I study the formation and structure of nanoemulsions;
liquid droplets with radii less than 100 nm dispersed
in another immiscible liquid and stabilized by a surfactant
to prevent coalescence. These droplets are formed through
extreme shear and their size is controlled by varying the
initial composition of the emulsion. Nanoemulsions are
kinetically inhibited against gravitational creaming by
the strong Brownian motion associated with their small size.
Ultracentrifugation enables us to increase the monodispersity
and volume fraction of the droplets.
I have studied droplet aggregation as a function of salt
concentration with small angle neutron scattering, and have
shown that even at high salt concentration, the droplets
still do not coalesce, further emphasizing the stability of
these droplets. I have also investigated the optical properties
of nanoemulsions; studying the change in transmission as a function
of droplet radius and volume fraction.
Education
B.A. with Honors in Chemistry: University of California, Santa Barbara (Dec. 2001).
Awards
UCLA Regents Fellowship 2002-2006.
Chemist of the year for "Excellence in Physical Chemistry" by the Chemistry and Biochemistry Majors Student Association at UCSB, 2000-01.
UCSB Letters and Science Genesis Award for excellence in undergraduate research and creative work, November 2001.
UCSB RISE fellowship Summer 2000, Winter 2000.
UCSB Dean's Honors Winter 1999, Winter 2000, Spring 2000, Fall 2000.
Publications
T.G. Mason, J.N. Wilking, K. Meleson, C.B. Chang, S.M. Graves, "Nanoemulsions: formation, structure, and physical properties," Journal of Physics-Condensed Matter, 18, R635-R666 (2006)
T.G. Mason, S.M. Graves, J.N. Wilking, and M.Y. Lin,
"Effective Structure Factor of Osmotically Deformed Nanoemulsions," J. Phys. Chem. B (2006).
T.G. Mason, S.M Graves, J.N. Wilking, and M.Y. Lin " Extreme Emulsification:
Formation and Structure of Nanoemulsions," Condensed Matter Physics, 9,
193 (2006).
J.N. Wilking, S.M. Graves, C.B. Chang, K. Meleson, M.Y. Lin and T.G. Mason,
"Dense Cluster Formation during Aggregation and Gelation of Attractive Slippery Nanoemulsion Droplets,"
Phys. Rev. Lett., 96, 015501, (2006).
S. Graves, K. Meleson, J.N., Wilking, M.Y. Lin, and T.G. Mason. "Structure of Concentrated Nanoemulsions,"
Journal of Chemical Physics 122, 134703, (2005).
K. Meleson, S. Graves, and T.G. Mason,
"Formation of Concentrated Nanoemulsions by Extreme Shear,"
Soft Materials, 2, 109-123 (2004).
G.M. Lowman, S.L. Nelson, S.M. Graves, G.F. Strouse, and S.K. Buratto,
"Polyelectrolyte - Quantum Dot Multilayer Films Fabricated by Combined Layer-by- Layer Assembly and Langmuir,"
Langmuir, 20, 2057-2059 (2004).
