Home | GE Research Group

GE group aims to elucidate the microscopic origin of macroscopic behaviors of various polymer and soft matter systems. The goal is achieved through the combination of molecular simulations and theoretical modeling. The research is integrated with cutting-edge synthesis and characterization experiments and stretched to promote interdisciplinary applications of fundamental knowledge. Topics currently investigated include (1) the effects of polymer topology on the thermodynamics, rheology, and mechanics of polymeric materials [1-3], (2) the transport of nanoscale objects in complex polymeric environments [4, 5], as well as (3) the scale-bridging physics in the large deformation and fracture behavior of thermoplastics, elastomers, and gels [6, 7].

Keywords: soft matter, polymer physics,

computational physics, molecular simulation

[1] "Molecular Simulations Revealing Effects of Non-concatenated Ring Topology on Phase Behavior of Symmetric Diblock Copolymers", A. Wijesekera, D. Vigil, and T. Ge, Macromolecules 57, 5092 (2024).

[2] “Superstretchable elastomer from cross-linked ring polymers”, J. Wang, T. C. O’Connor, G. S. Grest, and T. Ge, Physical Review Letters 128, 237801 (2022).

[3] “Crazing reveals an entanglement network in glassy ring polymers”, J. Wang and T. Ge, Macromolecules 54, 7500 (2021).

[4] “Scaling Perspective on Dynamics of Nanoparticles in Polymers: Length- and Time-Scale Dependent Nanoparticle-Polymer Coupling”, T. Ge, Macromolecules 56, 3809 (2023), Invited Perspective Article.

[5] “Force-driven active dynamics of thin nanorods in unentangled polymer melts”, S. Zhang, J. Wang, and T. Ge, Soft Matter 18, 6582 (2022), Emerging Investigator Collection.

[6] "Polymer Thin Film Necking: Ductility from Entanglements and Plane Stress Condition", S. Zhang, Z. Cao, X. Gu, and T. Ge, Macromolecules 57, 6221 (2024).

[7] “Effects of Coarse-Graining on Molecular Simulation of Craze Formation in Polymer Glass”, J. Wang, P. J. in’t Veld, M. O. Robbins, and T. Ge, Macromolecules 55, 1267 (2022).

The Team

Postdoctoral researchers, graduate, undergraduate, and pre-college students are welcome to join the team and participate in research projects at different levels. Interested viewers of this webpage, please email the PI.

Dr. Ting Ge

Principal Investigator

Email: tingg@mailbox.sc.edu Full CV

Ting Ge graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China with B. S. in 2007. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Johns Hopkins University in 2013, under the supervision of the late Prof. Mark O. Robbins (Memory of Orchids). Subsequently, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, first at UNC-Chapel Hill and then at Duke University, supervised by Prof. Michael Rubinstein (Story of the Ugly Duckling). Ting joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty at the University of South Carolina as an assistant professor in January 2020. He has been recognized with the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (FY2023), Doctoral New Investigator research grant from ACS Petroleum Research Fund (FY2023), and as Soft Matter Emerging Investigator from RSC (2022). His long-time interest, and sometimes urgent need, is "Making Ends Meet".