Research Interests

Nanomaterial synthesis and characterization, Surface functionalization and rheology, Bio-inspired materials, Surface Science, Electrochemistry

Nanomaterial Synthesis and Characterization

When the size of a particle is smaller than a characteristic length (e.g., electron mean free path), then the properties of the particle can be significantly different from its bulk properties. Zinc oxide nanoparticles exhibit novel optical properties (band gap enlargement) as their particle size decreases. The synthesis and characterization of such nanoparticles is essential for the development of new technologies exploiting the novel size-dependent properties of nanoparticles.

Surface Patterning

Patterned surfaces are of interest for a wide range of applications including flat panel displays, data storage device, and sensors. Photolithography is a common method used to create patterned structures although the process can be quite expensive and require several fabrication steps. Novel unconventional lithography techniques are under development.

Bio-Inspired Materials

The gecko adhesive systemconsists of a complex hierarchy of structuresranging fromcentimeters down to nanometers.The later provides sufficient compliance to the system to allow for intimate contact with surfaces of different degrees of roughness, thereby allowing strong adhesion through van der Waals interactions. In addition to promoting strong adhesion, the gecko adhesive system has several other properties which make it attractive for future technologies. Understanding the gecko adhesive system would allow for the fabrication of dry adhesives inspired by the gecko.

Education

B.S., Carnegie Mellon University, 1999
Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, 2005

Biographical Sketch

The Tulane University Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering happily welcomes the appointment of Dr. Noshir S. Pesika as an Assistant Professor as of July 2008. Dr. Pesika’s interest include nanomaterial synthesis and characterization, surface functionalization and rheology, bio-inspired materials, surface science and electrochemistry.

Dr. Pesika attended Carnegie Mellon University where he obtained his Bachelors Degree (1999) in Chemical Engineering and French. He then obtained his Ph.D. (2005) in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Johns Hopkins University where he developed a novel microfabrication technique involving microcontact printing and electrochemistry. The latter led to a provisional patent. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Pesika joined the University of California in Santa Barbara as a postdoctoral fellow.

To date Dr. Pesika has authored 13 peer-reviewed journals and presented his work at several professional conferences. His honors include a Graduate Student Fellowship from NASA to study the nucleation and growth of zinc oxide nanoparticles and a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Intelligence Community to study the nanoscale contact mechanics of geckos.

Teaching

• Surface and Colloid Phenomena
• Transport Phenomena II

Publications

1. Yu, Jing; Chary, Sathya; Das, Saurabh; Tamelier, John; Pesika, Noshir S.; Turner, Kimberly L.; Israelachvili, Jacob N. "Gecko-Inspired Dry Adhesive for Robotic Applications." Adv. Functional Materials (2011), 21(16), 3010-3018.
2. St Dennis, J. E.; Jin, Kejia; John, Vijay T.; Pesika, Noshir S., "Carbon Microspheres as Ball Bearings in Aqueous-Based Lubrication." ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (2011), 3(7), 2215-2218.
3. Zhou, Ming; Tian, Yu; Pesika, Noshir S.; Zeng, Hongbo; Wan, J.; Meng, Yonggang; Wen, Shizhu, "The Extended Peel Zone Model: Effect of Peeling Velocity." Journal of Adhesion (2011), 87(11), 1045-1058.
4. St Dennis, J. E.; Meng, Qingkai; Zheng, Rubo; Pesika, Noshir S.; McPherson, Gary L.; He, Jibao; Ashbaugh, Hank S.; John, Vijay T.; Dowling, Matthew B.; Raghavan, Srinivasa R. "Carbon microspheres as network nodes in a novel biocompatible gel." Soft Matter (2011), 7(9), 4170-4173.
5. Venkatasubramanian, Rajesh; Jin, Kejia J.; Pesika, Noshir S. "Use of Electrochemical Deposition to Create Randomly Rough Surfaces and Roughness Gradients." Langmuir (2011), 27(7), 3261-3265.
6. Lowrey, D.D; Tasaka, K; Kindt, J.H; Banquy, Z.; Belman, N.; Min, Y.; Pesika, N.S.; Mordukhovich, G.; Israelachvili, J.N. "High-Speed Friction Measurements Using a Modified Surface Forces Apparatus." Tribology Letters (2011), 42(1), 117-127.
7. Tian, Yu; Zhang, Minliang; Jiang, Jile; Pesika, Noshir; Zeng, Hongbo; Israelachvili, Jacob; Meng, Yonggang; Wen, Shizhu. "Reversible shear thickening at low shear rates of electrorheological fluids under electric fields." Physical Review E (2011), 83(1).
8. Thibodeaux, Louis J.; Valsaraj, Kalliat T.; John, Vijay T.; Papadopoulos, Kyriakos D.; Pratt, Lawrence R.; Pesika, Noshir S. "Marine Oil Fate: Knowledge Gaps, Basic Research, and Development Needs; A Perspective Based on the Deepwater Horizon Spill." Environ. Eng. Sci. (2011), 28, 87-93.
9. Min, Younjin; Pesika, Noshir; Zasadzonski, Joe; Israelachvili, Jacob. "Studies of Bilayer and Vesicle Adsorption to Solid Substrates: Development of a Miniature Streaming Potential Apparatus (SPA)." Langmuir (2010), 26, 8684-8689.
10. Israelachvili, Jacob; Min, Younjin; Akbulut, Mustafa; Alig, Anna; Carver, Gregory; Greene, Wren; Kristiansen, Kai; Meyer, Emily; Pesika, Noshir; Rosenberg, Kenneth; Zeng, Hongbo. "Recent Advances in the surface forces apparatus (SFA) technique." Reports on Prog. Phys. (2010), 73, 036601.
11. Pesika, Noshir; Zeng, Hongbo; Kristiansen, kai; Zhao, Boxin; Tian, Yu; Autumn, Kellar; Israelchavili, J. "Gecko adhesion pad: a smart surface?" J. Phys.: Condensed Matter (2009), 21, 464132.
12. Pesika, Noshir S.; Gravish, Nick; Wilkinson, Matt; Zhao, Boxin; Zeng, Hongbo; Tian, Yu; Israelachvili, Jacob; Autumn, Kellar “The Crowding Model as a Tool to Understand and Fabricate Geko-Inspired Dry Adhesives.” J. Adhesion (2009), 85, 512-525.
13. Zeng, Hongbo; Pesika, Noshir S; Tian, Yu; Zhao, Boxin; Chen, Yufei; Tirrell, Matthew; Turner, Kimberly; Israelachvili, Jacob N. “Frictional Adhesion of Patterned Surfaces and Implications for Gecko and Biomimetic Systems.” Langmuir (2009), 25, 7486-7495.
14. Zhao, Boxin; Pesika, Noshir S; Zeng, Hongbo; Wei, Zhensong; Chen, Yufei; Autumn, Kellar; Turner, Kimberly; Israelachvili, Jacob N. “Role of Tilted Ahdesion Fibrils (Setae) in the Adhesion and Locomotion of Gecko-like Systems.” Journal of Phys. Chem. B (2009), 113(12), 3615-3621.
15. Zhao, Boxin; Pesika, Noshir S.; Tian, Yu; Rosenberg, Kenneth; Zeng, Hongbo; McGuiggan, Patricia; Autumn, Kellar; Israelachvili, Jacob N. "Adhesion and Friction force coupling of gecko setal arrays: implications for structures adhesive surfaces." Langmuir (2008), 24, 1517-1524.
16. Pesika, Noshir S.; Tian, Yu; Zhao, Boxin; Rosenberg, Kenneth; Zeng, Hongbo; McGuiggan, Patricia; Autumn, Kellar; Israelachvili, Jacob N. "Peel Zone Model of Tape Peeling based on the Gecko adhesive system." J. Adhesion (2007), 83, 383-401.
17. Tian, Yu; Pesika, Noshir S.; Zhao, Boxin; Rosenberg, Kenneth; Zeng, Hongbo; McGuiggan, Patricia; Autumn, Kellar; Israelachvili, Jacob N. "Adhesion and Friction in gecko toe attachment and detachment." PNAS (2006), 103, 19320-19325.
18. Pesika, Noshir S.; Stebe, Kathleen J.; Searson, Peter C. "Fabrication of Complex Architectures Using Electrodeposition into Patterned SAMs." Nanoletters (2006), 6, 1023-1026.
19. Pesika, Noshir S.; Stebe, Kathleen J.; Searson, Peter C. "Kinetics of Desorption of Alkanethiolates on Gold." Langmuir (2006), 22, 3474-3476.
20. Pesika, Noshir S.; Fan, Fengqiu; Searson, Peter C.; Stebe, Kathleen J. "Site-Selective Patterning Using Surfactant-Based Resists." JACS (2005), 127, 11960-11962.
21. Pesika, Noshir S.; Stebe, Kathleen J.; Searson, Peter C. "Relationship between Absorbance Spectra and Particle Size Distribution for Quantum-Sized Nanocrystals." Journal of Phys. Chem. B (2003), 107(38), 10412-10415.
22. Pesika, Noshir S.; Stebe, Kathleen J.; Searson, Peter C. "Determination of the Particle Size Distribution of Quantum Nanocrystals from Absorbance Spectra." Advanced Materials (2003), 15, 1289.
23. Pesika, Noshir S.; Hu, Zeshan; Stebe, Kathleen J.; Searson, Peter C. "Quenching of growth of ZnO nanoparticles by adsorption of octanethiol." Journal of Phys. Chem. B (2002), 106(28), 6985-6990.
24. Hu, Zeshan; Oskam, Gerko; Penn, R. Lee; Pesika, Noshir; Searson, Peter C. "The Influence of Anion on the Coarsening Kinetics of ZnO Nanoparticles." Journal of Phys. Chem. B (2003), 107(14), 3124-3130.
25. Oskam, Gerko; Hu, Zeshan; Penn, R. Lee; Pesika, Noshir; Searson, Peter C. "Coarsening of metal oxide nanoparticles." Physical Review E (2002), 66(1), 011403/1-011403/4.
26. S.J. Vinay III, N.S. Pesika, C.M. Schroeder, J. Sinclair, M.L. Gray, Y. Soong, R.R. Schehl, W.D. Sands, D.H. Finseth, M.S. Jhon, "An Experimental Study of Multi-Particle Dynamics in Triboelectrostatic Systems", Proc. of Top. Conf. on Adv. Tech. for Part. Prod. -- Vol. II: Fluid-Particle Systems, pp.56-62.