Understanding the electrosolvation force between colloidal particles and molecules in solution

About the Project

The Krishnan Lab works in the broad area of soft condensed matter at the nanometer scale and has a long-standing interest in measuring, understanding and manipulating interactions between charged particles and molecules in solution (Nature 2010, Nature Nanotech 2012, 2015, 2017, 2024).

Recently the lab’s work has shed much needed light on the long-standing and counterintuitive observation of attraction between similarly charged particles in solution. In a series of papers we described the mechanism behind an “electrosolvation force” that can drive such an attraction (J Chem Phys 2020, Langmuir 2022, Nature Nanotech 2024, Nature Communications 2025), now opening up many new and exciting avenues of further exploration of the force across scales -- from molecules to microspheres.

The group is consolidating the initial discovery and is looking for a highly motivated and driven doctoral students in the area of colloid physics to contribute strongly to ongoing discoveries on the electrosolvation force. The project will use a range of optical methods to examine the interactions in colloidal and molecular systems and relate the experimental findings to theories on the electrosolvation force under development in the group. The planned investigations are primarily experimental in nature, but will proceed in close conjunction with insight from theory and simulations. The general experimental approach will include a combination of optical microscopy and imaging, optical trapping and data analysis.

The ideal candidate will hold an undergraduate degree in physics, chemistry, biochemistry, engineering, or a related area. Experience in building and working with optical traps, or with microscopy, and familiarity with colloid chemistry and surface functionalisation will be highly rated in the selection process.