Posted on January 30, 2017 in ASRC News, Nanoscience Initiative
Research conducted by Adam Braunschweig—Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry with the CUNY ASRC’s Nanoscience Initiative and Hunter College—was recently featured in Chemistry World’s “Cutting Edge Chemistry of 2016”.
“Adam’s 4D printing technology provides a remarkably versatile tool for patterning polymers with variable chemical content and function at the nanoscale,” said Rein Ulijn, CUNY ASRC Nanoscience Initiative Director. “One exciting application area is the development of conducting and biocompatible nanostructures for effective bio/electronic interfacing as relevant to future brain/machine interfaces.
“The unique cross-disciplinary environment and collaborative culture within ASRC provides exactly the type of context where this type of innovation can thrive. We are delighted that a uniquely CUNY ASRC technology has been recognized as a key breakthrough for 2016.
The article, originally published in December 2016, mentioned Braunschweig’s work with what his group has termed “4D printing,” a process wherein researchers can control the chemical composition of printed polymer patterns as well as their three-dimensional position.
“Our goal here was to create a versatile platform that could print any soft material on the scale and with the complexity of biological materials to achieve the sophisticated capabilities found in nature. This new tool is a step in our efforts to rethink how the materials of the future are prepared,” Braunschweig said.
This research—begun during his time at the University of Miami—has continued at the ASRC. Future work is concentrated on developing materials that mimic the architectural complexity and chemical properties of biological such as cell surface over large areas. Other applications include gene chips, carbohydrate arrays, and stimuli-responsive surfaces.
For more information about the Braunschweig Group, please visit its webpage here.