Born and raised in Panama, Carlos attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his BSE in Materials Science and Engineering in 2019. At Penn, working under the supervision of Dr. Russell Composto, he investigated nanoparticle diffusion in polyacrylamide and agarose hydrogels, and then worked on the assembly of a multilayer antibacterial polymeric coating for biomedical devices using zwitterionic species. Carlos then came to the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, where he is currently advised by Dr. Matthew Tirrell.
Carlos is currently investigating the behavior of zwitterionic polymers based on their molecular interactions with water. His work involves looking at the conformation of the individual molecules using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy and X-ray scattering. He hopes to uncover the mechanism that allows zwitterionic polymers to make good antifouling surfaces.
Ion Specificity Influences on the Structure of Zwitterionic Brushes
Macromolecules 2023, 56, 5, 1945–1953