Dept. of Chemistry
Dvora Perahia
Associate Professor
Physical Chemistry
Phone: (864) 656-7703
Office: 267 Hunter Laboratories
E-mail: dperahi@clemson.edu
Research Interests | Publications | Research Group
Dr. Perahia received her B.Sc. (1981) at the Hebrew University in Israel and her M.Sc. (1984) and Ph.D. (1991) in Physical Chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Following her Ph.D., she spent a year at the Polymer Department at the Weizmann Institute in the group of Prof. J. Klein where they developed innovative surface force apparatus that is capable of measuring shear forces to very high accuracy, aimed at studying polymers at interfaces. Dr. Perahia joined the physics group at Exxon Research and Engineering laboratory in New Jersey (1991-1994) where she used X-ray and neutron scattering to study polymers at interfaces. Dr. Perahia spent additional year (1995-1996) at the physics department of Princeton University before joining the Chemistry Department at Clemson University in 1997. Dr. Perahia is also a member of the Material Research Program at Clemson University and the Center of Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films.
Research Interests
The focus of Dr. Perahia¹s research is the study of polymers and complex fluids. A physical chemistry approach is applied to study the structure and dynamics of polymers and different complex fluids. Polymers with different properties are studied, including:
1)polyelectrolytes, 2) semifluoro polymeric liquid crystals, 3)conducting polymers, 4) rodlike highly conjugated polymers, and 5) onodispersed di-block and tri-block co-polymers.
The technological significance of the interfacial behavior of polymers lies in their multiple uses, such as surface modifiers, lubricants and adhesives. They are also used as coatings with well-defined electro optical and mechanical properties. The polymer physics group led by Dr. Perahia uses scattering techniques, including X-ray and neutron scattering, as well as surface probes techniques, such as atomic force microscopy, to study these systems. Further instrumentation development is conducted to probe specific systems.
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Publications
1. Traiphol, R., H. Shah, D.W. Smith, and D. Perahia, Bulk and interfacial studies of a new and versatile semifluorinated lyotropic liquid crystalline polymer. Macromolecules, 2001. 34(12): p. 3954-3961.
2. Perahia, D., R. Traiphol, and U.H.F. Bunz, From molecules to supramolecular structure: Self assembling of wirelike poly(p-phenyleneethynylene)s. Macromolecules, 2001. 34(2): p. 151-155.
3. Smith, D.W., H.W. Boone, R. Traiphol, H. Shah, and D. Perahia, Perfluorocyclobutyl liquid crystalline fluoropolymers. Synthesis and thermal cyclopolymerization of bis(trifluorovinyloxy)-alpha-methylstilbene. Macromolecules, 2000. 33(4): p. 1126-1128.
4. Smith, D.W., D.A. Babb, H.V. Shah, A. Hoeglund, R. Traiphol, D. Perahia, H.W. Boone, C. Langhoff, and M. Radler, Perfluorocyclobutane (PFCB) polyaryl ethers: versatile coatings materials. Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, 2000. 104(1): p. 109-117.
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