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  4. Samuel Root

Samuel Root

Assistant Professor
Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering
Case School of Engineering

Teaching Information

Teaching Interests

My new elective course (under development) will introduce theoretical and practical principles for engineering polymer materials within the context electronics technology. Students will explore the electrical properties of polymers and their composites, including dielectric, conductive (electronic and ionic), and semiconductive behavior. Structure-property relationships will be emphasized, as well as principles for materials characterization, and performance metrics for example multi-material devices. Through lectures, problem sets, hands-on experiments, and a design project, students will learn how to tailor and process polymer composite materials for a range of electronics applications for sustainable energy, healthcare, and robotics. This course will be launched in the Fall of 2025.

Research Information

Research Interests

I am a scientist and engineer with research interests centered around functional polymers and composites. My work encompasses experimental materials synthesis, advanced characterization, and device prototyping complemented by theory and computation. The Root Laboratory for Functional Polymer Composites will integrate these approaches to investigate materials-based solutions to diverse problems in sustainable energy, healthcare, and robotics.

Research Projects

  • Damage-perceptive soft electronics based on autonomous alignment and self-healing in immiscible dynamic polymer composites.
  • Ultra-low loss dielectric composites for energy-efficient, high-speed electronics packaging.
  • Interplay between thermal and electrical conductivity in macromolecular composites of liquid metal microdroplets.

Awards and Honors

Powell Fellowship
2014
University of California, San Diego
Corning Glass Age Award
2017
Corning Inc.
Achievement Reward for College Scientists (ARCS) Fellowship
2017
ARCS Foundation
Presidents Dissertation Year Fellowship
2017
University of California, San Diego
Chemistry of Materials Lectureship & Paper of the Year Award
2018
American Chemical Society, Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division
Rising Stars in Soft and Biological Matter
2023
University of Chicago/UC San Diego MRSEC

Publications

Prior to Joining 星空传媒

Leading Author Journal Articles (鈥 indicates equal contribution) (Listed in Reverse Chronological Order)

  1. Zhao, C.; 鈥 Park, J.; 鈥 Root, S. E.; 鈥 Bao, Z.*; Nature Reviews Bioengineering, 2024

  2. Cooper, C.鈥; Root, S. E.鈥; Michalek, L.; Wu, S.; Lai, J-C.; Khatib, M.; Oyakhire, S.; Zhao, R.; Qin, J.; Bao, Z.*; . Science, 2023

  3. Li, Y.鈥; Root, S. E.鈥; Belding, L.; Park, J.; Yoon, H. J.; Huang, C.; Baghbanzadeh, M.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2023

  4. Root, S. E. 鈥; Sanchez, V.鈥; Tracz, J.A.鈥; Preston, Whitesides, G. M.*, . Advanced Materials Technologies, 2022

  5. Root, S. E.; Preston, D. J.; Nemitz, M. P.; Belding, L.; Alcoran, R.; Fiefke, G.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Cell Press Reports Physical Science, 2021, 2, 100572 Citations: 6

  6. Root, S. E. 鈥; Gao, R.鈥; Ge, S.; Whitesides, G. M.; . ACS Nano, 2021

  7. Li, Y.鈥; Root, S.  E鈥; Baghbanzadeh, M.; Campbell V. E.; Rothemund, P. Cafferty, B. J.; Whitesides, G. M.*, . Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021

  8. Belding, L.*; Root, S. E.*; Li, Y.; Park, J.; Rojas, E.; Pieters, P.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021

  9. Runser, R.鈥; Root, S. E.鈥, Ober, D. E.; Choudhary, K.; Chen, A. X.; Dhong, C.; Urbina, A. D.; Lipomi, D.J Chemistry of Materials 2019

  10. Root, S. E.; Carpenter, C.W.; Kayser, L. V.; Rodriquez, D.;  Davies, D. M.; Wang, S.; Tan, S. T. M.; Meng, Y. S.; Lipomi, D. J.*, ACS Omega 2018, 662-668

  11. Alkhadra, M. A.鈥; Root, S. E.鈥; Hilby, K. M.; Rodriquez, D.; Sugiyama, F.; Lipomi, D. J.*, , Chemistry of Materials 2017

  12. Root, S. E.鈥; Alkhadra, M. A.鈥; Rodriquez, D.; Printz, A. D.; Lipomi, D. J.*, . Chemistry of Materials 2017 (Lectureship & Best Paper Award) 

  13. Root, S. E.; Savagatrup, S.; Printz, A. D.; Rodriquez, D.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Chemical Reviews 2017 (selected as ACS Editors鈥 Choice) 

  14. Root, S. E.; Jackson, N. E.; Savagatrup, S.; Arya, G.; Lipomi, D. J.*, . Energy & Environmental Science 2017 (featured as a hot article) 

  15. Root, S. E.; Savagatrup, S.; Pais, C. J.; Arya, G.; Lipomi, D. J.*, . Macromolecules 2016

Contributing Author Journal Articles (Listed in Reverse Chronological Order)

 

  1. A. Berman鈥; K. Hsiao鈥; S. E. Root; H. Choi; D. Ilyn; C. Xu; E. Stein; M. Cutkoskyl J. M. Desimone*; Z. Bao* , Science Advances, 2024

  2. E. Kim; J.-C. Lai; L, Michalek, W. Wang, C. Xu, H. Lyu, W. Yu, H. Park, Y. Tomo, S. E. Root; B. Lee; J. Park; S. Wei; C. Zhao; Z. Bao* , Advanced Functional Materials, 2024

  3. Kim, K. K.鈥; Kim, M.鈥; Pyun, K.; Kim, J.; Min, J.; Koh, S.; Root, S. E.; Kim, J.; Nguyen, B. N. T.; Nishio, Y.; Han, S.; Choi, J.; Kim, C.Y.; Tok, J. B.-H.; Jo, S.; Ko, S. H.*; Bao, Z.*, , Nature Electronics, 2023

  4. Pe帽a-Alc谩ntara, A.l Nikzad, S.; Prine, N.; Wang, Y.; Michalek, L.; Gong, H.; Ponte, E.; Schneider, S.; Wu, Y.; Root, S.E.; Tok, J.B.-H.; Gu, X.*; Bao, Z.*; , Advanced Electronic Matrials, 2023

  5. Gao, R.鈥; Kodaimati, M. O.鈥; Handy, K.; Root, S. E.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2022

  6. Decker, C. J.鈥; Jiang, H. J.鈥; Nemitz, M. P.; Root, S. E.; Rajappan, A.; Alvarez, J . T.; Tracz, J., Wille, L.; Preston, D.J.; Whitesides, G. M.*; , Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022

  7. Tracz, J. A.; Wille, L.; Pathiraja, D.; Kendre, S. V.; Pfisterer, R.; Turett, E.; Abrahamsson, C. K.; Root, S. E.; Lee, W. K.; Preston, D. J.; Jiang, H. J.; Whitesides, G. M.*; Nemitz, M. P.*; IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters,

  8. Park, J.; Kodaimati, M. A.; Belding, L.; Root, S. E.; Schatz, G.; Whitesides, G. M.*, , ACS Nano, 2022

  9. Kodaimati, M. A.鈥; Gao, R.鈥; Root, S. E.; Whitesides, G. M.*, , Chem Catalysis, 2022

  10. Nagarkar, A.; Root, S. E.; Fink, M. J.; Ten, A. S.; Cafferty, B. J.; Richardson, D. S.; Mrksich, M.; Whitesides, G. M.*, . ACS Central Science 2021

  11. Park, J.; Belding, L.; Li, Y.; Mousavi, M.; Root, S. E.; Yoon, H. J.; Whitesides, G. M.*, , Journal of The American Chemical Society, 2021

  12. Carpenter, C.W.;  Malinao, M.G.; Rafeedi, T.A.; Rodriquez, D.; Tan, S.T.M.; Root, N.B.; Skelil, K.; Ramirez, J.; Polat, B.; Root, S.E.; Ramachandran, V.S.; Lipomi, D.J.*, Advanced Materials Technologies, 2020

  13. Sugiyama, F.; Kleinschmidt, A. T.; Kayser, L.V.; Rodriquez, D.; Fin, M. F.; Alkhadra, M. A.;  Wan, J. M. H.; Chiang, A. S. C..; Ramirez, J.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Polymer Chemistry, 2018

  14. Sugiyama, F.; Kleinschmidt, Kayser, L.V.; Alkhadra, M. A.; Wan, J. M. H.; Chiang, A. S. C.; Rodriquez, D.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Macromolecules, 2018

  15. Rodriquez, D.; Kohl, G.; Morel, P.; Burrows, K.; Favaro, G.; Root, S. E.; Ramirez, J.; Alkhadra, M.A.; Carpenter, C. W.; Fei, Z.; Boufflet, P.; Heeney, M.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Macroletters, 2018

  16. Kleinschmidt, A. T.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2017

  17. Marin, B. C.; Root, S. E.; Urbina, A. D.; Alklile, E.; Miller, R.; Zaretski, A. V.; Lipomi, D. J.*, ACS Omega  2017, 2, 626-630.

  18. Marin, B. C.; Ramirez, J.; Root, S. E., Aklile, E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, . Nanoscale Horizons 2017, 2, 311-318.

  19. O鈥機onnor, T. F.; Fach, M. E.; Miller, R.; Root, S. E.; Mercier, P. P.; Lipomi, D. J.*, PloS one 2017, 12, 1-12.

  20. Rodriquez, D.鈥; Kim, J.H.鈥; Root, S. E.; Fei, Z.; Boufflet, P.; Heeney, M.; Kim, T. S.*; Lipomi, D. J.*, Applied Materials & Interfaces 2017, 9, 8855-8862.

  21. Zaretski, A. V.; Root, S. E.; Savchenko, A.; Molokanova, E.; Printz, A. D.; Jibril, L.; Arya, G.; Mercola, M.; Lipomi, D. J.*, . Nano Letters 2016,16, 1375-1380

  22. Savagatrup, S.; Printz, A. D.; O鈥機onnor, T. F.; Zaretski, A. V.; Rodriquez, D.; Sawyer, E. J.; Rajan, K. M.; Acosta, R. I.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, . Energy & Environmental Science 2015, 8, 55鈥80.

 

Textbook Chapters

  1. Alkhadra, M. A.; Kleinschmidt, A. T.; Root, S. E.; Rodriquez, D.; Printz, A. D.; Savagatrup, S.; Lipomi, D. J. Mechanical Properties of Semiconducting Polymers, Conjugated Polymers: Properties, Processing, and Applications 2019 CRC Press

Patents

  1. Root, S.E.; Fazzini, J.A.; Sanchez, V.; Preston, D.J.; Whitesides, G.M., 鈥淓xpanding Foam-Fabric Orthopedic Limb Stabilization Device,鈥 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No: 62/923,938, filed October 21, 2019. PCT Application, filed October 21, 2020.
  2. Sakamoto, J.; Ten, A.; Kodaimati, M. S.; Jiang, H. J.; Nagarkar, A.; Root, S. E.; Whitesides, G. M., 鈥淧olyphosphate Materials鈥 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/248691; WH Ref. No.: 42697.579US1
  3. Cooper, C. B.; Root, S. E.; Bao, Z.; 鈥淢ulti-layer self-healing apparatuses and methods鈥 U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/440,656, January 23, 2023

Presentations

Invited Presentations

  1. UC Santa Barbara, Department of Material Science, March 22, 2018.
  2. American Chemical Society Summer Meeting, Boston Ma., August 19, 2018
  3. University of Rochester, Department of Chemical Engineering, October 7th, 2020 (virtual)
  4. Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, October 20th, 2020 (virtual)
  5. University of Kentucky, Department of Chemical & Materials Engineering, January 11th, 2023
  6. Stevens Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, February 10th, 2023
  7. Tufts University, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, March 6th, 2023
  8. UC San Diego, Department of NanoEngineering, August 8th, 2023
  9. Stanford Polymer Collective (student selected), Stanford University, October 6th, 2023
  10. Rising Stars in Soft and Biological Matter Symposium (University of Chicago MRSEC), October 12th, 2023
  11. eWear Seminar, Stanford University, October 23rd, 2023
  12. Florida State University, Department Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, January 3rd, 2024
  13. Georgia Institute of Technology, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, January 8th, 2024
  14. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Department of Mechanical Engineering, January 22nd, 2024
  15. Auburn University, Department of Chemical Engineering, February 5th, 2024
  16. University of New Mexico, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, February 12th, 2024
  17. Clemson University, Department of Chemical Engineering and Biomolecular Engineering, February 15th, 2024
  18. 星空传媒, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, February 27th, 2024
  19. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Department of Chemical Engineering, March 11th, 2024
  20. University of Akron, Department of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering, March 14th, 2024
  21. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Center of Applied Science and Polymer Research, November 13th, 2024

 

Contributed Conference Presentations

  1. United States National Congress on Computational Mechanics, San Diego, CA, July 26-30, 2015
  2. International Conference on Advanced Polymeric Materials, Jeju, Korea, October 4-7, 2016
  3. Fall Meeting of the Materials Research Society, Boston, Massachusetts, December 2-5, 2016
  4. Pan-American Polymer Science Conference, Guaruja, Sao Paolo State, Brazil, March 22-25, 2017
  5. Fall Meeting of the Materials Research Society, Boston, Massachusetts, December 2-5, 2017
  6. American Institute of Chemical Engineering (AIChE), November 10th-15th, 2019
  7. (Virtual) American Physical Society March Meeting 2020
  8. (Virtual) American Institute of Chemical Engineering Annual Meeting, November 16-20th, 2020
  9. Fall meeting of the Materials Research Society, Boston, Massachusetts, December 2023
  10. American Institute of Chemical Engineering Annual Meeting, San Diego, California, October 2024

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering
Chemical Engineering
University of Rochester
2014
Doctorateof Philosophy
Chemical Engineering
University of California, San Diego
2018