Amalie L. Frischknecht

Scientist, Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies
Science Thrust:Theory and Simulation of Nanoscale Phenomena

Phone: 505-284-8585
Fax: 505-844-9781
alfrisc@sandia.gov

P.O. Box 5800, MS 1411
Sandia National Laboratories
Albuquerque, NM 87185


 

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Education and Training

Undergraduate:  Pomona College, B.A. Physics, 1992
Graduate: University of California, Santa Barbara, Ph.D. Physics, 1998

Research

My research has focused on understanding the structure, phase behavior, and self-assembly of complex fluids.  My current work includes studies of lipid bilayer assemblies, polymer nanocomposites, and patterned polymer brushes.  I use a variety of techniques, including polymer self-consistent field theory, liquid state theory (PRISM), and molecular simulations, but my main focus is on the application of classical density functional theory (DFT) to the statistical mechanics of complex fluids, in particular to chain molecules.  Other interests include the modeling of biopolymers near interfaces and/or nanoparticles, and the use of classical DFT to study charged systems.

Selected Publications

  • Self-consistent field simulations of self- and directed-assembly in a mixed polymer brush, S. M. Hur, A. L. Frischknecht, D. L. Huber, and G. H. Fredrickson, Soft Matter 7, 8776 (2011).
  • Effect of polymer architecture and ionic aggregation on the scattering peak in model ionomers, L. M. Hall, M. J. Stevens, and A. L. Frischknecht, Phys. Rev. Lett., 106, 127801 (2011).
  • Two- and three-body interactions among nanoparticles in a polymer melt, A. L. Frischknecht and A. Yethiraj, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 174901 (2011).
  • Expanded chain dimensions in polymer melts with nanoparticle fillers, A. L. Frischknecht, E. S. McGarrity, and M. E. Mackay,  J. Chem. Phys. 132, 204901 (2010).
  • Forces between nanorods with end-adsorbed chains in a homopolymer melt, A.L. Frischknecht,  J. Chem. Phys. 128, 224902 (2008).
  • Surface-induced first order transition in athermal polymer/nanoparticle blends, E.S. McGarrity, A. L. Frischknecht, L. J. D. Frink, and M. E. Mackay, Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 238302 (2007).

Selected User Projects

  • Molecular Modeling of Nanoparticles in Thin Polymer Films, Michael Mackay, University of Delaware
  • Using Polymer Brushes to Achieve Control over Spacing and Orientation of Nanorods in Polymer Composite Films: Experiments and Simulations, Russell Composto, University of Pennsylvania
  • Field-Based Simulations of Directed Self-Assembly in a Mixed Brush System, Glenn Fredrickson, University of California, Santa Barbara