Dr. Bruce A. Garetz is currently Professor and Associate Chair of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. He received his A.B. degree in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard College in 1971 and his Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. After serving two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, he joined the chemistry faculty of Brooklyn Poly in 1978, and served as Department Chair from 2006-2012. After the merger between NYU and Poly, he became a member and Associate Chair of the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department. He has published over 80 research articles and holds 5 patents. He is the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and is a two-time recipient of the Polytechnic Distinguished Teacher Award.
His research group currently studies two aspects of the way light interacts with materials: laser light scattering and laser-induced nucleation. They use depolarized light scattering to probe the micrometer-scale grain structure of block copolymer materials, which have important applications as viscoelastic, adhesive, optical and electrical materials. Recently, they have begun to study the integrated static light scattering from polymer blends to determine their miscibility. Such blends have potential application as lithium battery electrolytes. They use high-power, pulsed laser beams to non-photochemically initiate the nucleation of supersaturated solutions, and they are currently collaborating with Prof. Ryan Hartman to study laser-induced nucleation in microfluidic devices. Crystallization is an important process in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry where control of crystal size, morphology and polymorphism are crucial in producing products with the desired properties.
Education
cum laude, Harvard College, 1971
Bachelor of Arts, Chemistry and Physics
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1976
Doctor of Philosophy, Physical Chemistry
Publications
Journal Articles
- F.M. Abuzaina, B.A. Garetz, A.J. Patel, M.C. Newstein, S.P. Gido, X. Hu and N.P. Balsara, "Observation of Nematic Texture in a Diblock Copolymer Melt", Macromolecules, in press, 2006.
- X. Sun, B.A. Garetz and A.S. Myerson, "Supersaturation and Polarization Dependence of Nonphotochemical Laser-Induced Nucleation in Supersaturated Aqueous Glycine", Cryst. Growth Des. in press, 2006.
- J. Matic, X. Sun, B.A. Garetz and A.S. Myerson, "Intensity, Wavelength, and Polarization Dependence of Nonphotochemical Laser-Induced Nucleation in Supersaturated Aqueous Urea Solutions", Cryst. Growth Des. 5, 1565 (2005).
- F.M. Abuzaina, A.J. Patel, S. Mochrie, S. Narayanan, A.Sandy, B.A. Garetz, N.P. Balsara, "Structure and Phase Behavior of Block Copolymer Melts near the Sphere-Cylinder Boundary" Macromolecules 38, 7090 (2005).
- B.A. Garetz, M.C. Newstein, J.D. Wilbur, A.J. Patel, D.A. Durkee, R. Segalman, J.A. Liddle, N.P. Balsara, "Grain Structure in Block Copolymer Thin Films Studied by Guided Wave Depolarized Light Scattering", Macromolecules 38, 4282 (2005).
- X. Hu, S.P. Gido, T.P. Russell, H. Iatrou, N. Hadjichristidis, F.M. Abuzaina, B.A. Garetz, "Grain Growth Kinetics of AnBn Star Block Copolymers in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide", Macromolecules 38, 4719 (2005).
- J.E. Aber, S. Arnold, B.A. Garetz and A.S. Myerson, "Strong dc electric field applied to supersaturated aqueous glycine solution induces nucleation of γ-polymorph", Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 145503 (2005).
- X. Hu , Y. Zhu , S. P. Gido , T. P. Russell , H. Iatrou , N. Hadjichristidis , F. M. Abuzaina and B. A. Garetz, "The effect of molecular architecture on the grain growth kinetics of AnBn star block copolymers", Faraday Discussions 128, 103, (2005).
- F.M. Abuzaina, B.A. Garetz, J.U. Mody, M.C. Newstein, N.P. Balsara, "Birefringence and Depolarized Light Scattering from Ordered Block Copolymers with Anisotropic Distributions of Grain Orientations Produced by Shear Flow", Macromolecules 37, 4185 (2004).
- K. Tang, M.M. Green, K.S. Cheon, J.V. Selinger and B.A. Garetz, "Chiral Conflict. The Effect of Temperature on the Helical Sense of a Polymer Controlled by the Competition between Structurally Different Enantiomers: From Dilute Solution to the Lyotropic Liquid Crystal State", J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125, 7313 (2003).
- B.A Garetz, J. Matic and A.S. Myerson, "Polarization switching of crystal structure in the non-photochemical light-induced nucleation of supersaturated aqueous glycine solutions", Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 175501 (2002).
- N.P. Balsara, C.M. Marques, B.A. Garetz, M.C. Newstein and S.P. Gido, "Anisotropy of lamellar block copolymer grains", Phys. Rev. E 66, 052802 (2002).
- M .Y. Chang, F.M. Abuzaina, W.G. Kim, B.A. Garetz, M.C. Newstein, N.P. Balsara, L. Yang, S.P. Gido, R.E. Cohen, Y. Boontonkong and A. Bellare, "Analysis of grain structure in partially ordered block copolymers by depolarized light scattering and transmission electron microscopy", Macromolecules 35, 4437-4447 (2002).
- Z. Guo, J. Aber, B. Garetz and S. Kumar, "Pulse laser radiation transfer: Monte Carlo simulation and comparison with experiment", J. Quant. Spectr. Rad. Transfer 73, 159-168 (2002).
- H. Hahn, J.H. Lee, N.P. Balsara, B.A. Garetz, H. Watanabe, " Viscoelastic Properties of Aligned Block Copolymer Lamellae", Macromolecules 34, 8701-8709 (2001).
- W.G. Kim, B.A. Garetz, M.C. Newstein and N.P. Balsara, " Maximizing grain growth rate during the disorder-to-order transition in block copolymer melts", J. Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics Edition 39, 2231-2242 (2001).
- W.G. Kim, M.Y. Chang, B.A. Garetz, M.C. Newstein, N.P. Balsara, J.H. Lee, H. Hahn and S.S. Patel, " Effect of nucleation density on grain growth in quenched block copolymer melts", J. Chem. Phys. 114, 10196-10212 (2001).
- J. Zaccaro, J. Matic, A.S. Myerson and B.A. Garetz, " Non-photochemical laser-induced nucleation of supersaturated aqueous glycine produces unexpected γ-polymorph", Crystal Growth and Design 1, 5-8 (2001).
- H. Wang, M.C. Newstein, M.Y. Chang, N.P. Balsara and B.A. Garetz, " Birefringence and depolarized light scattering of an ordered block copolymer melt under shear flow", Macromolecules 33, 3719-3730 (2000).
- F.L. Beyer, C. Bueschl, S.P. Gido, H. Iatrou, D. Uhrig, J.W. Mays, M.Y. Chang, B.A. Garetz, N.P. Balsara and N.B. Tan, " Multiple-graft block copolymers with regularly spaced tetrafunctional branch points: morphology and grain structure", Macromolecules 33, 2039-2048 (2000).
- J.E. Aber, M.C. Newstein and B.A. Garetz, " Femtosecond Optical Kerr Effect Measurements in Silicate Glasses", J. Opt. Soc. Amer. B. 17, 120-127 (2000).
- H. Wang, M.C. Newstein, A. Krishnan, N.P. Balsara, B.A. Garetz, B. Hammouda, R. Krishnamoorti, " Ordering Kinetics and Alignment of Block Copolymer Lamellae Under Shear Flow", Macromolecules 32, 3695-3711 (1999).
- N.P. Balsara, B.A. Garetz, M.C. Newstein, B.J. Bauer and T.J. Prosa, " Evolution of Microstructure in the Liquid and Crystal Directions in a Quenched Block Copolymer Melt", Macromolecules 31, 7668-7675 (1998).
- N.P. Balsara, B.A. Garetz, M.Y. Chang, H.J. Dai, M.C. Newstein, J.L. Goveas, R. Krishnamoorti, S. Rai, " Identification of the Molecular Parameters that Govern Ordering Kinetics in a Block Copolymer Melt", Macromolecules 31, 5309-5315 (1998).
- M.C. Newstein, B.A. Garetz, N.P. Balsara, M.Y. Chang and H.J. Dai, " Growth of Grains and Correlated Grain Clusters in a Block Copolymer Melt", Macromolecules 31, 64-76 (1998).
- H.J. Dai, N.P. Balsara, B.A. Garetz and M.C. Newstein, " Grain Growth and Defect Annihilation in Block Copolymers", Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3677-3680 (1996).
- B.A. Garetz, J.E. Aber, N.L. Goddard, R.G. Young and A.S. Myerson, " Nonphotochemical, Polarization-Dependent, Laser-Induced Nucleation in Supersaturated Aqueous Urea Solutions", Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3475-3476 (1996).
- B.A. Garetz, N.P. Balsara, H.J. Dai, M.C. Newstein, Z. Wang and B. Majumdar, " Orientation Correlations in Lamellar Block Copolymers", Macromolecules 29, 4675-4679 (1996).
- M.C. Newstein, B.A. Garetz, H.J. Dai and N.P. Balsara, " Small-Angle Light Scattering and Polarized-Light Microscopy from Block Copolymers with Cylindrical Morphology", Macromolecules 28, 4587-4597 (1995).
- M.M. Green, B.A. Garetz, B. Munoz, H.P. Chang, S. Hoke and R.G. Cooks, "Majority Rules in the Copolymerization of Mirror Image Polymers," J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 117, 4181-4183 (1995).
- N.P. Balsara, H.J. Dai, P.K. Kesani, B.A. Garetz and B. Hammouda, " Influence of Imperfections on the Disordering of Block Copolymer Cylinders", Macromolecules 27, 7406-7408 (1994). C. Kittrell, A.C. Le Floch and B.A. Garetz, " Analysis of the Two-Photon D1Δ-X1Σ+ Transition in CO: 2. Perturbations in the (8-0) Band," J. Phys. Chem. 97, 2221-2227 (1993). L. Carin, K. Agi, D. Kralj, K.M. Leung and B.A. Garetz, " Characterization of Layered Dielectrics with Short Electromagnetic Pulses," IEEE J. Quant. Electron. 29, 2141-2144 (1993).
- B.A. Garetz, M.C. Newstein, H.J. Dai, S.V. Jonnalagadda and N. Balsara, " Birefringence and Diffraction of Light in Ordered Block Copolymer Materials," Macromolecules 26, 3151-3155 (1993).
- Y. Hwang, B.A. Garetz and Y. Okamoto, " Second Harmonic Generation in Pure p-Nitroaniline and in Composites with Polystyrene by Flash Evaporation," Opt. Lett. 17, 487-489 (1992).
- C. Claude, B.A. Garetz, Y. Okamoto and S. Tripathy, " The Preparation and Characterization of Organically Modified Silicates that Exhibit Nonlinear Optical Properties," Materials Letters 14, 336-342 (1992).
- N. Balsara, B.A. Garetz and H.J. Dai, "Relationship Between Birefringence and the Structure of Ordered Block Copolymer Materials," Macromolecules 25, 6072-6074 (1992).
Awards
2000 Polytechnic Institute of NYU Distinguished Teacher Award 1996 Polytechnic Institute of NYU Sigma Xi Distinguished Faculty Research Award 1988 Polytechnic Institute of NYU Distinguished Teacher Award 1984 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship Award
Research News
On the mechanism and utility of laser-induced nucleation using microfluidics
This research will be led by Ryan Hartman, professor, with co-principal investigator Bruce Garetz, professor and Associate Chair, the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at NYU Tandon.
Why does shining a laser on some liquid solutions cause them to crystallize? The researchers are awarded a National Science Foundation (Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems) grant to elucidate the mechanisms by which light can induce nucleation — the process by which molecules cluster together and organize during the earliest stages of crystallization. Understanding these mechanisms could result in “greener” industrial processes by which a wide range of materials and chemicals that we use every day, such as dyes and pharmaceuticals, are made, saving energy and reducing the need for large amounts of chemical solvents.
In addition to reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing crystalline materials, laser-induced nucleation has the potential to provide better control over crystal shape and the arrangement of molecules in the crystals during the manufacturing process, properties that can be optimized for a specific application of the material. To make greener crystallization part of undergraduate and graduate education, the project will create educational activities that train students from diverse backgrounds to engineer solutions based on this new approach to crystallization, making it an inherent part of basic chemical engineering education.
Specifically, the research program will design and study microfluidic nonphotochemical, laser-induced nucleation (NPLIN) of preselected organic molecules. To understand light-field induced nucleation mechanisms, the investigators will examine molecules that crystallize into different morphologies, into different polymorphs, and that follow single-step versus two-step nucleation. The team will look at three different mechanisms:
- The optical Kerr effect by which light can align molecules in a disordered solute cluster and thereby induce nucleation
- Dielectric polarization in which light lowers the energy of slightly sub-critical solute clusters
- The absorption of light by colloidal impurity particles resulting in the formation of nanobubbles that induce nucleation.
As part of the project, and in order to do many aspects of this research, the team will design high-pressure microfluidics coupled with a pulsed, collimated laser beam, and perform investigations of laser-induced crystallization of ibuprofen, carbamazepine, and glycine crystals. The use of microfluidics will contribute a quantitative experimental methodology for NPLIN that can also distinguish single-step nucleation from two-step nucleation. The research discoveries will set the foundation for translating fundamental findings to practical applications.
Research Centers, Labs, and Groups
Polymer Light Scattering and Light-Induced Crystallization Lab
Garetz Group — We investigate the ways that laser light can passively ...
