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Sergey Vasenkov
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., 1994, Novosibirsk University, Russia
Influence of microdomains on diffusion in biomembranes
Transport in porous materials with hierarchy of pore sizes
Transport-optimized catalysis and separations
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Brief Description of Current Research
Molecular diffusion is one of the most basic, and at the same time most
fascinating physical phenomena. It makes possible various important processes
in living systems, and also plays a large role in industrial applications such
as separations and catalysis. Our research focuses on understanding diffusion,
and developing optimization pathways for diffusion in complex nanostructured
materials on all relevant length scales, including the nanoscale. We take
advantage of recently developed microscopic techniques capable of monitoring
molecular diffusion on the nanometer and micrometer length scales. This
establishes new links between the nanosciences and chemical engineering by
allowing direct studies of the relationships between structure and transport in
complex materials. In our research we apply such novel microscopic techniques
as Pulsed Field Gradient NMR with high gradient strength, in combination with
computer simulations.
Nanostructured materials that posses hierarchically organized pore systems
can potentially create a new range of applications in catalysis, molecular
storage and optics. Molecular diffusion in such channeled networks is of
exceptional importance in a majority of these applications. Despite its
importance, a fundamental understanding of molecular transport in these
materials is still lacking. In our research we place special emphasis on the
study of correlations of molecular movements at various length scales. In
particular, the possibility of separating mixtures of small molecules under
conditions of anomalous single-file diffusion captures much of our interest.
Molecular transport is also of crucial importance for many functions of
biomembranes. One of the most intriguing features is the occurrence of
microdomains, also known as lipid rafts. It is still not completely clear under
what conditions they appear, and how they influence diffusion. In our research
we aim to fill these gaps by providing detailed fundamental knowledge of
diffusion in lipid membranes for a wide range of molecular displacements,
starting with scales as small as 100 nm. This research is of importance in
numerous applications, such as development of novel drug delivery devices, and
bringing about improvements in the storage of platelets (the cells that make
blood clot) that may otherwise become ineffective due to the formation of lipid
raft structures in the membranes.
Selected Publications
- “The Role of Mesopores in Intracrystalline Transport in USY Zeolite: PFG
NMR Diffusion Study on Various Length Scales”, Kortunov, P., Vasenkov, S.,
Kärger, J. and Valiullin, R., J. Am. Chem. Soc. (to appear, 2005)
- “Long-range diffusion in beds of nanoporous particles: Pitfalls
and potentials”, Vasenkov, S. and Kärger, J., Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Vol. 23, 139-145 (2005).
- “Sticking Probability on Zeolites”, Simon, J.-M., Bellat, J.-P.,
Vasenkov, S., Karger, J. J. Phys. Chem. B., Vol. 109, 13523-13528
(2005).
- “Diffusion in Fluid Catalytic Cracking Catalysts on Various Displacement
Scales and its Role in Catalytic Performance”, Kortunov, P., Vasenkov, S.,
Kärger, J., Elía, M. Fé et al, Chem. Mater., Vol. 17,
2466-2474 (2005).
- “Molecular dynamics under confinement to one dimension: options of
measurement and accessible information”, Kärger, J., Valiullin, R., Vasenkov,
S. New J. Phys., Vol. 7 1-15 (2005).
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