KAREN I. WINEY Research Group

• George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award

  slideshow_photos/heilmeier.jpg

  Karen I. Winey received the 2012 George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research. The Award lecture and reception took pace on Tuesday, March 13. 2012.

  

• ACS Macro Letters

  slideshow_photos/acid_copolymer.jpg

  A precise acid copolymer exhibits face-centered cubic symmetry. Buitrago, Opper, et al. ACS Macro Letters 2012.

  

• Resistive switching

  slideshow_photos/resistive_switching.jpg

  Resistive switching found in a bulk polymer nanocomposite of silver nanowires and polystyrene. White, Vora, et al. Advanced Functional Materials 2011.

  

• Dielectric Constant Drives Ionic Aggregation

  slideshow_photos/dielectric_constant_increase.jpg

  Upon heating, the increase in dielectric constant drives ionic aggregation in Cs-neutralized PEO-based ionomers. Wang, Tudryn, et al. JACS 2011.

  

• Molecular Dynamics Simulations

  slideshow_photos/molecular_dynamics_simulations.jpg

  Molecular dynamics simulations of precise acid copolymers compare favorably with X-ray scattering experiments. Hall, Seitz, et al. JACS 2012.

  

• JACS Cover

  slideshow_photos/JACS_cover.jpg

  Precise ionomers have extremely well-defined morphologies relative to random ionomers, including the first report of an ionomer with cubic symmetry. Seitz, Chan, Opper, et al. JACS 2010.

  

• Silver Nanowire

  slideshow_photos/silver_nanowire.jpg

  Quantitative agreement between the electrical percolation thresholds determined by simulations and experiments using silver nanowire composites. White, Mutiso, et al. Advanced Functional Materials 2010.

  

• Polymer Melt

  slideshow_photos/polymer_melt.jpg

  Molecular dynamics simulations of a polymer melt surrounding an isolated carbon nanotube show local perturbations although the radius of gyration is unchanged. Karatrantos, et al. Macromolecules 2011.

  

 

 

 

News Headlines

• President Auciello presents Prof. Winey with 2013 Fellow certificate
• Prof. Winey named 2013 MRS Fellow!
• Philly Materials Day (February 2013)
• Nanotechnology Facilities Workshop
• Carbon-Based Materials - a walk down Memory Lane
• Presenting Dr. Jae-Hong Choi

 

Karen I. Winey is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania with a secondary appointment in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.  She is also Penn’s Director for the Nanotechnology Institute and the Energy Commercialization Institute, which are funded through the Ben Franklin Technology Partnership to promote advanced technologies in the region.  Beyond Penn, she serves as an Associate Editor for Macromolecules, the premier journal for polymer science. 

Winey’s current interests include both polymer nanocomposites and ion-containing polymers.  In nanocomposites, she designs and fabricates polymer nanocomposites containing carbon nanotubes and metal nanowires with the aim of understanding how to improve their mechanical, thermal, and especially electrical conductivity and resistive switching properties.  Polymer dynamics in the presence of nanoparticles is also an area of interest.  In ion-containing polymers, including block copolymers and polymers with ionic liquids, Winey combines imaging and scattering methods to provide unprecedented insights into their morphologies.  Current efforts focus on correlating nanoscale structures with ion transport properties.  In both areas, she couples experimental studies with simulation and theory, either within her group or with collaborators.

Winey received her B.S. from Cornell University in materials science and engineering and her Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Following a postdoctoral position at AT&T Bell Laboratories, she joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.  Elected positions include chair of the Polymer Physics Gordon Research Conference (2010) and Chair of the Division of Polymer Physics within the American Physical Society (2013).  Her honors include Fellow of the American Physical Society (2003), a Special Creativity Award from the National Science Foundation (2009-2011), and the George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research (2012), and Fellow the Materials Research Society (2013).