An-Chang Shi
Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Contact Information
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Department of Physics and Astronomy
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McMaster University
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1280 Main Street West
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Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
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TEL: (905) 525-9140 extension 24060;
FAX: (905) 521-2773
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e-mail: shi@mcmaster.ca
Brief Biography
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1982 B.Sc. Physics, Fudan University,
China
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1988 Ph.D. Physics, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA
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1988 Post-Doctoral Fellow/Research Associate, McMaster
University, Canada
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1992 Member of Research Staff, Xerox
Research Centre of Canada
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1999 Associate Professor, McMaster
University, Canada
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2004 Professor, McMaster
University, Canada
Research
I am interested in theoretical soft condensed matter physics,
which is the study of materials such as polymers, liquid crystals, surfactant
solutions (micellar solutions and microemulsions), colloidal suspensions
(ink, milk, foams, and emulsions), and fluids. The most intriguing property
of these materials is their ability to self-assemble into complex organized
structures from nanoscopic to macroscopic length scales. Typical examples
are micelles (finite aggregates of amphiphiles) and block copolymer microstructures.
The past 20 years has seen steady growth in understanding of the physical
properties of these complex macromolecular materials. Nonetheless, exciting
and challenging problems remain.
In the past years my research has been focused on the statistical mechanics
of structures and phase transitions in systems containing polymers, surfactants,
and colloids. Examples of my studies include the phases and phase transitions
of block copolymer systems, theory of inhomogeneous polymer blends, theory
of polyelectrolyte solutions, dynamics of reactive polymeric systems, and
theory of polymerization kinetics.
Topics include:
- Theoretical study of self-assembly and phase transitions in polymeric
systems
- Self-assembly and morphology of block copolymer and surfactant aggregates
in solutions
- Statistical mechanics of conformation of macromolecules
- Dynamics of reactive polymeric systems. Theory of polymerization kinetics
Sample Publications
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Effects of polydispersity on phase behavior of diblock copolymers, D. M. Cooke
and A.-C. Shi, Macromolecules 39, 6661 (2006)
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Phase Diagram of Poly(ethylene oxide) and Poly(propylene oxide) Triblock
Copolymers in Aqueous Solutions,
R. Jiang, Q. Jin, B. Li, D. Ding and A.-C. Shi,
Macromolecules, 39, 5891 (2006)
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Confinement induced novel morphologies of block copolymers,
B. Yu, P. Sun, T. Chen, Q. Jin, D. Ding, B. Li and A.-C. Shi,
Phys. Rev. Lett., 96, 138306 (2006)
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Cylinder-gyroid-lamella transitions in diblock copolymer solutions: A simulated annealing study,
B. Yu, B. Li, P. Sun, T. Chen, Q. Jin, D. Ding and A.-C. Shi,
J. Chem. Phys. 123, 234902 (2005)
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The noncentrosymmetric lamellar phase in ABCD tetrablock copolymers,
K. M. Jaffer, R. A. Wickham and A.-C. Shi,
Macromolecules, 37, 7042 (2004)
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Nucleation of stable cylinders from a metastable lamellar phase in a
diblock copolymer melt, R. A. Wickham, A.-C. Shi and Z-G. Wang,
J. Chem. Phys. 118, 10293 (2003)