The Segalman group has discovered that block copolymer nanostructures can be aligned by annealing them within a magnetic field. This technique has the potential to control the formation of electrical charge pathways within semiconducting polymer nanostructures. Chemical engineering professor Rachel Segalman examines data in her lab in Tan Hall. Segalman is an expert in the nanostructure and self-assembly of polymer materials.
She was there during the deadly heat wave that struck France in the first half of August 2003. “It was odd,” says Segalman. “The foreign students were so busy coping that we didn’t realize how big the crisis was.” In France, she explains, most families vacation in August, leaving only the elderly and sick behind — along with the foreign students. Says Segalman, “There is almost no air conditioning in France. Our lab was over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and the organic solvent dichloromethane would start boiling on our countertops once the temperature rose to over 103 degrees. Outside, for two weeks, it was well over 100 degrees until dusk. I would stay outside in a park until after sunset, which, during the summer in northern Europe, is around 10:00 pm. Only later did we learn that 35,000 people died across Europe. The tragedy reinforced for me the dangers of climate change and the need to find alternative energy sources.” Segalman joined the Berkeley chemical engineering faculty in spring 2004. Her research group focuses on controlling the
self-assembly of block copolymers for energy and biological applications. “At the nanometer length scale,” she says, “we need to learn how to gain control of selfassembly, show how structure affects properties and demonstrate how to design these properties into devices.” Her lab takes a curiosity-driven approach inspired by the need to fundamentally understand the thermodynamic properties of self-assembly. “But we’re happy to discover other interesting things along the way, especially in the areas of photovoltaic, thermoelectric and fuel cell applications.” Segalman has received numerous awards from foundations, government and industry to support her growing research program, including the Hellman Family Young Faculty Award, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and a 3M Nontenured Faculty Grant. Segalman recently won the newly launched MDV Innovators Award from Mohr Davidow Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. The award recognizes
innovative approaches to important scientific and technical challenges. 7 Segalman has also been recognized by MIT’s Technology Review magazine as one of the world’s top innovators under age 35. She was chosen for developing a novel way to generate electricity from heat by trapping organic molecules between metal nanoparticles. Devices using this effect could produce electricity from waste heat that is currently released to the environment. There may now be a fourth generation female chemical scientist to continue the legacy of Segalman’s family. Her daughter was born in 2006. “She has already been from Taipei to Tel Aviv to visit grandparents and scientific conferences, but we haven’t had time to take her to France yet for real baguettes and gelato,” says Segalman. “Will she turn out to be a chemist or chemical engineer? Nature and nurture will certainly push her in that direction, but I’m sure she’ll have a mind of her own. Stay tuned.”
Spring 2008 Catalyst