Carlos Lopez received his bachelor of science and masters of science degrees in experimental and theoretical physics from the University of Cambridge in 2010, and his Ph.D in chemical engineering from Imperial College London, under the supervision of Prof. Joao T. Cabral.
His graduate research focused on understanding the properties of polyelectrolytes in solution using rheological and neutron scattering techniques. Lopez worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Germany, first at the University of Paderborn and then at RWTH Aachen University, where he became a group leader in 2020. His work during that time combined fundamental research into the self-assembly of intermediate filament proteins, microgel thermodynamics, and the rheology of polymer solutions with industrial projects on dye transfer inhibition and perfume deposition in laundry detergents.
He joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State in 2024 as an assistant professor, where his research focuses on the structure and rheology of various soft matter systems, including polyelectrolyte solutions, poly(ionic liquid) gels and colloidal dispersions.
This faculty member is associated with the Penn State Intercollege Graduate Degree Program (IGDP) in Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) where a multitude of perspectives and cross-disciplinary collaboration within research is highly valued. Graduate students in the IGDP in MatSE may work with faculty members from across Penn State.
- Gulati, A, Jacobs, M, Lopez CG & Dobrynin, AV (2023) Macromolecules Salt Effect on the Viscosity of Semidilute Polyelectrolyte Solutions: Sodium Polystyrenesulfonate. 56(5) pp. 2183–2193
- Hohenschutz M, Bauduin P, Lopez CG, Förster B & Richtering W. (2022) Angewandte Chemie Superchaotropic Nano‐ion Binding as a Gelation Motif in Cellulose Ether Solutions. 135(3) e202210208.
- Scotti, A, Schulte, MF, Lopez, CG, Crassous, JJ, Bochenek, S & Richtering, W, (2022). Chemical Reviews How Softness Matters in Soft Nanogels and Nanogel Assemblies. 122 (13), pp.11675–11700
- Lopez CG, Horkay F, Schweins R & Richtering W (2021) Macromolecules, Solution properties of polyelectrolytes with divalent counterions. 54 (22), pp. 10583-10593
- Lopez CG, Linders J, Mayer C & Richtering W. (2021), Macromolecules, Diffusion and viscosity of unentangled polyelectrolytes. 54 (17), pp. 8088–8103.
- Lopez CG, Horkay F, Mussel M, Jones R & Richtering W. (2020), Soft Matter, Screening lengths and osmotic compressibility of flexible polyelectrolytes in excess salt solutions. 16(31), pp.7289-7298
- Lopez CG, Voleske L, Richtering W. (2020), Carbohydrate Polymers, Scaling laws of Entangled Polysaccharides, 234, 115886.
- Lopez, CG, Lohmeier T., Wong JE & Richtering, W. (2020) Electrostatic expansion of polyelectrolyte microgels: effect of solvent quality and added salt. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 558 pp. 200-210.
- Lopez, CG (2019) Scaling and Entanglement properties of neutral and sulfonated polystyrene Macromolecules, 52(23) pp. 9409-9415
- Lopez, CG, Watanabe, T, Adamo, M, Martel, A, Porcar, L, & Cabral, JT (2018). Microfluidic devices for small-angle neutron scattering Journal of Applied Crystallography., 51(3), pp.570-583.
- Lopez, CG, Colby, RH, & Cabral, JT (2018). Electrostatic and Hydrophobic Interactions in NaCMC Aqueous Solutions: Effect of Degree of Substitution Macromolecules, 51(8), pp3165-3175.
- Lopez, CG, Watanabe, T, Martell, A, Porcar, L, & Cabral, JT (2015). Microfluidic-SANS: flow processing of complex fluids. Scientific Reports, 5.
- Lopez, CG, Rogers, S, Colby, RH, Graham, P, & Cabral, JT (2015) Structure of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose aqueous solutions: A SANS and rheology study Journal of Polymer Science B: Polymer Physics 53(7), pp. 492-501.
- Julia Higgins Centenary Prize for PhD work at Imperial College, London