Sebastian Russell

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Center for Functional Nanomaterials
Bldg. 735
P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000

(631) 344-7896
srussell@bnl.gov

Expertise | Research | Education | Appointments | Highlights

Expertise

• Polymer thin-films
• Block copolymer self-assembly
• Material processing and Engineering
• Ion transport in soft materials

Research Activities

My research aims to develop and characterize non-native structural motifs in self-assembling block copolymer thin films. In order to generate and control non-equilibrium structure formation, I have developed an experimental workflow to stratify block copolymer layers using solution processing techniques and then, after annealing, interrogate the self-assembly using a film reconstruction strategy that combines electron microscopy and controlled chemical etching. Finally, my research strives to leverage autonomous experimental methods to locate and extract desirable non-equilibrium block copolymer morphologies during self-assembly.

Education

• B.S.: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • Major: Chemical Engineering
• PhD: Columbia University
  • Chemical engineering, Concentration: Material Science
  • Dissertation Title: The synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical analysis of structured polymer electrolytes having strong ionic interactions

Professional Appointments

Postdoctoral Research:

• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory (Oct 2019 - Present)

Research Highlights

• H. Alkhodairi, S. T. Russell, J. Pribyl, B. C. Benicewicz, S. K. Kumar, Compatibilizing Immiscible Polymer Blends with Sparsely Grafted Nanoparticles, Macromolecules 53, 23, 10330-10338 (2020). [DOI:10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02108]
  • Publisher's version: Compatibilizing Immiscible Polymer Blends with Sparsely Grafted Nanoparticles | Macromolecules (acs.org)
• S. T. Russell, R. Perera, J. T. Vardner, G. N. Jones, C. Dimarco, A. C. West, S. K. Kumar, Hydration Effects on the Permselectivity-Conductivity Trade-Off in Polymer Electrolytes, Macromolecules 53, 3, 1014-1023 (2020). [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02291]
  • Pubisher's version: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02291
•  J. T. Vardner, S. T. Russell, N. W. Brady, Y. Inaba, S. K. Kumar , A. C. West, Application of Concentrated Solution Theory to the Measurement of Salt Transference Numbers in Ion-Selective Membranes, J. Electrochem. Soc. 167, 020546 (2020). [DOI: 10.1149/1945-7111/ab6c52]
  • Publisher's version: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/ab6c
• S. T. Russell,  R. Raghunathan, A. M. Jimenez, K. Zhang, S. D. Brucks, C. Iacob, A. C. West, O. Gang, L. M. Campos, S. K. Kumar, Impact of Electrostatic Interactions on the Self-Assembly of Charge-Neutral Block Copolyelectrolytes, Macromolecules  53, 2, 548-557 (2020). [DOI: 10.1149/1945-7111/ab6c52]
  • Publisher's version: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/ab6c52
• J. T. Vardner, T. Ling, S. T. Russell, A. M. Perakis, Y. He, N. W. Brady, S. K. Kumar, A. C. West, Method of Measuring Salt Transference Numbers in Ion-Selective Membranes, J. Electrochem. Soc. 164, A2940 (2017). [DOI: 10.1149/2.0321713jes]
  • Publisher's version: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.0321713jes
• J. L. Freyer,S. D. Brucks,G. S. Gobieski, S. T. Russell, C. E. Yozwiak, M. Sun, Z. Chen, Y. Jiang, J. S. Bandar,B. R. Stockwell, T. H. Lambert,* and L.M. Campos, Clickable Poly(ionic liquids): A Materials Platform for Transfection, Angew.Chem.Int. Ed. 55,12382 –12386 (2016). [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201605214]
  • Publisher's version: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.201605214