BPI SEMINAR BY DR. LOH

TITLE

Miscibility of Polyelectrolyte Coacervates in Bulk and Confinement

DATE & TIME

July 26th Tuesday 10:30AM - 11:30AM PDT

LOCATION

CHBE Room 202, 2360 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3

ABOUT THE EVENT

Coacervates are defined as the resulting phase formed by electrostatic attraction among oppositely charged species such as polymers, surfactants or colloidal particles. They have been the focus of increasing attention since the discovery that they are associated with the formation of biological structures known as membrane-less organelles. This talk will present recent results on the elucidation of coacervate properties such as their sequence of complexation and miscibility in multicomponent mixtures. These topics will be also related to confined coacervates in what is called complex core coacervate micelles. These are micelles that, differently from those formed by normal surfactants, contain a hydrophilic core that can be used to incorporate biomolecules such as enzymes or nucleic acids.

AGENDA

Introduction

Keynote Presentation by Dr. Watson Loh, University of Campinas (UNICAMP)

Q&A / Discussion

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Watson Loh holds a B.Sc degree in Industrial Chemistry (from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 1986) and a Dr. Sc. degree in Chemistry (from the University of Campinas, 1992). He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Chemical Laboratory of the University of Kent, UK, a visiting researcher at the Division of Physical Chemistry of Lund University, Sweden and visiting professor at the Universities of Porto and Osaka.
Affiliated with the Department of Physical Chemistry of the Institute of Chemistry of the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) since 1994, he is a Full Professor since 2011 and was Director of the Institute of Chemistry (2010-2014).
Research interests in understanding and controlling the association of surfactants, polymers, and nanoparticles; using light and X-ray scattering techniques and calorimetry (ITC and microDSC); nanocellulose association and advanced emulsions. He is a member of the Advisory Board of various Journals and Conferences on these themes and an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and of the São Paulo Academy of Sciences.