Rigoberto “Gobet” Advincula, Polymer Chemist, University of Houston.
Rigoberto Advincula honoured with three fellowships for polymer, nanomaterials advances.
HOUSTON, US: A University of Houston (UH) chemist who is developing materials for detecting and repelling E coli has published papers in two high-impact journals this month. Rigoberto “Gobet” Advincula, a polymer chemist, said he and his colleagues have developed two different materials that are both equally effective against E coli.
The ChemComm paper, Advincula said, describes a graphene material that is proving to be an effective antimicrobial, while the research appearing in the journal Chemistry of Materials uses a conducting polymer that can repel E coli. He said his team has created a smart film that not only can be used to turn bacterial adhesion on and off, but also may be used for detecting bacteria. The work was done in collaboration with Debora Rodrigues and her group from UH’s department of civil and environmental engineering.
Prolific in inventing new and smart materials such as these, Advincula has compiled an impressive record as a leading polymer, thin films and nanomaterials researcher. “It is a rare distinction to become a triple fellow with the ACS, which has more than 163,000 members,” said Advincula. “With only one out of every 1,000 members qualifying for selection as a fellow, I am extremely honoured to achieve this trifecta for my work in advancing polymer and nanomaterial research and applications,” he added.
In addition to his lab research, Advincula has been active in ACS, giving hundreds of presentations, organizing symposia and serving on the editorial advisory board of several scientific journals. He has nine US patents and has authored more than 300 papers. Advincula, who is both a professor of chemistry and chemical engineering, has been continuously funded by the National Science Foundation, Robert A Welch Foundation and several companies interested in the applications of his work.
(C) University of Houston