IMSE Seminar with J. A. Orlicki on Polymers & Biological Materials
Developing new materials for Army applications requires a focus on performance metrics across a wide range of environmental conditions, while also considering pathways for scalable production and deployment. This talk will briefly introduce the DEVCOM-Army Research Laboratory and focus on drivers and efforts to develop new polymers and to apply the tools of synthetic biology to the development of new materials. This intersection of disciplines has led to highly interdisciplinary programs, primarily in the exploration of adhesive characteristics. The exploration of bio-inspired approaches to adhesion will be discussed, ranging from a study of catechol co-polymer chemistries, evaluation of a novel curative for epoxies, to the use of peptide-display and related technologies to screen new adhesive interactions.
Joshua Orlicki is the Team Lead for the Polymer Synthesis & Characterization Team, of the Polymers Branch at the DEVCOM - Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. He joined DEVCOM-ARL in 2002 as a post-doctoral researcher, and was hired as a staff scientist in February of 2005.
Since joining DEVCOM-ARL Dr. Orlicki has contributed to a number of programs, including those focused on the control of surface properties for multi-functional coatings through the development of surface-segregating polymer-based additives. This work has led to three patent filings and in part led to the receipt of a 2006 Research and Development Achievement Award for the development of multi-functional coatings. He has also worked extensively on the development of electro-optical materials that led to a second Research and Development Achievement Award in 2009. Since 2019, he has been Co-Lead for the Scalable & Hierarchical Materials thrust of the Transformational Synthetic Biology for Military Environments Essential Research Program. Recent work has focused on the area of bioinspired adhesion to gain fundamental insight into improving adhesive interfaces. He also has a long-standing interest in polymer processing and nanocomposites.
His undergraduate study was performed at Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where Bachelors of Science were earned in both Chemistry and Biochemistry. Graduate work was conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the direction of Professor Jeffrey S. Moore, in the general area of polymer chemistry (study of hyperbranched polyetherimides).
Faculty, students, and the general public are invited.