Sam Root

Assistant Professor, Macromolecular Science and Engineering
Office: 342 Kent Hale Smith Building Email: ser132@case.edu

Education

Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, 2018
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Rochester, 2014

Awards and Recognitions

2023, Rising Stars in Soft and Biological Matter, University of Chicago MRSEC
2018, Lectureship & Paper of the Year Award, ACS Chemistry of Materials
2017, President's Dissertation Year Fellowship, University of California
2017, Achievement Reward for College Scientists Fellowship , ARCS
2014, Powell Fellowship, University of California, San Diego

Research Interests

My group will combine experiment and theory to investigate multiscale processes involving complex interfaces in functional polymer composites, with applications in energy sustainability, healthcare, and robotics. To start out we will focus on 1) self-healing in multilayers of dynamic polymer composites for damage-intelligent soft robotics; 2) ultra-low loss dielectric materials for energy-efficient electronics packaging; and 3) phase-separated blends of semiconducting polymers with elastomers for stretchable active devices.

Teaching Interests

In my new elective course, "Polymer Composites for Electronics," students will learn about electrical properties of polymers and their composites, including dielectric, conducting (both electronic and ionic), and semiconducting behavior. Structure-property relationships will be emphasized, as well as principles for materials characterization, and practical performance metrics for specific multi-material devices. Through lectures, problem-sets, hands-on experiments, and a capstone design project, students will learn how to tailor and process polymer composite materials for a range of electronics applications. The course will begin with fundamental concepts from electromagnetism and build towards more complicated topics of technological relevance for energy, healthcare, and robotics.

Publications Prior to CWRU

Leading Author Journal Articles († indicates equal contribution, * indicates corresponding author, listed in Reverse Chronological Order)

 

  1. Zhao, C.; † Park, J.; † Root, S. E.; † Bao, Z.; Skin-inspired soft biolectronic materials, devices, and systems. Nature Reviews Bioengineering, 2024

  2. Cooper, C.†; Root, S. E.†; Michalek, L.; Wu, S.; Lai, J-C.; Khatib, M.; Oyakhire, S.; Zhao, R.; Qin, J.; Bao, Z.*; Autonomous alignment and self-healing in multilayer soft electronics using dynamic polymers with immiscible backbones. Science, 2023

  3. Li, Y.†; Root, S. E.†; Belding, L.; Park, J.; Yoon, H. J.; Huang, C.; Baghbanzadeh, M.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Charge Transport Measured Using the EGaIn Junction Through Self-Assembled Monolayers Immersed in Organic Solvents. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2023

  4. Root, S. E. †; Sanchez, V.†; Tracz, J.A.†; Preston, Whitesides, G. M.*, An Expanding Foam-Fabric Orthopedic Cast. Advanced Materials Technologies, 2022 

  5. Root, S. E.; Preston, D. J.; Nemitz, M. P.; Belding, L.; Alcoran, R.; Fiefke, G.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Bio-inspired design of soft mechanisms using a toroidal hydrostat. Cell Press Reports Physical Science, 2021, 2, 100572 Citations: 6

  6. Root, S. E. †; Gao, R.†; Ge, S.; Whitesides, G. M.; Estimating the Density of Thin Polymeric Films using Magnetic Levitation. ACS Nano, 2021

  7. Li, Y.†; Root, S.  E†; Baghbanzadeh, M.; Campbell V. E.; Rothemund, P. Cafferty, B. J.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Characterizing Chelation at Surfaces by Charge Tunneling. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021

  8. Belding, L.*; Root, S. E.*; Li, Y.; Park, J.; Rojas, E.; Pieters, P.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Conformation, and Charge Tunneling Through Molecules in Self-Assembled Monolayers. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2021

  9. Runser, R.†; Root, S. E.†, Ober, D. E.; Choudhary, K.; Chen, A. X.; Dhong, C.; Urbina, A. D.; Lipomi, D.J.*, Interfacial Drawing: Roll-to-Roll Coating of Semiconducting Polymer and Barrier Films on Plastic Foils and Textiles Chemistry of Materials 2019 

  10. Root, S. E.; Carpenter, C.W.; Kayser, L. V.; Rodriquez, D.;  Davies, D. M.; Wang, S.; Tan, S. T. M.; Meng, Y. S.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Ionotactile Stimulation: Ionic Gels for Haptic Human-Machine Interfaces ACS Omega 2018, 662-668 

  11. Alkhadra, M. A.†; Root, S. E.†; Hilby, K. M.; Rodriquez, D.; Sugiyama, F.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Quantifying the Fracture Behavior of Brittle and Ductile Thin Films of Semiconducting Polymers, Chemistry of Materials 2017 

  12. Root, S. E.†; Alkhadra, M. A.†; Rodriquez, D.; Printz, A. D.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Measuring the Glass Transition Temperature of Conjugated Polymer Films with Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy. Chemistry of Materials 2017 (Lectureship & Best Paper Award) 

  13. Root, S. E.; Savagatrup, S.; Printz, A. D.; Rodriquez, D.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Mechanical Properties of Organic Semiconductors for Stretchable, Highly Flexible, and Mechanically Robust Electronics. Chemical Reviews 2017 (selected as ACS Editors’ Choice) 

  14. Root, S. E.; Jackson, N. E.; Savagatrup, S.; Arya, G.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Modelling the Morphology and Mechanical Behaviour of Low-Bandgap Conjugated Polymers and Bulk Heterojunction Films. Energy & Environmental Science 2017 (featured as a hot article) 

  15. Root, S. E.; Savagatrup, S.; Pais, C. J.; Arya, G.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Predicting the Mechanical Properties of Organic Semiconductors Using Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Macromolecules 2016

 

 

Contributing Author Journal Articles (Listed in Reverse Chronological Order)

 

  1. A. Berman†; K. Hsiao†; S. E. Root; H. Choi; D. Ilyn; C. Xu; E. Stein; M. Cutkoskyl J. M. Desimone*; Z. Bao* Additively manufactured micro-lattice dielectrics for multiaxial capacitive sensors, Science Advances, 2024

  2. E. Kim; J.-C. Lai; L, Michalek, W. Wang, C. Xu, H. Lyu, W. Yu, H. Park, Y. Tomo, S. E. Root; B. Lee; J. Park; S. Wei; C. Zhao; Z. Bao* A Transparent, Patternable, and Stretchable Conducting Polymer Solid Electrode for Dielectric Elastomer Actuators, Advanced Functional Materials, 2024

  3. Kim, K. K.†; Kim, M.†; Pyun, K.; Kim, J.; Min, J.; Koh, S.; Root, S. E.; Kim, J.; Nguyen, B. N. T.; Nishio, Y.; Han, S.; Choi, J.; Kim, C.Y.; Tok, J. B.-H.; Jo, S.; Ko, S. H.*; Bao, Z.*, A Substrate-Less Nanomesh Receptor with Meta-Learning for Rapid Hand Task Recognition, Nature Electronics, 2023 

  4. Peña-Alcántara, A.l Nikzad, S.; Prine, N.; Wang, Y.; Michalek, L.; Gong, H.; Ponte, E.; Schneider, S.; Wu, Y.; Root, S.E.; Tok, J.B.-H.; Gu, X.*; Bao, Z.*; Effect of Molecular Weight on the Morphology of a Polymer Semiconductor Blended with a Thermoplastic Elastomer, Advanced Electronic Matrials, 2023 

  5. Gao, R.†; Kodaimati, M. O.†; Handy, K.; Root, S. E.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Generating Oscillatory Behavior by Applying a Magnetic Field During the Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Glycerol Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2022 

  6. Decker, C. J.†; Jiang, H. J.†; Nemitz, M. P.; Root, S. E.; Rajappan, A.; Alvarez, J . T.; Tracz, J., Wille, L.; Preston, D.J.; Whitesides, G. M.*; Programmable Soft Valves for Digital and Analog Control, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022 

  7. Tracz, J. A.; Wille, L.; Pathiraja, D.; Kendre, S. V.; Pfisterer, R.; Turett, E.; Abrahamsson, C. K.; Root, S. E.; Lee, W. K.; Preston, D. J.; Jiang, H. J.; Whitesides, G. M.*; Nemitz, M. P.*; Tube-Balloon Logic for the Exploration of Fluidic Control Elements IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 

  8. Park, J.; Kodaimati, M. A.; Belding, L.; Root, S. E.; Schatz, G.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Controlled Hysteresis of Conductance in Molecular Tunneling Junctions, ACS Nano, 2022 

  9. Kodaimati, M. A.†; Gao, R.†; Root, S. E.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Magnetic Fields Enhance Mass Transport During Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2, Chem Catalysis, 2022

  10. Nagarkar, A.; Root, S. E.; Fink, M. J.; Ten, A. S.; Cafferty, B. J.; Richardson, D. S.; Mrksich, M.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Storing and Reading Information in Mixtures of Fluorescent Molecules. ACS Central Science2021

  11. Park, J.; Belding, L.; Li, Y.; Mousavi, M.; Root, S. E.; Yoon, H. J.; Whitesides, G. M.*, Rectification in Molecular Tunneling Junctions based on Alkanethiolates with Bipyridine-Metal Complexes, Journal of The American Chemical Society, 2021

  12. Carpenter, C.W.; Malinao, M.G.; Rafeedi, T.A.; Rodriquez, D.; Tan, S.T.M.; Root, N.B.; Skelil, K.; Ramirez, J.; Polat, B.; Root, S.E.; Ramachandran, V.S.; Lipomi, D.J.*, Electropneumotactile Stimulation: Multimodal Haptic Actuators Enabled by a Stretchable Conductive Polymer on Inflatable Pockets Advanced Materials Technologies, 2020

  13. Sugiyama, F.; Kleinschmidt, A. T.; Kayser, L.V.; Rodriquez, D.; Fin, M. F.; Alkhadra, M. A.;  Wan, J. M. H.; Chiang, A. S. C..; Ramirez, J.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Effects of Flexibility and  Branching of Side Chains on the Mechanical Properties of Low-Bandgap Copolymers Polymer Chemistry, 2018

  14. Sugiyama, F.; Kleinschmidt, Kayser, L.V.; Alkhadra, M. A.; Wan, J. M. H.; Chiang, A. S. C.; Rodriquez, D.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Stretchable and Degradable Semiconducting Block Copolymers Macromolecules, 2018

  15. Rodriquez, D.; Kohl, G.; Morel, P.; Burrows, K.; Favaro, G.; Root, S. E.; Ramirez, J.; Alkhadra, M.A.; Carpenter, C. W.; Fei, Z.; Boufflet, P.; Heeney, M.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Measurement of Cohesion and Adhesion of Semiconducting Polymers by Scratch Testing: Effect of Side-Chain Length and Degree of Polymerization Macroletters, 2018

  16. Kleinschmidt, A. T.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT): Fruit Fly or Outlier in Organic Solar Cell Research? Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2017

  17. Marin, B. C.; Root, S. E.; Urbina, A. D.; Alklile, E.; Miller, R.; Zaretski, A. V.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Graphene-Metal Composites with Near-Zero Temperature Coefficient of Resistance ACS Omega  2017, 2, 626-630. 

  18. Marin, B. C.; Ramirez, J.; Root, S. E., Aklile, E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Metallic Nanoislands on Graphene: A Metamaterial for Chemical, Mechanical, Optical, and Biological Applications. Nanoscale Horizons 2017, 2, 311-318. 

  19. O’Connor, T. F.; Fach, M. E.; Miller, R.; Root, S. E.; Mercier, P. P.; Lipomi, D. J.*, The Language of Glove: Wireless gesture decoder with low-power and stretchable hybrid electronics. PloS one 2017, 12, 1-12. 

  20. Rodriquez, D.†; Kim, J.H.†; Root, S. E.; Fei, Z.; Boufflet, P.; Heeney, M.; Kim, T. S.*; Lipomi, D. J.*, Comparison of Methods for Determining the Mechanical Properties of Semiconducting Polymer Films for Stretchable Electronics Applied Materials & Interfaces 2017, 9, 8855-8862.

  21. Zaretski, A. V.; Root, S. E.; Savchenko, A.; Molokanova, E.; Printz, A. D.; Jibril, L.; Arya, G.; Mercola, M.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Metallic Nanoislands on Graphene as Highly Sensitive Transducers of Mechanical, Biological, and Optical Signals. Nano Letters 2016,16, 1375-1380

  22. Savagatrup, S.; Printz, A. D.; O’Connor, T. F.; Zaretski, A. V.; Rodriquez, D.; Sawyer, E. J.; Rajan, K. M.; Acosta, R. I.; Root, S. E.; Lipomi, D. J.*, Mechanical Degradation and Stability of Organic Solar Cells: Molecular and Microstructural Determinants. Energy & Environmental Science 2015, 8, 55–80.