Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering
Neitzel Group
Led by Angelika Neitzel · Materials Science and Engineering
What we study
The Neitzel Lab studies how charged polymers mix and behave, using small-angle scattering and rheology. They also explore additive manufacturing for materials.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- No organisms (data only)
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 2
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Project Targeting Low Degrees of Functionalization for Polystyrene-Thianthreneation Reactions
This project modifies polystyrene to create random copolymers with a small amount of thianthrenated styrene. Students will control the fraction of ionic comonomer, characterize the polymers with NMR, TGA, and DSC, and study how blending affects phase separation.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 407
Examination of Low Degree Quaternization of Poly(4‑vinylpyridine)
The lab makes a polymer that can carry different amounts of electric charge and studies how its properties change. The student synthesized the polymer, modified it to add charged groups, and used several instruments to confirm its structure.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 88
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Charge Density Mismatch Drives Demixing in Multicomponent Polyelectrolyte Complexes
2025 · Macromolecules
Shows how mismatched charges in polymers cause them to separate into phases.
- Scattering evidence of positional charge correlations in polyelectrolyte complexes
2023 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Uses X-rays to confirm that charged parts of polymers stick together.
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- Expanding the structural diversity of polyelectrolyte complexes and polyzwitterions
2021 · Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials Science
Explores how changes in polymer structure affect their behavior.
- Polyelectrolyte Complex Coacervation across a Broad Range of Charge Densities
2021 · Macromolecules
Maps how different charges in polymers form coacervate phases.
- Charge density and solvent effects on polyelectrolyte complexation
2021 · Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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