CHEMICAL & BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING

Vijay John

Leo S. Weil Professor and Department Chair

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

Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Room 331, Lindy Boggs Center
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA 70118
Phone: (504) 865-5883
Fax: (504) 865-6744
E-mail: vj@tulane.edu

Research Website

Biographical Sketch Research Interests Teaching Publications <<< back to Faculty

Research Directions

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.

Recent Publications

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, in press
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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., (in press).
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.
Wang, Q.; Tan, G.; John, V.; Lawson, L.; Papadopoulos, K. "Liposomes in Double-Emulsion Globules", Langmuir (in press).
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.
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, ACS Symposium Series, K. Carvalho-Knighton, C. Geiger, Eds. American Chemical Society, (in press).
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).
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.
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.
Liu, L.; Tan, G.; Maskos, K.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "High Resolution NMR Characterizations of Surfactant Crystalline Mesophases", Langmuir, 2008, 20(16), 5301.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Zheng, T.; Pang, J.; Tan, G.; He, J.; McPherson, G.; Lu, Y.; John, V. "Surfactant Templating Effects on the Encapsulation of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles within Silica Microspheres", Langmuir, 2007, 23(9), 5143.
Sahiner, N.; Alb, A.; Graves, R.; Mandal, T.; McPherson, G.; Reed, W.; John, V.T. "Core-Shell Nanohydrogel Structures as Tunable Delivery Systems", Polymer, 2007, 48(3), 704.
Zheng, T.; Zhan, J.; Pang, J.; Tan, G.; He, J.; McPherson, G.; Lu, Y.; John, V.T. "Mesoporous carbon nanocapsules from enzymatically polymerized phenols confined in silica aerosol particles" Advanced Materials, 2006, 18(20), 2735.
Tan, G.; McPherson, G.; John, V.T. "Nucleation and Growth Characteristics of a Binary Low Mass Organogel", Langmuir, 2006, 22(17), 7416.
Mitchell, B.S.; Prindle, J.A.; Ashbaugh, H.S.; John, V.T. "From Survival to Renewal – Katrina and its Aftermath at Tulane's Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department", Chemical Engineering Education, 2006, 40(2), 80.
Rojas, E.C.; Sahiner, N.; Lawson, L.B.; John, V.T.; Papadopoulos, K.D. "Controlled Release from a Nanocarrier Entrapped within a Microcarrier", Journal of Colloid and Interface Sci. 2006, 301(2), 617.
Agarwal, V.; Singh, M.; McPherson, G.; John, V.; Bose, A. "Microstructure Evolution in Aqueous Solutions of Cetyl Trimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) and Phenol Derivatives", Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 2006, 281, 246.
Tan, G.; Liu, L.; McPherson, G.; John, V.T. "Shear Alignment of Surfactant Mesophases for Templated Synthesis", Encyclopedia of Surface and Colloid Science, in press.
Blake, D.; Ayyala, R.; Sahiner, N.; John, V. "Inhibition of Cell Proliferation by Mitomycin C incorporated into p(HEMA) Hydrogels", J. Glaucoma, 2006,15(4), 291.
Sahiner, N.; Godbey, WT.; McPherson, G.; John, V.T. " Microgel, nanogel and hydrogel-hydrogel semi-IPN composites for biomedical applications", Colloid and Polymer Sci. 2006, 284(10), 1121.
Sahiner, N.; Singh, M.; McPherson, G.; De Kee, D.; John, V.T. "Rheological Characterization of a Cationic Hydrogel across the Gelation Boundary ", Polymer, 2006, 47(4), 1124.
Lu, Z.; Shutava, T.; Sahiner, N.; John, V.; Lvov, Y. "Photopolymerization of Acrylamide Derivatives in Polyelectrolyte Microcapsules", Chemistry Letters, 2005, 34(11), 1536.
Liu, L.; Tan, G.; He, J.; John, V.T.; McPherson, G.L. "A simple extrusion method for the synthesis of aligned silica nanowires using the template of a rigid surfactant mesophase", Chem. Commun. 2005, 36, 4517.
Pang, J.; Ford, C.; Tan, G.; McPherson, G.; John, V.T.; Lu, Y. "Synthesis of mesoporous carbon using enzymatically polymerized polyphenolic precursor and simultaneously assembled silica template", Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 2005, 85, 293.
Tan, G.; Singh, M.; He, J.; John, V.T.; McPherson, G.L. "The use of a self-assembling organogel as a reverse template in the preparation of imprinted porous polymer films", Langmuir, 2005, 21, 9322.
George, M.; Tan, G.; John, V.T.; Weiss, R.G. "Urea and Thiourea Derivatives as Low Molecular Mass Organogelators", Chem.Eur.Journal. 2005, 11, 3243.
Pang, Jiebin; John, Vijay T.; Loy, Douglas A.; Yang, Zhenzhong; Lu, Yunfeng. "Hierarchical mesoporous carbon/silica nanocomposites from phenyl-bridged organosilane". Advanced Materials, 2005, 17, 704.
Liu, L.; John, V.T.; McPherson, G.; Bose, A. "³¹P and ¹H NMR as Probes for Domain Alignment in a Surfactant Mesophase", Langmuir, 2005, 21, 3795.
Pang, Jiebin; Li, Xuan; Wang, Donghai; Wu, Zhiwang; John, Vijay T.; Yang, Zhenzhong; Lu, Yunfeng. "Silica-templated continuous mesoporous carbon films by a spin-coating technique. Advanced Materials, 2004, 16, 884.
Ghan, R.; Shutava, T.; Patel, A.; John, V.; Lvov, Y. "Layer-by-layer engineered microreactors for bio-polymerization of 4-(2-aminoethyl) phenol hydrochloride". Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings – Micro and Nanosystems, 2004, 782, 241.
Singh, M.; Agarwal, V.; Ford, C.; Bose, A. McPherson, G.; John, V. "Structural Evolution in Cationic Micelles upon Incorporation of a Polar Organic Dopant", Langmuir, 2004, 20, 9931.
Singh, M.; Tan, G.; Agarwal, V.; Bose, A.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "Structural Evolution of a Two-Component Organogel", Langmuir, 2004, 20(18), 7392.
Singh, M.; Agarwal, V.; De Kee, D.; Bose, A.; McPherson, G.; John, V. "Shear Orientation of a Rigid Surfactant Mesophase", Langmuir, 2004, 20(14), 5693-5702.
Ghan, Rohit, Shutava, T., Lvov, Y., Patel, A., John, V. "Enzyme catalyzed polymerization of phenols within polyelectrolyte microcapsules", Macromolecules, 2004, 37(12), 4519.
C. Ford, M. Singh, K. Papadopoulos, L. Lawson, G. McPherson, Y. Lu, A.Bose, "Biocatalysis in the Development of Functional Polymer-Ceramic Nanocomposites", Colloids and Surfaces, 2004, 39(3), 143.
C. Ford, V. John, G. McPherson, J. Akkara, D. Kaplan, "Self assembly and biocatalysis in the synthesis of nanostructured polymers and polymer-ceramic composites", Encyclopedia of Nanotechnology, Schwartz, J., Contescu, C., Putyera, K., Eds. Marcel Dekker Press,2004, 3373-3386.
Shutava, T.; Zheng, Z.; John, V.; Lvov, Y.; "Microcapsule Modification with Peroxidase catalyzed Phenol Polymerization", Biomacromolecules, 2004, 5(3), 914.
L. Liu, M. Singh, V. John, G. McPherson, A. Bose, V. Agarwal, " Shear Alignment and Materials Synthesis in a Crystalline Surfactant Mesophase", Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2004, 126, 2276.
Pang, J.; Hampsey, E.; Hu, Q.; Wu, Z.; John, V.T.; Lu, Y. "Mesoporous silica with Ia3d Cubic Structure and Good Thermal Stability", Chem Commun, 2004, 6, 682.
V. Agarwal, A. Bose, M. Singh, G. McPherson, V. John "Freeze Fracture Direct Imaging of a Viscous Surfactant Mesophase" Langmuir, 2004, 20, 11.