The Surface Science and Materials Characterization (SSMC) Lab investigates fundamental molecular mechanisms of chemical and mechanical processes occurring at solid/gas, solid/liquid, and solid/solid interfaces as well as structure-property relationships of biomaterials produced by plants and animals. To answer challenging questions in these systems, the SSMC lab develops and employs cutting-edge spectroscopic and mechanical characterization techniques.

The current research focuses of the SSMC lab include:

• Molecular tribology and lubrication at nano- and micro-scales
• Mechanochemistry (chemical reactions induced by mechanical forces)
• Surface chemistry and mechanics of multicomponent glasses
• Nano/meso/micro-scale structures of cellulose in plant cell walls and biomass
• Piezoelectric materials based on nano-cellulose
• Non-linear optical spectroscopy and imaging of crystalline biopolymers