Eric Dufresne
Dufresneâs research focuses on understanding, controlling and exploiting the properties of soft materials.
At the macroscale, soft matter exhibits a mixture of fluid and solid properties, while at the microscale its structure and dynamics are dominated by thermal fluctuations. Dufresneâs laboratory manipulates soft materials from the bottom up by altering the interactions of their components and from the top down by applying optical forces.
Current research topics: interfacial forces; self-assembly of colloidal and biological materials; mechanical singularities; mechanics of cells and tissues.
2002 R&D 100 Award for the BioRyx200 system, with David G. Grier and Ward A. Lopes
NSF Career Award, 2006, for “Self-assembly and Direct Fabrication of Stimuli-Responsive Colloidal Materials Governed by Proteins.”
E. R. Jerison, Y. Xu, L. A. Wilen, E. R. Dufresne âThe Deformation of an Elastic Substrate by a Three-Phase Contact Lineâ, Physical Review Letters 106 186103 (2011)
Y. Xu, W. C. Engl, E. R. Jersion, K. J. Wallenstein, L. Wilen, E. R. Dufresne, âImaging In-Plane and Normal Stresses Near an Interface Crack using Traction Force Microscopyâ Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences DOI:10.1073/pnas.1005537107 (2010)
J.-G. Park, J. D. Forster, E. R. Dufresne, âHigh-Yield Synthesis of Monodisperse Dumbbell-Shaped Polymer Nanoparticlesâ Journal of the American Chemical Society DOI:10.1021/ja101760q (2010)
J. D. Forster, H. Noh, S. F. Liew, V. Saranathan, C. F. Schreck, L. Yang, J.-G. Park, R. O. Prum, C. S. O’Hern, S. G. J. Mochrie, H. Cao, E. R. Dufresne âBiomimetic Isotropic Nanostructures for Structural Coloration,â Advanced Materials DOI:10.1002/adma.200903693 (2010)
J. W. Merrill, S. K. Sainis, J. Blawzdziewicz, E. R. Dufresne âMany Body Force and Mobility Measurements in Colloidal Systemsâ Soft Matter DOI:10.1039/b926845f (2010)
H. Kress, J.-G. Park, C. O. Mejean, J. D. Forster, J. Park, S. S. Walse, O. D. Weiner, T. M. Fahmy, E. R. Dufresne âCell stimulation with optically manipulated microsourcesâ Nature Methods DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1400 (2009)
J. W. Merrill, S. K. Sainis, E.R. Dufresne, âMany-Body Electrostatic Forces Between Colloidal Particles at Vanishing Ionic Strengthâ Physical Review Letters 103 138301 (2009)
E. R. Dufresne, H. Noh, V. Saranathan, S. Mochrie, H. Cao„ R. O. Prum âSelf Assembly of Amorphous Biophotonic Nanostructures by Phase Separationâ Soft Matter 5 1792 (2009)
- "Apparatus and Method for Fabricating, sorting, and Integrating Materials with Holographic Optical Traps", 6,863,406, 2005: With D.G. Grier
- "Apparatus for Using Optical Tweezers to Manipulate Materials", 6,846,084, 2005: With D.G. Grier, J.E. Curtis, and B.A. Koss
- "Apparatus for Manipulating Materials with Visible Light", 6,626,546, 2003: With D.G. Grier, J.E. Curtis, B.A. Koss
- "Apparatus for Using Optical Tweezers to Manipulate Materials", 6,626,546, 2003: With D.G. Grier
- "Method for Applying Optical Gradient Forces and Moving Material", 6,624,940, 2003: With D. G. Grier
- "Apparatus for Using Optical Tweezers to Manipulate Materials", 6,416,190, 2002: With D.G. Grier
- "Apparatus for Applying Optical Gradient Forces", 6,055,106, 2000: With D.G. Grier