A paper by ChBE doctoral student Shiqin He was selected as the Editor’s Choice by AIChE Journal for the November 2021 issue. He is advised by Kelly Schultz, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering.

The article, “Rheological properties of phase transitions in polydisperse and monodisperse colloidal rod systems,” (DOI: 10.1002/aic.17401) with coauthors Dominic R. Pascucci ’20, Marco Caggioni, Seth Lindberg, and Schultz, describes rheological characterization of fibrous colloidal gels during phase transitions. These materials are used as rheological modifiers in consumer care products and undergo phase transitions during use. Understanding and being able to predict these phase transitions will enable better product design in the future.

The article is also featured on the cover of the journal with art by Sayo Studio.

He is a fifth-year PhD student in the Schultz lab and has recently been selected to take part in the P.C. Rossin Professional Development Program.

Pascucci holds a BS in chemical engineering from Lehigh and participated in undergraduate research in the Schultz lab for two years.

This work is a collaboration between Lehigh and the Procter and Gamble Company and is supported by a National Science Foundation GOALI grant (GOALI-1933251). Caggioni and Lindberg are both Senior Engineers at P&G.