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U.S. DOE Renews Funding for Das-Led Polymer Research

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Professor Siddartha Das.

Siddhartha Das, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland (UMD), has received renewed funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to advance his group's research on the behavior of charged polymer molecules using atomistic simulations and machine learning (ML).

Since 2017, the DoE has supported Das and his team of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, whose work has established them as leaders in this field. Their research has produced several important discoveries about the behavior of charged polymer chains grafted onto solid surfaces in the form of polymer "brushes." Among their most significant achievements was being the first to probe the nanoscale behavior of these brushes, revealing how they interact with surrounding water molecules and ions and the effect on these water molecules and ions of being under the strong influence of the brushes.

Building on these discoveries, the team demonstrated that grafting polymer brushes onto the inner walls of nanochannels can dramatically influence water transport at the nanoscale. This ability to regulate fluid flow has important implications for next-generation technologies in energy harvesting, storage, and conversion.

"This renewed grant will allow our group to take the next step in understanding polymer brushes by combining atomistic simulations with machine learning."

Professor Siddhartha Das, University of Maryland

"This renewed grant will allow our group to take the next step in understanding polymer brushes by combining atomistic simulations with machine learning," Das said. "Our preliminary studies have shown that machine learning applied to the vast datasets generated by our simulations can provide unprecedented insights into the properties of polymer brushes, as well as the behavior of the water molecules, ions, and fluid transport they support. By integrating these computational approaches, we aim to significantly advance our understanding of polymer brushes, their surrounding environment, and their ability to control transport processes that are critical for energy generation."

Das credits DOE's sustained support with helping his group become a global leader in this area of research. The funding has also contributed to numerous honors for Das and his students, with the most significant being Das’ recent election as a Fellow of the Division of Polymer Physics of the American Physical Society.

A member of the UMD Department of Mechanical Engineering since 2014, Das is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, U.K. and the Royal Society of Chemistry, U.K. He was the department's first recipient of the UMD A. James Clark School of Engineering's Junior Faculty Outstanding Research Award and is the recipient of the American Electrophoresis Society's Mid-Career Award, among other honors.

For more information about his research, contact Das at sidd@umd.edu.

Published June 30, 2026