Prof. Michael Rubinstein, the Aleksandar S. Vesic Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering, has received the 2025 ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry! Michael’s career has shed multiple insights into the molecular basis for the physical behavior of polymers through theoretical modeling of polymeric liquids and networks, including association and entanglement effects. His work spans a wide range of topics and is frequently carried out in collaboration with a diverse set of experimentalists… read more about Michael Rubinstein Receives National ACS Award in Polymers! »
People with cystic fibrosis experience airway issues daily. Their bodies produce sticky mucus that doesn’t move easily. As a result, it can build up in their airways, leading to infections, lung damage, serious breathing problems, and even death.But recent discoveries from the lab of Michael Rubinstein, PhD, the Aleksander S. Vesic Distinguished Professor, could one day allow cystic fibrosis patients to breathe easier and perhaps live longer.Rubinstein studies soft matter, which is a large class of natural and synthetic… read more about Using Physics to Understand Biology »
The Center for Molecularly Optimized Networks (MONET) has won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Horizon Prize. The Horizon Prize celebrates groundbreaking discoveries that push the boundaries of science and open new directions in their field. It was awarded to the MONET team for identifying a new way to make rubbery materials an order of magnitude tougher, without compromising other aspects of their performance. More information can be found at: https://chem.duke.edu/news/monet-center-wins-… read more about MONET Center Wins Prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Prize »
Professor Michael Rubinstein, Aleksander S. Vesic Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry and Physics at Duke University, has been selected for the prestigious 2022 Nelson W. Taylor Award by the Penn State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He is honored for “outstanding achievements and contributions in the field of materials science.” read more about Duke's Michael Rubinstein Honored with 2022 Nelson W. Taylor Award »
Duke University starts collaboration with the Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (ICReDD) at Hokkaido University. The Rubinstein group at Duke University will work alongside ICReDD’s Tetsuya Yamamoto and Jian Ping Gong to study polymer networks and double-network gels. The collaboration aims to understand the reaction kinetics and remarkable structural properties of these networks and creates a joint position held by Dr. Clement Koh, who will be a visiting scholar at Duke and postdoctoral researcher at… read more about Collaboration between Duke University and ICReDD to study polymer gels »
The Duke Materials Initiative will hold a Soft Matter symposium focused on polymer networks. For registration and abstract submission please visit the symposium homepage. read more about Duke Materials Initiative to hold Soft Matter Symposium in October 2021 »
A recent article by Dr. Yi Hu (Charbonneau group at Duke's Chemistry Department) was highlighted in Physical Review E as an Editors’ Suggestion. It’s a well-deserved recognition for Yi’s seminal efforts toward understanding the glassy physics at play in the seminal random Lorentz gas model. read more about Dr. Yi Hu's article is featured as an editor suggestion in Phys. Rev. E. »
Duke led soft materials research center featured in Duke Today. read more about NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks (MONET) created at Duke »
Each year, the DOE Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research’s (ASCR’s) Leadership Computing Challenge (ALCC) program awards computing time at ASCR’s high performance computing centers at Lawrence Berkeley, Argonne, and Oak Ridge National Laboratories to scientists from industry, academia, and national laboratories whose work emphasizes high-risk, high-payoff simulations in energy-related fields. For the ALCC 2019-2020 campaign, ASCR received 75 proposals and, through a competitive review process, chose 37… read more about 2019 ALCC Program Supports 10 Research Teams with 4M Node-Hours at NERSC »
Rubinstein's research led to a paradigm shift in the understanding of the inner workings of the surface of the lungs. https://mems.duke.edu/about/news/rubinstein-wins-2019-soft-matter-and-biophysical-chemistry-award read more about Rubinstein Wins 2019 Soft Matter and Biophysical Chemistry Award »
https://pratt.duke.edu/about/news/triangle-soft-matter-workshop-continues-grow read more about Triangle Soft Matter Workshop 2019 »
Christoph Schmidt wants to understand the physics of living materials such as cells, tissues, and organs. How does a cell generate forces and move, or sense its own size and shape? How does an animal sense its own motions? In Schmidt’s mind these questions are crying out for attention from physicists. “In the last half century or so, people have had a strong focus on molecular biology,” he says, “whereas the knowledge of physical properties—say elasticity or dynamics—and the physics of matter inside cells or tissues are… read more about Christoph Schmidt: Using Physics to Understand Biology »
A cartilage-mimicking material created by researchers at Duke University may one day allow surgeons to 3-D print replacement knee parts that are custom-shaped to each patient’s anatomy. The hydrogel-based material the researchers developed is the first to match human cartilage in strength and elasticity while also remaining 3-D-printable and stable inside the body. Read more about this discovery at DukeToday. read more about 3-D-Printable Implants May Ease Damaged Knees »