Gary Wnek

Department Chair, Macromolecular Science and Engineering Professor, Macromolecular Science and Engineering
Develops advanced polymers for packaging, biomaterial applications and more.
Office: 416 Kent Hale Smith Phone Number: (216) 368-3116 Email: gary.wnek@case.edu

Education

Ph.D., Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 1980
B.S., Chemical Engineering, WPI, 1977

Awards and Recognitions

2024, Fellow, National Academy of Inventors
2021, Nominated for the John S. Diekhoff Award for Graduate Teaching and Mentoring, Case Western Reserve University
2020, Nominated for the Bruce Jackson, M.D., Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring, Case Western Reserve University
2020, Nominated for the CWRU Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Case Western Reserve University
2019, Nominated for the Tau Beta Pi Srinivasa P. Gutti Memorial Engineering Teaching Award, Tau Beta Pi
2017, Nominated for the Tau Beta Pi Srinivasa P. Gutti Memorial Engineering Teaching Award, Tau Beta Pi
2016, Nominated for the CWRU Carl F. Wittke Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, Case Western Reserve University
2016, Graduate Teaching Award, Case School of Engineering
2015, Nominated for the Tau Beta Pi Srinivasa P. Gutti Memorial Engineering Teaching Award, Tau Beta Pi
2011, Meritorious Service Award, Case Alumni Association
2007, John W. Hyatt Award (benefit to society), Society of Plastics Engineers

Research Interests

Novel processing methods for polymer micro- and nanofibers and fiber/matrix composites. Multi-layer elastomer constructs. Solid-state deformation processing of polymers. Light-weight, impact-absorbing multi-component polymer systems. Physiologically-mimicking polyelectrolyte constructs with attention to motile and irritable systems. Polymers with unusual electrical and optical properties. Polymeric membranes. New approaches to impart fire resistance to common polymers.

Brief Bio

Gary Wnek is the Joseph F. Toot, Jr., Professor of Engineering and Professor and Chair of Macromolecular Science and Engineering at Case Western Reserve University and has been at CWRU since 2004. He was previously a faculty member in The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and the Department of Chemistry at RPI, and was the Founding Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University in its new School of Engineering. Research interests include processing of polymer multi-layer and polymer fiber/matrix composites, deformation processing, flammability mitigation of common polymers, and synthetic macromolecular constructs that mimic physiological functions. He has authored or co-authored over 210 publications and holds 38 US patents. He received the 2007 John W. Hyatt Award (benefit to society) from the Society of Plastics Engineers for his work on polymer nano- and microfibers for regenerative medicine and related biomedical applications. He earned a Ph.D. In Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Patents Received

2024, "High Elastomeric Modulus and Strength Polymer Constructs and Methods of Forming" US 12,011,868, Eric Baer, Andrew Olah, Cong Zhang, Gary Wnek, Nathan McMullen, & Christina Cheng.
2020, "Polymer Nanonfiber Scaffolds And Uses Thereof" US 10,751,293 B2, Gary Wnek, Mohammad Mofidfar, & Jia Wang.
2020, "Elastomeric and viscoelastic materials formed from poly(acrylic acid) gels" US 10,604,636, Gary Wnek, Anne Walker, & Maria Vratsanos.
2015, "Controlled Crosslinking Processing of Proteins" , Gary Wnek, & Linghui Meng.

Publications

Cheng, C., McGraw, T., Solomon, T., Ryan, J., Wnek, G. E., Olah, A. E., & Baer, E. E. (2024). High elastic modulus polyethylene: Process‐structure‐property relationships. SPE Polymers, 5 (366), 1-16.
Yousefi, H., & Wnek, G. E. (2024). Poly(hydroxyalkanoates): Emerging Biopolymers in Biomedical Fields and Packaging Industries for a Circular Economy. Biomedical Materials and Devices.
Mills, A., Chou, E., Baierl, Z., Daltorio, K., & Wnek, G. E. (2024). Elastic/viscoelastic polymer bilayers: A model-based approach to stretch-responsive constructs. Soft Matter, 20 (407).
Covello, J., Price, E., & Wnek, G. E. (2024). Tannic Acid’s Role as both Char Former and Blowing Agent in Epoxy-Based Intumescent Fire Retardants. SPE Polymers, 5 (182).
McMullen, N., Ruiz, G., Basel, B., Zhu, L., & Wnek, G. E. (2023). Enhancing Mechanical Properties of Poly(p-phenylene sulfide) by Biaxial Deformation using Cross-Rolling and Subsequent Annealing. ACS Appl. Eng. Mater., 1 (1176).
Wainright, J., Sinclair, N., Vasil, M., Kellamis, C., Nagelli, E., Savinell, R., & Wnek, G. E. (2023). Membrane Considerations for the All-Iron Hybrid Flow Battery. J. Electrochem. Soc., 170 (050156).
Zhang, C., Cheng, C., McMullen, N., Wnek, G. E., Olah, A. E., & Baer, E. E. (2022). High elastic modulus polyethylene – a two-stage multi-axial rolling and orientation process. Polymer, 256 (21), 125180.
McMullen, N., Zhang, C., Cheng, C., Wnek, G. E., Olah, A. E., & Baer, E. E. (2022). Hierarchical solid-state structure and mechanical property relationships in cross-rolled polyethylene. Polymer, 254 (125039).
Wnek, G. E., Costa, A. E., & Kozawa, S. E. (2022). Bio-Mimicking, Electrical Excitability Phenomena Associated with Synthetic Macromolecular Systems: A Brief Review with Connections to the Cytoskeleton and Membraneless Organelles. Frontiers Molec. Neurosci., 15 (2022).
Wang, X., Price, E., Wnek, G. E., Olah, A. E., & Baer, E. E. (2022). Oriented Tapes of Incompatible Polymers Using a Novel Multiplication Co-Extrusion Process. Polymers, 14 (18), 3872.
Souza, C., Feng, J., Olah, A., Baer, E., Mauler, R., & Wnek, G. E. (2022). A Novel PLA High Oxygen Barrier Multilayer Film/Foam. SPE Polymers, 3 (4), 179.
Chou, E., Sui, Y., Chong, Y., Brancel, C., Lewandowski, J. J., Norman, C. J., & Wnek, G. E. (2022). Critical salt loading in flexible poly(vinyl alcohol) sensors fabricated by an inkjet-printing and plasma reduction method. Micromachines, 13 (2022).
Molyneaux, K., Wnek, M., Craig, S., Rucker, I., Wnek, G. E., & M. Brady-Kalnay, S. E. (2021). Physically-Crosslinked Poly(vinyl alcohol) Cell Culture Plate Coatings Facilitate Preservation of Cell-Cell Interactions, Spheroid Formation, and Stemness. J. Biomed. Materials Res.: Part B - Appl. Biomaterials, 109 (1744).
Kozawa, S., & Wnek, G. E. (2021). Macromolecules of the Cell: A Polymer Science Viewpoint. Polymer International, 70 (885).
Zhang, Y., Lin, Y., Fan, X., Wnek, G. E., Liao, Y. E., & Yu, X. E. (2020). Development and characterization of novelly grown fire-resistant fungal fibers. Scientific Reports, 12 (10836).
Forbes, G., Merkulova, A., Pinheiro, A., Lee, J., Zeng, P., Abdalian, S., Walker, A., Wnek, G. E., & Schmaier, A. E. (2020). Poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) is a contact system activator with properties to stop hemorrhage. Thrombosis Research, 193 (2020), 142-145.
Souza, C., Feng, J., Olah, A., Wnek, G. E., & Baer, E. E. (2020). Thermoformable high oxygen barrier multilayer EVOH/LDPE film/foam. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 137 (48903).
Price, E., Covello, J., Tuchler, A., & Wnek, G. E. (2020). Intumescent, Epoxy-Based Flame-Retardant Coatings Based on Poly(acrylic acid) Compositions. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 12 (16), 18997-19005.
Miller, C., Zorman, C., & Wnek, G. E. (2020). An Improved Tactile Sensing Device for Material Characterization via Friction-Induced Vibrations. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 303 (2020), 111824.
Brannum, D., Price, E., Villamil, D., Kozawa, S., Brannum, M., Berry, C., Semco, R., & Wnek, G. E. (2019). Flame-Retardant Polyurethane Foams: One-Pot, Bioinspired Silica Nanoparticle Coating. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 1 (8), 2015-2022.
Wang, X., Li, X., Grimme, C., Olah, A., Baer, E., & Wnek, G. E. (2019). Fabrication of Surlyn ionomer fibers using a novel coextrusion approach and mechanical property characterization. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 136 (48046).