Professor Mohammad F. Islam Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering Ph.D., Lehigh University Department of Materials Science and Engineering Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue Wean Hall 4315 Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890 Email: Phone: (412) 268-8999 Fax: (412) 268-7596 Professor Islam's Group Web Site

Biography

Mohammad F. Islam is an Assistant Professor with joint appointments in Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering and also has courtesy appointments in Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Lehigh University in 2000 focusing on aggregation and adsorption behavior of polyelectrolytes. He then moved to the department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002 as a postdoctoral fellow. There he worked on colloidal systems and carbon nanotubes. He joined Carnegie Mellon faculty in Fall 2005. Islam has received National Science Foundation CAREER award (2007) and Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2007).

Research Interests

We experimentally investigate the microscopic structure and dynamics of synthetic and biological soft matter to better understand traditional concepts such as phase transitions, self-assembly and the relationship between microscopic structure and macroscopic properties. We also apply our expertise in soft matter to challenges in nanoscience to answer fundamental scientific questions.

In our group, we employ both soft- and nanomaterials approaches to engineer multifunctional materials with tailored optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. These unique materials have diverse applications in areas such as photonics, fuel cells, supercapacitors, drug delivery vessels, scaffolds for tissue engineering, etc. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of our research, we closely collaborate with researchers from other fields including physics, chemistry and biomedical engineering.

For examples of past work and a list of ongoing projects, see our group web page

Selected Publications

K. N. Dahl, P. Scaffidi, M. F. Islam, A. G. Yodh, K. L. Wilson, and T. Misteli, "Distinct Structural and Mechanical Properties of the Nuclear Lamina in Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103, 10271 ( 2006).

M. F. Islam, M. Nobili, F. Ye, T. C. Lubensky and A. G. Yodh, "Cracks and Topological Defects in Lyotropic Nematic Gels", Physical Review Letters 95, 148301 ( 2005). Chosen to appear in the 10 October 2005 Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology.

A. M. Alsayed, M. F. Islam, J. Zhang, P. J. Collings and A. G. Yodh, "Premelting at Defects Within Bulk Crystals", Science 309, 1207 ( 2005). (Cover Research Article)

D. E. Johnston, M. F. Islam, A. G. Yodh and A. T. Johnson, "Electronic devices based on purified carbon nanotubes grown by high-pressure decomposition of carbon monoxide", Nature Materials 4, 589 ( 2005).

M. B. Bryning, M. F. Islam, J. M. Kikkawa and A. G. Yodh, "Very Low Conductivity Threshold in Bulk Isotropic Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Epoxy Composites", Advanced Materials 17, 1186 ( 2005).

L. A. Hough, M. F. Islam, P. A. Janmey and A. G. Yodh, "Viscoelasticity of Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Suspensions", Physical Review Letters 93, 168102 ( 2004). Chosen to appear in the 25 October 2004 Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology.

M. F. Islam, D. E. Milkie, C. L. Kane, A. G. Yodh and J. M. Kikkawa, "Direct Measurement of Polarized Absorption Cross-Section of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes", Physical Review Letters 93, 037404 ( 2004). Chosen to appear in the 26 July 2004 Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology.

M. F. Islam, A. M. Alsayed, Z. Dogic, J. Zhang, T. C. Lubensky and A. G. Yodh, "Nematic Nanotube Gels", Physical Review Letters 92, 088303 ( 2004). Chosen to appear in the 15 March 2004 Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology. (APS Physics News Coverage)

M. F. Islam, E. Rojas, D. M. Bergey, A. T. Johnson and A. G. Yodh, "High weight-fraction surfactant solubilization of single-wall carbon nanotubes in water", Nano Letters 3, 269 ( 2003).