Research Interests

Self-Assembly and Nanostructured Materials, Polymer/nanoparticle composites, biomolecular materials, microemulsion systems, clathrate hydrate thermodynamics

I work in the highly interdisciplinary areas of lipid self-assembly, drug and vaccine delivery, and the development of nanostructured materials. The self-organization of amphiphilic molecules (such as biological lipids and synthetic surfactants) is essential in technologies as mundane as consumer detergent products, and techologies of the future as in the development of structured, responsive nanomaterials. Biological membranes are ubiquitous examples of lipid-self assembly that impacts the entire function of a cell. A major project that I am now working on, is in the exploitation of lipid self-assembly to induce transcutaneous vaccine delivery. Vaccine development and needle free vaccine delivery is a grand challenge problem being addressed by researchers at the Medical School and at the Uptown Campus at Tulane, and I am privileged to be part of this group.  

Other exciting projects incollaboration with the Medical School involve the development of drug containing ultrathin polymer films as coatings for glaucoma drainage devices and for surgical implants, the development of novel tubular liposomes for drug delivery in osteosarcoma treatment, and for DNA vaccine delivery.

We have also started a major program in the development of dispersants to be used in oil spills. Of course, the impetus for the research comes from the tragedy in 2010 with the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. I am part of a wonderful consortium (Consortium for the Molecular Engineering of Dispersants - CMEDS, http://dispersant.tulane.edu)  of 43 investigators from 22 institutions. We are funded by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI - www.gulfresearchinitiative.org).

Among the most rewarding outreach activities I have participated in is the establishment of a collaboration with Nunez Community College on setting up new facilities for process technology operator training. The facilities have benefitted not only the process technology students at Nunez, but also Chemical Engineering students who are able to get a first hand training opportunity on mini plant scale systems.

At Tulane, we have developed a wonderful cryo-electron microscopy facility with both cryo-SEM and cryo-TEM. All my students are trained in cryo-microscopy. Many of my students also get to learn neutron scattering at the National Center for Neutron Research (NIST, Md). Tulane operates in a highly collaborative, highly interdisciplinary setting, allowing my students to gain tremendously from the resources of the entire university and the multiple collaborations that I seek to establish.

Education

B.Tech., The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, 1976
M.S., Pennsylvania State University, 1978
D.Eng.Sc., Columbia University, 1982

Biographical Sketch

I work in the highly interdisciplinary areas of lipid self-assembly, drug and vaccine delivery, and the development of nanostructured materials. The self-organization of amphiphilic molecules (such as biological lipids and synthetic surfactants) is essential in technologies as mundane as consumer detergent products and those of the future as in the development of  structured, responsive nanomaterials. Biological  membranes are ubiquitous examples of lipid-self assembly that impact the entire function of a cell. A major project that I am now working on is in the exploitation of lipid self-assembly to induce transcutaneous vaccine delivery. Vaccine development and needle free vaccine delivery is a grand challenge problem being addressed by researchers at the Medical School and at the Uptown Campus at Tulane, and I am privileged to be part of this group. Funding for my research comes from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency.

An entirely separate problem I am working on is the development of technologies based on clathrate hydrates. These are inclusion compounds of gas and water where the water molecules form cage-like structures to encapsulate gas molecules. They have tremendous implications in natural gas recovery, processing and storage. Together with colleagues at Tulane, Hamilton College and Los Alamos National Laboratories, we are trying to exploit novel clathrate systems for use in hydrogen storage for next generation fuel-efficient vehicles. This research is funded by the Department of Energy.

Teaching

• Applied Numerical Analysis
• Reactor Design
• Stoichiometry
• Applied Thermodynamics
• Colloid and Interface Science
• Polymer Solution Thermodynamics
• Advanced Reactor Design

Recent Publications

1. Zheng, R.; Zhan, J.; Kaplan, D.; Wang, X.; Pesika, N.; John, V. "Lubrication Properties of Phospholipid Liposome Coated Silk Microspheres", Particle & Particle Systems Characterization, 2013, 30, 133.

2. Venkataraman, P.; Tang, J.; Frenkel, E.; McPherson, G.; He, J.; Raghavan, S.; Kolesnichenko, V.; Bose, A.; John, V. "Attachment of a Hydrophobically Modified Biopolymer to the Oil-Water Interface in the Treatment of Oil Spills", ACS Appl. Mater. & Interfaces, in press, 2013.

3. Saha, A.; Nikova, A.; Venkataraman, P.; John,V.; Bose, A. "Oil Emulsification using Surface-Tunable Carbon Black Particles", ACS Appl. Mater. & Interfaces, in press, 2013.

4. Kucheryavy, P.; He, J.; John, V.; Maharjan, P.; Spinu, L.; Goloverda, G.; Kolesnichenko, V. "Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Variable Size and Iron Oxidation State as Prospective Imaging Agents", Langmuir, 2013, 29(2), 710.

5. Ponnusamy, T.; John, V.; Ayyala, R.; Blake, D. "A Novel Antiproliferative Drug Coating for Glaucoma Drainage Devices", J. Glaucoma, in press, 2013.

6. Wang, Y.; Sunkara, B.; Zhan, J.; He, J.; Miao, L.; McPherson, G.; Spinu, L.; John, V. "Synthesis of Submicrometer Hollow Particles with a Nanoscale Double Layer Shell Structure", Langmuir, 2012, 28(39), 13783.

7. John, G.; Jadhav, S.; Menon, V.; John, V. "Flexible Optics - A New Tale of Molecular Gels", Angewandte Chemie Intl. Ed. 2012, 52(8), 1760.

8. Li, X.; John, V.; He, G.; He, J.; Spinu, L,. "Magnetic TiO2-SiO2 Hybrid Hollow Spheres with TiO2 Nanofibers on the Surface, and their Formation Mechanism", J. Mater. Chem., 2012, 22(34), 17476. (cover article)

9. Ponnusamy, T.; Lawson, L.; Freytag, L.; Blake, D.; Ayyala, R.; John, V. "In Vitro Degradation and Release Characteristics of Spin Coated Thin Films of PLGA with a Breath Figure Morphology", Biomatter, 2012, 2(2), 1. (cover article)
    

10. Dhule, S.; Penformis, P.; John, V.; Pochampally, R. "Circumin-loaded Gamma Cyclodextrin Liposomal Nanoparticles as Delivery Vehicles for Osteosarcoma", Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. 2012, 8(4), 440.

11. Venkataraman, P.; Sunkara, B.; St. Dennis, J.; He,J.; John, V.; Bose, A. "Water-in-Trichloroethylene Emulsions Stabilized by Uniform Carbon Microspheres", Langmuir, 2012, 28(2), 1058.

12.  Sahiner, N.; Yu, H.; Tan, G.; He, J.; John, V.; Blake, D. Porous Acrylonitrile-based Submicron Polymers for UO2 Absorption in an Immunosensor Assay", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2012, 4(1), 163.

13. Zhan, J.; Sunkara, B.; Tang, J.; Wang, Y.; He, J.; McPherson, G.; John,V. "Carbothermal Synthesis of Aerosol-Based Adsorptive-Reactive Iron-Carbon Particles for the Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons", Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2011, 50(23), 13021.

14. St. Dennis, J.; Venkataraman, P.; He, J.; Obrey, S.; Currier, R.; John, V.; Lebron-Colon, M.; Sola-Lopez, F.; Meador, M. "Rod-like Carbon Nanostructures from Alpha-Cyclodextrin - Morphology and Microstructure", Carbon, 2011, 49, 718.

15. St. Dennis, J.; Zheng, R.; Pesika, N.; Ashbaugh, H.; Raghavan, S.; McPherson, G.; He, J.; John, V. T. "Carbon Microspheres as Network Nodes in a Novel Biocompatible Gel", Soft Matter, 2011, 7(9), 4170.

16. St. Dennis, J.; Jin, K.; John, V.T.; Pesika, N. "Carbon Microspheres as Ball Bearings in Aqueous Lubrication", ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2011, 3(7), 2215.

17. Li, X.; He, G.; He, J.; Zhan, J.; Spinu, L.; John, V. "The Synthesis of Mesoporous TiO2/SiO2/Fe2O3 Hybrid Particles containing Micelle-Induced Macropores, through an Aerosol Based Process", Langmuir, 2011, 27(10), 6252.

18. Sahiner, N.; Ozay, O.; Aktas, N.; Blake, D.; John, V. "Arsenic (V) Removal with Modifiable Bulk and and nano p(4-vinylpyridine)-based Hydrogels: The Effect of Hydrogel Size and Quarternization Agents", Desalination, 2011, 279, 344.

19. Sunkara, B.; Zhan, J.; Kolesnichenko, I.; Holland, J.; He, J.; Wang, Y.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "Modifying Metal Nanoparticle Placement on Carbon Supports using an Aerosol Based Process, with Applications to the Environmental Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons", Langmuir, 2011, 27(12), 7854.

20. Wang, Q.; Lawson, L.; John, V.; Papadopoulos, K. "Improved Dermal Delivery of FITC-BSA using a Combination of Passive and Active Methods", J. Pharm. Sci., 2011, 3(7), 2215.

21. Zhan, J.; Sunkara, B.; Kolesnichenko, I.; He, J.; Piringer, G.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "Multifunctional Carbon Nanocomposites through an Aerosol Based Process for the In Situ Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons", Environ. Sci. Tech., 2011, 45, 1949.

22. Thibodeaux, L.; Valsaraj, K.; John, V.; Pratt, L.; Pesika, L.; Papadopoulos, K. "Marine Oil Fate Knowledge Gas, Basic Research and Development Needs - A Perspective Based on the Deepwater Horizon Spill", Environ. Eng. Sci., 2011, 28(2), 87.

23.  Sunkara, B.;Zhan, J.; He, J.; Piringer, G.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron Supported on Uniform Carbon Microspheres for In Situ Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons" ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2010, 2(10), 2854. (1st Prize. AIChE Environmental Division, Graduate Student Paper Competition, 2009)
    

24. Tan, G.; Xu, P.; Lawson, L.; He, J.; Freytag, L.; Clements, J.; John, V. "Hydration Effects on Skin Microstructure as Probed by High Resolution Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy and Implications to Enhanced Transcutaneous Delivery of Biomacromolecules", J. Pharm. Sci., 2010, 99(2), 730.

25. Ilgin, P.; Avci, G.; Silan, C.; Ekici, S.; Aktas, N.; Ayyala, R.; John, V.; Sahiner, N. "Colloidal Drug Carriers from Submicron Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Particles with Tunable Properties for Biomedical Applications", Carbohydrate Polymers, 2010, 83(3), 997.
    

26. Wang, Q.; Tan, G.; John, V.; Lawson, L.; Papadopoulos, K. "Liposomes in Double-Emulsion Globules", Langmuir, 2010, 26(5), 3225.

27. Zhan, J.; Sunkara, B.; Le, L.; He, J.; Piringer, G.; McPherson, G.; Lu, Y.; John, V. “Multifunctional Colloidal and Nanoscale Particles for In Situ Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons”, Environ. Sci. Tech., 2009, 43(22), 8616.

28. Kapoor, Y.; Thomas, J.; Tan, G.; John, V.T.; Chauhan, A. " Surfactant-Laden Soft Contact Lenses for Extended Delivery of Ophthalmic Drugs" Biomaterials, 2009, 30(5), 867.

29. Tan, G.; Xu, P.; He, J.; Lawson, L.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "Highly Aspherical Silica Nanoshells through the Template of Tubular Liposomes", Soft Matter , 2009, 5, 3006.

30. Xu, P.; Tan, G.; Zhou, J.; He, J.; Lawson, L.; McPherson, G.; John, V.T. "Undulating Tubular Liposomes through Incorporation of a Synthetic Skin Ceramide into Phospholipid Bilayers", Langmuir, 2009, 25(18), 10422.

31. Sahiner, N.; Blake, D.; John, V.; Ayyala, R."Creation of a Drug-Coated Glaucoma Drainage Device using Polymer Technology: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies", Arch. Ophthalmology, 2009, 127(4), 448.

32. Li, X.; John, V.T.; He, G.; Zhan, J.; Tan, G.; McPherson, G.; Bose, A.; Sarkar, J. "Shear Induced Formation of Patterned Porous Titania with Applications to Photocatalysis", Langmuir, 2009, 25(13), 7586.

33. Cross, K.; Lu, Y.; Zhen, T.; Zhan, J.; McPherson, G.; John, V. " Water Decontamination using Iron and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles", in Nanotechnology Applications for Clean Water, Savage, N. Ed., William Andrew Publishers, Inc., 2009, 347.

34. Kou, R.; Hu, Q.; Wang, D.; John, V.T.; Yang, Z.; Lu, Y. "Direct Synthesis of Ordered Mesoporous Polymer/Carbon Nanofilaments with Controlled Mesostructures", J. Porous Materials, 2009, 16(3), 315.

35. Zhan, J.; Sunkara, B.; Zheng, T.; Piringer, G.; Lu, Y.; McPherson, G.; He, J.; Kolesnishenko, V.; John, V."Nanostructured Multifunctional Materials for Environmental Remediation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons", in Environmental Applications of Nanoscale and Microscale Reactive Particles, K. Carvalho-Knighton, C. Geiger, Eds. American Chemical Society, ACS Symposium Series, 2009, 1027, 163.

36. Zhan, J.; Zheng, T.; Lu, Y.; McPherson, G.; Piringer, G.; He, J.; Papadopoulos, K.; John, V. "Transport and Partitioning Characteristics of Nanoscale Functional Zero-Valent Iron/Silica Composites for In-Situ Remediation of Trichloroethylene", Environ. Sci. Tech., 2008, 42(23), 8871.(2nd Prize. AIChE Environmental Division, Graduate Student Paper Competition, 2008).
    

37. Tan, G.; Peng, X.; He, J.; McPherson, G.; Bose, A.; Agarwal, V.; John, V. , "Cryo-Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy Imaging of a Rigid Surfactant Mesophase", Langmuir, 2008, 24(19), 10621.

38. Sarkar, J.; Ramanath, G.; He, J.; John, V.; Nunes, A.; Gandhi, D.; Bose, A. "Surfactant-Templated Synthesis and Catalytic Properties of Ordered Nanoporous Titania Supports Loaded with Platinum Nanoparticles",Chemistry of Materials, 2008, 20(16), 5301.

39. Liu, L.; Tan, G.; Maskos, K.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "High Resolution NMR Characterizations of Surfactant Crystalline Mesophases", Langmuir, 2008, 20(16), 5301.

40. Rojas, E.C.; Staton, J.A. John, V.T.; Papadopoulos, K.D. "Temperature-Induced Protein Release from Water-in-Oil Double Emulsions", Langmuir, 2008, 24(14), 7154.

41. Zheng, T.; Zhan, J.; He, J.; Day, C.; Lu, Y.; McPherson, G.; Piringer, G.; John, V., "Reactivity Characteristics of Nanoscale Zerovalent Iron-Silica Composites for Trichloroethylene Remediation", Environ. Sci.&Tech. 2008. 42(12), 4494.

42. Sarkar, J.; Ramanath, G.; John, V.; Bose, A. "Surfactant synthesis of micro-sized nanoplatelets of gold from a chemically active mixed surfactant mesophase", Adv. Polym. Sci., 2008, 218, 235.

43. Tan, G.; Ford, C.; He, J.; McPherson, G.; Bose, A. "Surfactant Solubilization and the Direct Encapsulation of Interfacially Active Phenols in Mesoporous Silicas", Langmuir, 2008, 24(3), 1031.