Matthew Kaboolian
Mr. Matthew Kaboolian
M.S. Program
School of Materials Engineering
Purdue University
B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, Purdue University, 2024
Project: Advanced Characterization of Temperature-Driven Defect Formation in Concentrated Surfactant Solutions
Bio: Matthew grew up in Syosset, NY and he will graduate from Purdue with a bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering in Spring 2024. He will then be continuing his graduate studies at Purdue working in Dr. Erk’s SMM group. Matthew originally set his eyes on Purdue to study Aerospace Engineering, however, to Purdue’s First Year Engineering program’s credit, he heard MSE department head Prof. David Bahr present about how optimized materials and coatings allow turbine engines to operate above the base materials’ melting points. With a reacquired interest in the “why things are the way that they are” and a general dislike of drafting, Matthew realized that Materials Engineering, the crossroads of sciences (physics and chemistry) and engineering (mechanical, etc...), was his path.
If you were to ask Matthew what he expected from materials engineering, he would have told you materials for airplanes and spacecraft, e.g. high temperature alloys or ceramics. However, upon meeting with Dr. Erk and joining her SMM group, he quickly fell in love with soft materials. He finds there is beauty in the complexity: soft materials are not bound by rigid lattices or strict geometry but can flow, morph, and change. While this makes them challenging to characterize, Matthew believes it provides more gratification when they are. With NSF funding and in collaboration with Procter & Gamble, Matthew has studied the phase behavior of concentrated surfactant solutions with and without additives to provide processing information for consumer care companies. Matthew interned with the Suffolk County, New York, Department of Public Works working on engineering automated testing apparatus for water quality measurements. While at this internship Matthew was able to expand his knowledge on hydrogels and how the ionic nature of the swelling fluid interacts with gels. Matthew greatly enjoyed his internship with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. There he worked on optimized synthesis and adhesion characterization of reversible hydrogel adhesives. During this project he was able to create a, patent pending, humidity sensitive hydrogel sensor using carbon nanodots, the dots change color depending on the humidity level. Matthew believes that his experiences at the DPW and Sandia, along with many conversations with collaborators and friends have encouraged him to continue on to his graduate studies and future career.
Matthew joined Dr. Erk’s SMM group as a graduate student in 2024. He is utilizing cross-polarized optical microscopy and Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) to characterize surfactant phase behavior and defect structures. This work is focused to specifically improve the understanding of concentrated surfactant solutions for improved processing and sustainability applications. Matthew enjoys woodworking, photography, baseball, volleyball, cooking and watching films.
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