Description

This postdoctoral fellowship opportunity at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focuses on the theory and simulation of polyelectrolyte complexation, particularly complex coacervation. Complex coacervation is a phase separation phenomenon occurring when oppositely charged polymers dissolve in aqueous solutions, resulting in a polymer-rich phase (complex coacervate) and a polymer-poor phase.

Research areas include:

• Exploring polymer architectures such as multi-arm star polymers and block copolymers composed of charged and neutral blocks.
• Investigating polymer concentration effects.
• Studying responses to various stimuli including temperature, salt concentration, and pH.
• Probing dynamical (non-equilibrium) properties beyond static equilibrium states.

The polymers can self-assemble into micelles at low concentrations and form highly ordered, gel-like microstructures at higher concentrations. These coacervates are responsive to environmental changes, such as salt addition which screens electrostatic interactions and can dissolve gels. This responsiveness makes them promising for drug delivery systems and tissue scaffolding applications.

The fellowship involves theoretical and computational modeling in close collaboration with experimental groups both within and outside NIST.