Publications

Oct, 2025

Journal

Particle dynamics of nanoplastics suspended in water with soil microparticles: insights from small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ultra-SANA

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and ultra-SANS (USANS) were employed to understand the aggregation behavior and observe the size reduction for nanoplastics (NPs) formed from a biodegradable mulch film, and microparticles of vermiculite (V), an artificial soil, suspended in water in the presence of low convective shear (ex situ stirring) prior to measurements. Neutron…

Oct, 2025

Journal

Gramicidin and chlorhexidine encapsulated in bicontinuous microemulsions: Antimicrobial activity performance and their impact on self-assembly

The utility of bicontinuous microemulsions (BMEs) as carriers of the antimicrobial peptide (AMP) gramicidin D and antiseptic chlorhexidine was investigated for possible topical delivery to chronic wounds. The two water-insoluble solutes dissolved in pre-formed one-phase BMEs of Water/Polysorbate 80/Limonene/Ethanol/Glycerol and Water/Aerosol-OT (AOT)/Polysorbate 85/Isoprop…

Jun, 2024

Journal

A science-driven approach to optimize the design for a biological small-angle neutron scattering instrument

Biological small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instruments facilitate critical analysis of the structure and dynamics of complex biological systems. However, with the growth of experimental demands and the advances in optical systems design, a new neutron optical concept is necessary to overcome the limitations of current instruments. This work presents an approach to in…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Deconstruction of biomass enabled by local demixing of cosolvents at cellulose and lignin surfaces

A particularly promising approach to deconstructing and fractionating lignocellulosic biomass to produce green renewable fuels and high-value chemicals pretreats the biomass with organic solvents in aqueous solution. Here, neutron scattering and molecular-dynamics simulations reveal the temperature-dependent morphological changes in poplar wood biomass during tetrahydrofur…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Solvent-induced membrane stress in biofuel production: molecular insights from small-angle scattering and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations

The disruptive effect of organic solvents on microbial membranes represents a significant challenge to the economical production of green fuels and value-added chemicals from lignocellulosic feedstocks. One route to overcoming this challenge is to engineer microbes with membranes capable of resisting organic solvent stresses. In this regard, it is useful to understand the…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Deconstruction of biomass enabled by local demixing of cosolvents at cellulose and lignin surfaces

A particularly promising approach to deconstructing and fractionating lignocellulosic biomass to produce green renewable fuels and high-value chemicals pretreats the biomass with organic solvents in aqueous solution. Here, neutron scattering and molecular-dynamics simulations reveal the temperature-dependent morphological changes in poplar wood biomass during tetrahydrofur…

Dec, 2023

Journal

Assessment of antimicrobial activity of melittin encapsulated in bicontinuous microemulsions prepared using renewable oils

The objective of this study is to demonstrate that melittin, a well-studied antimicrobial peptide (AMP), can be solubilized in an active form in bicontinuous microemulsions (BMEs) that employ biocompatible oils. The systems investigated consisted of Winsor-III and -IV BME phases composed of Water/Aerosol-OT (AOT)/Polysorbate 85/isopropyl myristate and a Winsor-IV BME emplo…

Nov, 2023

Journal

Temperature controlled transformations of giant unilamellar vesicles of amphiphilic triblock copolymers synthesized via microfluidic mixing

We report on a simple approach for synthesis of temperature-responsive giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) from poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)15-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane)65-block-poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)15 (PVCL15-PDMS65-PVCL15) triblock copolymer and non-temperature responsive small and giant vesicles from novel poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-block-poly(…

Nov, 2023

Journal

The suite of small-angle neutron scattering instruments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a high-flux research reactor, and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world's most intense source of pulsed neutron beams. The unique co-localization of these two sources provided an opportunity to develop a suite of complementary small-angle neutron scattering instruments for studies of la…

Nov, 2023

Journal

Dynamics of water bound to crystalline cellulose

Nov, 2023

Journal

Designing Mixed Detergent Micelles for Uniform Neutron Contrast

Micelle-forming detergents provide an amphipathic environment that mimics lipid bilayers and are important tools used to solubilize and stabilize membrane proteins in solution for in vitro structural investigations. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) performed at the neutron contrast match point of detergent molecules allows observing the scattering signal from membrane…

Nov, 2023

Journal

Tension wood structure and morphology conducive for better enzymatic digestion

Background: Tension wood is a type of reaction wood in response to bending or leaning stem as a corrective growth process. Tension wood is formed by both natural and man-made processes. Most attractively, tension wood contains higher glucan content and undergoes higher enzymatic conversion to fermentable sugars. Here, we have employed structural techniques, small-angle neu…