THE SCHOOL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Under the provisions of the regulations for the degree

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

on Friday, January 27, 2016

1:00 PM
in MRDC 3515

will be held the

DISSERTATION PROPOSAL DEFENSE

for

Andrew Gorman

"Controlled Encapsulations of Fluids by Hydrophobins"

Committee Members:

Prof. Paul Russo, Advisor, MSE

Prof. Hamid Garmestani, MSE

Prof. Karl Jacob, MSE

Prof. Meisha Shofner, MSE

Prof. Jennifer Curtis, PHYS

Abstract:

Hydrophobins are a class of amphipathic fungal proteins with a high surface activity, high resistance to thermal and chemical degradation, and good availability at a low cost. These properties make hydrophobins excellent candidates for a variety of applications for coatings, drug delivery, chemical separations, and encapsulations. Cerato ulmin (CU) is a hydrophobin produced by the fungus Ceratocysis ulmi, known for its connection to Dutch elm disease. This study focuses on CU due to its ability to self-assemble into cylindrical bubbles and to encapsulate fluids in non-spherical shapes (blobs) on the micro and nano scale at low concentrations.

The proposed work will expand the current knowledge of the behavior of CU and investigate potential material applications that will use the hydrophobin’s natural properties. The lack of repeatability in bubble formation will be addressed through the construction of various wave tanks which will allow for real time imaging of bubble creation. The effect of processing conditions in bubble size, shape, and film thickness will be examined through small angle scattering, light scattering, optical imaging, and optical tweezers. By identifying the relationships between processing conditions and physical properties, this work will aid in designing fluid encapsulating structures.