Serdecznie zapraszamy pracowników, doktorantów oraz studentów na wykład otwarty prof. Zuzanny S. Siwy z University of California, Irvine (USA) pt. Transport of ions, molecules and water through nanopores: physical phenomena in biological channels, nanofluidics and rain coats, który odbędzie się 14 marca 2017 r. w godz. 16.15 - 17.00 na terenie UTP w budynku Regionalnego Centrum Innowacyjności (sala C8). 

Transport of ions, molecules and water through nanopores: physical phenomena in biological channels, nanofluidics and rain coats

Transport through nanopores and ion channels in cell membranes exists in virtually all biological cells and is important in such things as the regulation of heart function, nerve signals, and delivery of nutrients to the cell. Nanopores have also started to play a major role in contemporary biotechnology, because many separation and sensing processes require pores with nanometer-sized openings. My scientific interests have been focused on fabricating synthetic single nanopores with applications in biophysics and nanotechnology. The nanopores that we fabricate by the track-etching technique and e-beam drilling have diameters as small as 2 nm, and they have controlled geometry and surface chemistry. I will show how these nanopores can be used as devices for controlling the flow of ions and charged molecules in a solution, effectively functioning as ionic diodes and ionic transistors. Hydrophobic nanoporous valves that can switch on/off water transport will be discussed as well. I will also present our newest direction of research in which we are using ‘rough’ channels to probe mechanical properties of cancer cells.

Dr. Zuzanna S. Siwy received her Ph.D. in 1997 from the Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland, and habilitation in 2004.
From 2000–2003 she was a Fellow of the Foundation for Polish Science, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at the Institute for Heavy Ions Research (GSI) in Darmstadt, Germany.
After conducting postdoctoral research at the University of Florida, Gainesville, in July 2005, Dr. Siwy joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.
In 2007, she became the Fellow of the Alfred von Sloan Foundation. In 2009, Dr. Siwy was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) as well as the Bessel Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
Her current research interests focus on using synthetic nanopores as templates for biomimetic channels as well as ionic diodes and ionic transistors.