Rate My Professor David Salas-de la Cruz

Salas-de la Cruz's research focuses on biomaterials, particularly polysaccharides and proteins, utilizing ionic liquids to explore structure-property relationships during coagulation processes for natural materials. His lab investigates morphology using X-ray scattering techniques and develops novel, tunable bio-based films and scaffolds for applications in medicine, environmental remediation, energy storage including biobatteries, and filtration membranes. He has secured substantial funding, including multiple National Science Foundation grants such as a three-year $385,978 collaborative award in 2021, a five-year $4,600,000 grant from NSF CMMI, and a three-year $344,609 DMR grant in 2018, as well as support from the American Chemical Society SEED program, ARMY REAP Program, New Jersey Space Grant Consortium, and Rutgers University. He has authored over 18 peer-reviewed publications, including 'A Hierarchical Model To Understand the Processing of Regenerated Cellulose Fibers' (Biomacromolecules, 2018), 'The Impact of Composition and Morphology on Ionic Conductivity of Hyperbranched Poly(ethyleneimine)-Polysaccharide Films' (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2020), 'Protein and Polysaccharide-Based Fiber Materials Generated through Coagulation with Ionic Liquids' (Polymers, 2020), and 'The Role of Reduced Graphene Oxide toward the Self-Assembly of Ionic Liquid-Based Hierarchical Structures' (Frontiers in Chemistry, 2018). His scholarship has garnered approximately 1,930 citations. Salas-de la Cruz contributes to graduate education and mentors students who present at national conferences like ACS meetings.