Luis Ortuno Macias Email & Phone Number

Research experiencePeptide surfactants at air-aqueous interfaces for rare earth elements (REEs) recovery.• Study of self-assembly complexation of surface-active peptides and lanthanides cations in bulk solution (dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, anomalous small angle x-ray scattering).• Interfacial characterization of cationic complexes adsorbed to the air-aqueous interface (dynamicsurface tension, interfacial elasticity, x-ray reflectivity, x-ray fluorescence).Enhanced lanthanide recovery with cross-linked glutaraldehyde-lanthanide binding peptides forfoam-based separations.• Foam stabilization and REEs extraction enhancement promoted by the organic compoundglutaraldehyde, as a substitute of common foam stabilizers (dynamic surface tension, interfacialrheology, x-ray reflectivity, x-ray fluorescence).• Self-assembly complexation of peptides-lanthanides complexes promoted by glutaraldehyde inbulk solution (dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, anomalous small anglex-ray scattering).Immobilization of lanthanides binding tag peptides on functionalized surfaces for the selectiveseparation of REEs.• Absorption of lanthanides on functionalized surfaces using lanthanide binding peptides for theselective separation of REEs (Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry).Affinity of Lanthanide Binding Tag Peptides for Rare Earth Elements via Conformational Changes of Tryptophan Induced by Metal-Coordination• Quantification of tryptophan fluorescence quenching to determine the binding affinity of Lanthanide Binding Peptides with REEs (fluorescence spectroscopy).• Conformational changes of biomolecules induced by metal-binding for determining stable or unstable peptide-metal complex states (circular dichroism).Molecular interactions of amphiphiles molecules with ions and polyelectrolytes at the air waterinterface for applications in the chemical herding remediation of maritime oil spills.• Study of compression isotherms and interfacial elasticity of palmitic acid on different subphases.• Conducted x-ray reflectivity and x-ray fluorescence measurements at Argonne National Lab todetermine concentrations and conformation of species at interfacial region.Interfacial properties of palmitic acid and its methyl-branched homologue over aqueous subphase andsea water at different pH conditions.• Study of compression isotherms and interfacial elasticity of palmitic acid on different subphases.• Langmuir Blodgett deposition of interfacial layers for its molecular characterization.

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  The City College Of New York