University of Toledo : Chemical and Environmental Engineering

2006 Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware
2001 B.Ch.E., University of Minnesota
2001 B.S. Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Current research interests focus on the design, characterization and application of biopolymer-based soft materials. These include the self-assembly of bioderived surfactant/polyelectrolyte mixtures, stimulus-responsive micro- and nanoparticles and gels, and drug delivery.

Recent advances in chemical product design, medicine and nanotechnology have ushered in a new age of “smart” materials that respond to external stimuli such as changes in pH, ionic strength or temperature, and mechanical or electromagnetic perturbations. Bioderived polyelectrolytes (e.g., cellulose derivatives, chitosan and alginate) are commonly used as sustainable building blocks for these materials and find countless applications in foods, cosmetic product formulations, controlled release, biomaterials, medical imaging, sensors, fuel cells and water treatment. Despite their broad use, however, many applications of these materials are limited by the lack in understanding of their physicochemical properties and the design variables that control them.

To this end, the goals of our research are to:

1. advance the mechanistic understanding of the molecular, colloidal and macroscopic properties of biopolyelectrolyte-based materials and
2. to apply this understanding towards furthering their use in areas such as pharmaceutics, MEMS and consumer product formulations.

1. Wang, Y.; Lapitsky, Y.; Kang, C.E.; Shoichet, M.S. Accelerated release of a sparingly soluble drug from an injectable hyaluronan–methylcellulose hydrogel. J. Controlled Release (in press) doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2009.05.025 (2009).
   
2. Ho, K.; Lapitsky, Y.; Shi, M. Shoichet, M.S. Tunable immunonanoparticle binding to cancer cells: thermodynamic analysis of targeted drug delivery vehicles. Soft Matter 5, 1074-1080 (2009).
   
3. Lapitsky, Y.; Zahir, T.; Shoichet, M.S. Modular biodegradable biomaterials from surfactant and polyelectrolyte mixtures. Biomacromolecules 9, 166-174 (2008).
   
4. Lapitsky, Y.; Parikh, M.; Kaler, E.W. Calorimetric determination of surfactant-polyelectrolyte binding isotherms. J. Phys. Chem. B 111, 8379-8387 (2007).
   
5. Lapitsky, Y.; Eskuchen, W.J.; Kaler, E.W. Surfactant and polyelectrolyte gel particles that swell reversibly. Langmuir 22, 6375-6379 (2006).
   
6. Lapitsky, Y.; Kaler, E.W. Formation and structural control of surfactant and polyelectrolyte gels. Colloids Surf. A 282-283, 118-128 (2006).