Chemical Engineering at Columbia
Columbia's program in chemical engineering is one of the oldest in the country. It has continuously evolved since its inception to remain relevant and vital to the nation's workforce.
MOREChemical engineers have been improving our well-being for more than a century. From the development of smaller, faster computer chips to innovations in recycling, treating disease, cleaning water, and generating energy, the processes and products that chemical engineers have helped create touch every aspect of our lives.
Our faculty conducts theoretical and experimental studies of novel or important macromolecules and their applications:
Research and development of novel bioanalytical reagents, systems, and processes using chemical science, engineering principles, and experimental biological approaches to study problems in genomics are actively pursued in the Department of Chemical Engineering in collaboration with the Columbia Genome Center:
Theoretical and experimental biophysics of biological soft matter:
The thrust of this research is to develop new strategies for the molecular design of polymeric and soft materials for biological and biomedical applications.
Ongoing research pertains to the development of bioactive hydrogel coatings for applications in glucose sensors. The objective of the coatings is to control the tissue-sensor interactions by incorporating cell-signaling motifs into the hydrogel in such a manner that the hydrogel induces the formation of new vascular tissue within the surface coating. In this fashion, the biosensor can continue to operate in vivo, even if there is an immune response leading to fibrous encapsulation.
Complementary research programs are aimed at developing methods for patterning biological surfaces in order to prepare new biocompatible surfaces as well as to fabricate antigen/antibody and protein arrays for diagnostic applications.
Research efforts within the department are focused on mass transfer and reaction mechanisms in electrochemical systems, and the effects that such variables have on process design and materials properties.
Applications of the research program include fuel cells, electrodeposition, and corrosion. Both electrochemical and microscopy methods are used extensively for characterization. A significant numerical simulation component of the research programs also exists.
The Department of Chemical Engineering is continually striving to provide access to state-of-the-art research instrumentation and computational facilities for its undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and faculty. Departmental equipment is considered to be in most cases shared, which means that equipment access is usually open to all qualified inpiduals with a need to use particular instrumentation.
The most extensive collection of instrumentation in the department is associated with the polymer and soft matter research faculty. Faculty banded together to create a unique shared-facilities laboratory, completed at the end of 2001. The shared facilities include a fully equipped polymer synthesis lab with four fumes hoods, a 10’x16’ soft wall clean room, metal evaporator system, a Milligen 9050 peptide synthesizer, and polymer thin film preparation and substrate cleaning stations.
Also installed are new, computer-controlled thermal analysis, rheometric, and light-scattering setups. Specialized instrumentation for surface analysis includes an optical/laser system dedicated to characterization of polymer surface dynamics by Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching and a PHI 5500 X-ray photoelectron spectrophotometer with monochromator that is capable of angle-dependent depth profiling and XPS imaging. The system can also perform SIMS and ion scattering experiments. A digital image analysis system for the characterization of sessile and pendant drop shapes is also available for the purpose of polymer surface and interfacial tension measurements as well as contact angle analysis.
An X-ray reflectometer that can perform X-ray standing wave–induced fluorescence measurements is also housed in the new shared equipment laboratory, along with instrumentation for characterizing the friction and wear properties of polymeric surfaces. The laboratory also houses an infrared spectrometer (Nicolet Magna 560, MCT detector) with a variable angle grazing incidence, temperature-controlled attenuated-total-reflectance, transmission, and liquid cell accessories. These facilities are suitable for mid-IR, spectroscopic investigations of bulk materials as well as thin films. The laboratory also has a UV-Vis spectrometer (a Cary 50), an SLM Aminco 8000 spectrofluorimeter, and a high-purity water system (Millipore Biocel) used for preparation of biological buffers and solutions.
Facilities are available for cell tissue culture and for experiments involving biocompatibilization of materials or cellular engineering. In addition, gel electrophoresis apparatus is available for the molecular weight characterization of nucleic acids. A total-internal-reflection-fluorescence (TIRF) instrument with an automated, temperature-controlled flow cell has been built for dedicated investigations of surface processes involving fluorescently tagged biological and synthetic molecules. The instrument can operate at different excitation wavelengths (typically HeNe laser, 633 nm, using Cy5 labeled nucleic acids). Fluorescence is collected by a highly sensitive photomultiplier tube and logged to a personal computer. Because fluorescence is only excited in the evanescent wave region near an interface, signals from surface-bound fluorescent species can be determined with minimal background interference from fluorophores in bulk solution.
Chemical Engineering Department
Columbia Engineering
Seeley W. Mudd building, Room 801
500 West 120th Street
New York, NY 10027 USA
Phone: (212) 854-4453
Fax: (212) 854-3054
Email: [email protected]