People > NCSU Research & Education Team > Spontak

Dr. Rich Spontak Professor North Carolina State University Department of Chemical Engineering 223 Riddick Engineering Labs Box 7905 Raleigh, N.C. 27695 Phone: 919.515.4200 Fax: 919.515.3465 Email: rich_spontak@ncsu.edu

Education

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, 1988
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 1983

Research Interests

Design and development of nanostructured polymeric materials and their nanocomposites with designer properties; mixing of polymers in moleculary-confined environments; polymer physics and engineering; advanced materials characterization methods including high-resolution electron tomography and small-angle scattering; nano/microporous polymers for membrane, scaffolding, templating and high-performance applications; complex phase behavior of polymer blends and copolymers in (in)compressible solvent environments; physical gelation of polymers using low-molar-mass gelators.

Selected Publications

• Thongruang, W., Spontak, R.J., and Balik, C.M., "Bridged Double Percolation in Conductive Polymer Composites: An Electrical Conductivity, Morphology and Mechanical Property Study ," Polymer, in press (2002).
  
  
• Wilder, E.A., Hall, C.K., Khan, S.A., and Spontak, R.J., "Molecular Self-Organization and Gelation Efficacy of Dibenzylidene Sorbitol: An Overview," Rec. Res. Develop. Mater. Sci., in press (2002).
  
  
• Wilder, E.A., White, S.A., Smith, S.D., and Spontak, R.J., "Gel Network Development in AB, ABA and AB/ABA Block Copolymer Solutions in a Selective Solvent," New Advances in Polymer Gels: Fundamentals and Applications (Bohidar, H.B., Dubin, P.L., and Osada, Y., Eds.) American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., in press (2002).
  
  
• Arnold, M.E., Nagai, K., Freeman, B.D., Spontak, R.J., Leroux, D., Betts, D.E., DeSimone, J.M., DiGiano, F.A., Stebbins, C.K., and Linton, R.W., "Microphase-Separated Block Copolymers Comprised of Low Surface Energy Fluorinated Blocks and Hydrophilic Blocks: Synthesis and Characterization," Macromolecules, 35, 3697 (2002).
  
  
• Merkel, T.C., Freeman, B.D., Spontak, R.J., He, Z., Morisato, A., Pinnau, I., Meakin, P., and A.J. Hill, "Ultrapermeable, Reverse-Selective Nanocomposite Membranes," Science, 296, 519 (2002).