10 am
"Transport of Different Components in 'Saloplastic' Polyelectrolyte Complexes"
11:10 am - 11:30 am
Discussion
11:30 am - 12:10 pm
"Colloidal Processing of Porous Silicon Composites for High Capacity Lithium Ion Batteries"
12:10 pm - 12:30 pm
Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm
Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Evaporation and Condensation of Complex Fluids
Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:10 pm
"Blood Spatters: Complexities and Relevance for Crime Scene Reconstruction"
8:10 pm - 8:30 pm
Discussion
8:30 pm - 9:10 pm
"Condensation in an Elastic Matrix"
9:10 pm - 9:30 pm
Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
9:00 am
Departure

Contributors

Gordon Research Conferences
National Science Foundation
Centre for Process Innovation - CPI
Georgetown University - Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology
University of Delaware - Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
University of Edinburgh - Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership
BASF
Avery Dennison
L
Royal Society of Chemistry - Soft Matter
American Chemical Society - ACS Applied Nano Materials
American Chemical Society - ACS Macro Letters
American Chemical Society - Macromolecules
Rice University - Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

Conference Links

Conference History Colloidal, Macromolecular and Polyelectrolyte Solutions (GRS)
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