Our Research
Pulak Dutta’s research is focused on nanoscale order in soft materials, particularly at surfaces and interfaces. A material is considered ‘soft’ if its structure and thus its properties are easily changed; interfaces cause molecules to arrange in new ways and thus help build potentially useful new materials. Dutta’s research group seeks to understand what structures are formed under what conditions, and why. In particular, they do in-situ X-ray scattering studies on physisorbed (so-called Langmuir) and chemisorbed (so-called self-assembled) molecular monolayers and multilayers, and on interfacial liquids. Much of this research is done using synchrotron radiation at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, and at the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Research Areas/Projects
Floating monolayers
We use X-rays to look at phases and phase transitions in organic monolayers. We also study the segregation of ions to these monolayers, and the nucleation of ‘hard’ inorganic crystals at these ‘soft’ organic templates (a process analogous to bone and shell growth).
Nucleation at soft/hard interfaces
We look for changes in the structures of isotropic, nonmetallic liquids near their free surfaces, near interfaces with hard materials, and when under shear (e.g. during lubrication).
Self-assembled multilayers
We study the structures of molecular multilayers that have been assembled for use in electro-optic devices, in collaboration with the Tobin Marks group (Chemistry Dept.).