Mission and Goals

A vast number of processes in nature and in industry occur at the surfaces and interfaces of matter. The importance of surfaces and interfaces is highlighted by the fact that one of the technical divisions of the American Chemical Society is titled “Colloid and Surface Chemistry”. Among many current topics for research concerning surfaces and interfaces are, just to name a few,

1) for improving the efficiency of solar cells, a critical research effort is to find conditions to maximize electron transfer at the interface between the light absorbing materials and the electrolyte,
2) trapping and conversion of carbon dioxide, an important current topic in fighting global warming, is a process occurring at the surface of catalytic materials,
3) transport of pharmaceutical molecules through cell membranes, the interface between biological cells and the environment, greatly affects drug efficacy, and
4) reactions and processes that shape the roles of aerosols in affecting atmosphere and weather occur at the aerosol particle surfaces.

Of all the surfaces and interfaces, biological membranes and their artificial mimetics stand outwith growing scientific interests and importance. Membranes regulate interactions between biological cells and the environment and ensure cell viability. Understanding cell membrane functions is critical to the understanding of mechanisms of life and to the development of biomedical strategies for treating diseases.

Temple University has had many research activities conducted by faculty members who are recognized leaders in the fields related to membranes and interfaces. For example, Michael Klein and Vincenzo Carnevale of Biology and Chemistry at CST are world leaders in developing computational capabilities for investigating the structure of and processes at membranes and interfaces. In experimental areas, Hai-Lung Dai (Chemistry) has been pioneering thedevelopment of laser-based methods for studying surfaces. Eric Borguet (Chemistry) is a world leader in laser spectroscopic studies of electrode surfaces. In 2019, Borguet and Dai received the only Major Research Instrumentation Grant nationwide awarded with more than $1 million by the NSF Chemistry Division to construct a nonlinear optical spectrometer and microscope for studying surfaces and interfaces.

The above-mentioned researchers have had extensive collaborations within and outside ofTemple University. For example, in addition to external collaborators like William DeGrado of UCSF, Oscar Ruiz of the Airforce Research Laboratory, Rana Ashkar of Virginia Tech, Rosa Sanz of Oviedo, Spain, Stefania Galdiero of Naples, Italy, Chia Wang of Taiwan’s Sun Yat Sen U, and Tak Kee of Adelaide, Australia, Dai has forged collaborations with many investigators within Temple University: Vincenzo Carnevale and Weidong Yang of Biology, Yugang Sun in Chemistry, and Glenn Gerhard and Karim Bahmed of LKSM. Borguet, on the other hand, has developed a productive collaboration with Klein and Carnevale.

The teaming up of the experimental and computational capabilities, together with the expertise of researchers in science and medicine, will facilitate solving important scientific problems related to membranes and interfaces by the Temple scientific community. This Institute will highlight the leadership of Temple University faculty in this important field and promote further collaboration with scientists around the world to solve problems related to membranes and interfaces.