Matthew Liberatore
Assistant Professor
Research Description
Complex fluids are present in everyday life from the food and drinks we consume to the soaps and shampoo we use. Understanding the flow of complex fluids leads to the engineering of new materials and products to improve life. Rheological and spectroscopic characterization tools provide information on nanoscale domains, microstructure and macroscopic properties benefiting current and emerging technologies from oil recovery to bioenergy and tissue engineering. In addition, these tools provide opportunities to form collaborations with other scientists and engineers in the fields of physics, biology, material science, chemistry and environmental science. Specifically, my work focuses broadly on the rheology of complex and multiphase fluids including biomass slurries, bio-oils, entangled polymer solutions for drag reduction, surfactants and self assembly in solution, electrospinning polymer nanofibers, hydrate and ice slurries, emulsions, heavy crude oils, and other energy-related fluids.
selected Publications
M. W. Liberatore, F. Nettesheim, P. A. Vasquez, M. E. Helgeson, N. J. Wagner, E. W. Kaler, P. L. Cook, L. Porcar, Y. T. Hu. “Microstructure and shear rheology of entangled wormlike micelles in solution”, Journal of Rheology, 53 (2009): 441-458.
X. Steirer, M. Van Hest, M. W. Reese,
A. Miedaner, J. J .Berry, M. W. Liberatore, R.
T. Collins, D. S. Ginley. “Ultrasonically Sprayed and Inkjet Printed Electrodes
for Organic Solar Cells” Thin Solid Films, 517 (2009): 2781-2786.
F. Nettesheim, M. W. Liberatore, T. K. Hodgdon, N. J. Wagner, E. W. Kaler, M. Vethamuthu. “Influence of Nanoparticle Addition on the Properties of Wormlike Micellar Solutions”, Langmuir, 24 (2008): 7718-7726.
A. Hinkle, E.-J. Shin, M. W. Liberatore, A. M. Herring, M. Batzle. “Correlating the Chemical and Physical Properties of Heavy Oils from around the World”, Fuel, 87 (2008): 3065-3070.
H. Dave, F. Gao, J.-H. Lee, M. Liberatore, C.-C. Ho, C. Co. “Self-Assembly in Sugar-Oil Complex Glasses” Nature Materials, 6 (2007): 287-290.