Welcome to the Epps Research Group!

welcomeSoft materials exhibit an array of structures that reflect the optimization of complex and delicate molecular interactions. At length scales between ~ 1 nm and ~1 μm, interfacial curvature and packing geometry reflect the self-assembly of molecules with prescribed architectures. One class of soft material, block copolymers, provides the opportunity to design materials with attractive chemical and mechanical properties based on their ability to assemble into periodic structures with nanoscale domain spacings. In addition, modern polymerization methods afford access to an array of block copolymer architectures, ranging from two-monomer diblocks to branched configurations that may incorporate almost any number of different polymers.

Research Program

hexagonalThe primary focus of the Epps laboratory lies in designing, building, and characterizing new polymeric materials exhibiting molecular level self-assembly. Several applications for block copolymers and polymer blends under investigation in our group include: battery and fuel cell membranes, organic photovoltaics, analytical separations membranes, nanoscale containers and scaffolds for targeted drug delivery, precursors to electronic arrays, and surface responsive materials. We manipulate polymer internal and external interfacial characteristics in bulk and thin film environments to influence the ordering and stability of polymer structures. Assembly processes in our materials are explored with a comprehensive array of reciprocal space (small and wide-angle x-ray and neutron scattering), real space (optical, scanning probe, and electron microscopy), mechanical (dynamic mechanical analysis), and spectroscopic (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure, and infrared spectroscopy) techniques. Researchers in the group gain experience in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, and biology. Our work can be divided into the following areas:

Valorization of Biomass

Valorization of Biomass

Group Members:

Luca (Jung Min) Kim
Haesoo Lee
Robert O’Dea
Jignesh Mahajan
Maida Mahmood
Sampanna Mhatre
Alison Shapiro
Ty Christoff-Tempesta

Renewable Polymers from Waste Streams

Renewable Polymers from Waste Streams

Group Members:

Jamael Ajah
Alex Balzer
Soojin Kwon
Kevin Nixon
Robert O’Dea

Nanostructured Polymer for Ion-Conduction

Nanostructured Polymer for Ion-Conduction

Group Members:

Mengying (Sara) Yang
Venice Magunga
Polymer / MOF Composites

Polymer / MOF Composites

Group Members:

Maida Mahmood
Polymer Thin Films

Polymer Thin Films

Group Members:

Eric Gotlieb
Polymeric Assemblies for Nucleic Acid Delivery

Polymeric Assemblies for Nucleic Acid Delivery

Group Members:

Thomas H. Epps, III

Phone: 302.831.0215
Fax: 302.831.1048
Email: thepps@udel.edu
CV: Click Here

Honors, Awards & Affilations

• University of North Carolina, Department of Chemistry, Slayton Evans Lecture, 2023
• Johns Hopkins University, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, William H. Schwarz Lecture, 2023
• University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Alumni Lectures, 2022
• Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and Entrepreneurship, UD, College of Engineering, 2022
• University of Minnesota, Dept. of Chemistry, Jeannette Brown Lectureship, 2022
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Birnbaum Award, 2022
• AIChE Minority Affairs William W. Grimes Award for Excellence in Chemical Engineering, 2021
• University of Delaware, Men’s Soccer Team – Most Valuable Professor Award, 2021
• C&E News Trailblazer, 2021
• Allan & Myra Ferguson Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, 2021
• Percy L. Julian Award (NOBCChE), 2020 -University of Minnesota, Chemical Eng. and Materials Science Centennial & Jubilee Alumni Lecture, 2020
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, 2018
• APS Fellow, 2017
• Thiele Lectureship, University of Notre Dame, 2016
• Graduate Students of Diversity Lectureship, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2016
• APS John H. Dillon Medal, 2016 -AIChE Owens Corning Early Career Award, 2015
• Kavli Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, 2014
• Sigma Xi Young Investigator Award, 2014
• Thomas & Kipp Gutshall Professorship, 2012
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Visiting Professor Award, 2012
• UD Gerard J. Mangone Best Young Scholar Award (Alison Young Professor), 2011
• DuPont Young Professor Award, 2010
University of Delaware (UD)
• Allan & Myra Ferguson Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
• Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
• Professor of Biomedical Engineering (affiliated)
• Director, UD, Center for Research in Soft matter and Polymers (CRiSP)
• Director, UD MRSEC, Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials (CHARM)
• Deputy-Director, DOE EFRC, Center for Plastics Innovation (CPI)
Lignolix, Inc.
• Co-Founder, Chief Scientific Officer