Schroeder Lab Tour

Single molecule studies of soft materials

The cutting edge of soft materials research lies in the ability to manipulate and control single molecules. Our research has pioneered a unique and powerful brand of molecular science that allows for the precise interrogation of single molecules, ranging from polymer physics to molecular electronics. We aim to understand the links between molecular  scale behavior and macroscopic properties in soft materials. Our recent work has focused on: (1) single polymer dynamics of architecturally complex polymers such as rings and branched polymers, (2) development of the Stokes trap as a new method to confine and analyze single molecules and vesicles, (3) understanding the hierarchical assembly of pi-conjugated peptides and organic electronic materials, (4) understanding charge transport at the molecular level, and (5) direct observation of DNA-protein interactions such as TALEs using single molecule methods.