College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Alexei V. Tivanski

- M.S., Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (2001)
- Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh (2005)
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (2005-2007)
Analytical, Physical, Environmental and Surface Chemistry; Nanoscience; Electrical and Mechanical properties of organic and inorganic crystalline solids at micro- and nano-dimensions; Single particle Atomic Force Microscopy; Nanoindentation; Molecular solids; Metal-organic frameworks.
We are physical/analytical chemistry group with strong emphasis on the development of novel methods that utilize cutting-edge Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) based techniques to study physical and chemical properties of various chemical systems at the nanoscale. Our work is strongly interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature with researchers from other fields of science and engineering. Two main research themes that we currently pursue are:
(1) Nanoscience/Materials Science with the focus on the size-dependent electrical, mechanical, and (photo)-reactivity studies that encompass organic and inorganic nano- and macro-dimensional solids with unique physical-chemical properties for potential applications in devices, sensing, and energy storage.
(2) Atmospheric/Environmental Chemistry with the focus on the development and application of AFM based methods toward direct measurements of individual submicrometer organic/inorganic environmental particles properties that include humidity-dependent 3D morphology, water uptake, phase state and surface tension.
Tiba, A; Tivanski, A. V.; MacGillivray, L. R., Size-Dependent Mechanical Properties of a Metal-Organic Framework: Increase in Flexibility of ZIF-8 by Crystal Downsizing. Nano Letters. (Accepted)
Ray, K. K; Lee, H. D.; Gutierrez, M.; Chang, F.; Tivanski, A. V., Correlating 3D Morphology, Phase State and Viscoelastic Properties of Individual Substrate-Deposited Particles. Analytical Chemistry. 2019, 91, 12, 7621-7630. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b00333. Link
Kruger, T.; Bell, K.; Lansakara, T.; Tivanski, A. V.; Doorn, J.; Stevens, L. L., Reduced Extracellular Matrix Stiffness Prompts SH-SY5Y Cell Softening and Actin Turnover to Selectively Increase Aβ(1-42) Endocytosis. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 2019, 10 (3), pp 1284-1293. doi:10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00366. Link
Lee, H. D.; Kaluarachchi, C. P.; Hasenecz, E. S.; Zhu, J. Z.; Popa, E.; Stone, E. A.; Tivanski, A. V., Effect of Dry or Wet Substrate Deposition on the Organic Volume Fraction of Core-shell Aerosol Particles. Atmos Meas Tech, 2019, 12, 2033-2042. doi:10.5194/amt-12-2033-2019. Link
Kruger, T.; Givens, B. E.; Lansakara, T.; Bell, K.; Mohapatra, H.; Salem, A. K.; Tivanski, A. V.; Stevens, L. L., Mechanosensitive Endocytosis of High-stiffness, Sub-micron Microgels in Macrophage and Hepatocarcinoma Cell Lines. ACS Applied Bio Materials 2018, 1 (5), 1254-1265. doi:10.1021/acsabm.8b00111. Link
Hutchins, K. M.; Rupasinghe, T. P.; Oburn, S. M.; Ray, K. K.; Tivanski, A. V.; MacGillivray, L. R., Remarkable Decrease in Stiffness of Aspirin Crystals Upon Reducing Crystal Size to Nanoscale Dimensions via Sonochemistry. CrystEngComm 2018, doi:10.1039/C8CE00764K. Link
Or, V. W.; Estillore, A. D.; Tivanski, A. V.; Grassian, V. H., Lab on a Tip: Atomic Force Microscopy - Photothermal Infrared Spectroscopy of Atmospherically Relevant Organic/Inorganic Aerosol Particles in the Nanometer Size Range. Analyst 2018,143, 2765-2774. Link
Lee, H. D.; Ray, K. K.; Tivanski, A. V., Directly Probing the Phase States and Surface Tension of Individual Submicrometer Particles Using Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS eBook Multiphase Environmental Chemistry in the Atmosphere 2018, doi:10.1021/bk-2018-1299.ch012. Link
Lee, H. D.; Ray, K. K.; Tivanski, A. V., Solid, Semi-Solid, and Liquid Phases of Individual Submicrometer Particles Directly Probed Using Atomic Force Microscopy. Analytical Chemistry 2017, 89 (23), 12720–12726.
Lee, H. D.; Estillore, A. D.; Morris, H. S.; Ray, K. K.; Alejandro, A.; Grassian, V. H.; Tivanski, A. V., Direct Surface Tension Measurements of Individual Sub-Micrometer Particles Using Atomic Force Microscopy. The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 2017, 121 (43), 8296-8305. Link
Cochran, R. E.; Laskina, O.; Trueblood, J. V.; Estillore, A. D.; Morris, H. S.; Jayarathne, T.; Sultana, C. M.; Lee, C.; Lin, P.; Laskin, J.; Laskin, A.; Dowling, J. A.; Qin, Z.; Cappa, C. D.; Bertram, T. H.; Tivanski, A. V.; Stone, E. A.; Prather, K. A.; Grassian, V. H., Molecular Diversity of Sea Spray Aerosol Particles: Impact of Ocean Biology on Particle Composition and Hygroscopicity, Chem 2017, 2 (5), 655-667. Link
Estillore, A. D.; Morris, H. S.; Or, V. W.; Lee, H. D.; Alves, M. R.; Marciano, M. A.; Laskina, O.; Qin, Z.; Tivanski, A. V.; Grassian, V. H., Linking hygroscopicity and the surface microstructure of model inorganic salts, simple and complex carbohydrates, and authentic sea spray aerosol particles, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2017, 19 (31), 21101-21111. Link
Mohapatra, H.; Kruger, T. M.; Lansakara, T. I.; Tivanski, A. V.; Stevens, L. L. Core and surface microgel mechanics are differentially sensitive to alternative crosslinking concentrations, Soft Matter 2017, 13, 5684-5695.Link
Jayarathne, T.; Sultana, C. M.; Lee, C.; Malfatti, F.; Cox, J. L.; Pendergraft, M. A.; Moore, K. A.; Azam, F.; Tivanski, A. V.; Cappa, C. D.; Bertram, T. H.; Grassian, V. H.; Prather, K. A.; Stone, E. A., Enrichment of Saccharides and Divalent Cations in Sea Spray Aerosol During Two Phytoplankton Blooms, Environmental Science & Technology 2016, 50 (21), 11511-11520.Link
Morris, H. S.; Estillore, A. D.; Laskina, O.; Grassian, V. H.; Tivanski, A. V. Quantifying the Hygroscopic Growth of Individual Submicrometer Particles with Atomic Force Microscopy, Analytical Chemistry, 2016, 88, 3647.Link
Peter, T. K.; Vargo, J. D.; Rupasinghe, T. P.; Jesus, A. D.; Tivanski, A. V.; Edward A. Sander, E. A.; Myung, N. V.; David M. Cwiertny, D.M. Synthesis, optimization, and performance demonstration of electrospun carbon nanofiber−carbon nanotube composite sorbents for point-of-use water treatment, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8, 11431. Link
Laskina, O.; Morris, H. S.; Grandquist, J. R.; Estillore, A. D.; Stone,E. A.; Grassian, V. H.; Tivanski, A. V. Substrate-Deposited Sea Spray Aerosol Particles: Influence of Analytical Method, Substrate, and Storage Conditions on Particle Size, Phase, and Morphology, Environmental science and technology. 2015, 49, 13447. Link
Ryder, O. S.; Campbell, N. R.; Morris, H. S.; Forestieri, S.; Ruppel, M. J.; Cappa, C.; Tivanski, A.; Prather, A.; Bertram, T. H. Role of Organic Coatings in Regulating N2O5 Reactive Uptake to Sea Spray Aerosol, Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 2015, 119, 11683. Link
Rupasinghe, T. P.; Hutchins, K. M.; Bandaranayake, B. S.; Ghorai, S.; Karunatilake, C.; Bucar, D.; Swenson, D. C.; Arnold, M. A.; MacGillivray, L. R.; Tivanski, A. V. Mechanical properties of a series of macro- and nanodimensional organic cocrystals correlate with atomic polarizability, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 12768. Link
Morris, H.S. Journal Cover titled: Uncover the ties between sea and sky, ACS Central Science. 2015,1, Iss. 3.
Schill, S. R.; Collins, D. B.; Lee, C.; Morris, H. S.; Novak, G. A.; Prather, K. A.; Patricia K. P.; Sultana, C. M., Tivanski, A. V.; Zimmermann, K.; Cappa, C. D.; Bertram, T. H.; The Impact of Aerosol Particle Mixing State on the Hygroscopicity of Sea Spray Aerosol, ACS Central Science.2015, 1(3), 132. Link
Morris, H.S.; Grassian, V. H.; Tivanski, A. V. Humidity-Dependent Surface Tension Measurements of Individual Inorganic and Organic Submicrometre Liquid Particles, Chemical Science. 2015, 6, 3242. Link
Laskina, O.; Morris, H.S.; Grandquist, J.R.; Qin, Z.; Stone, E.A.; Tivanski, A.V.; Grassian, V.H. Size Matters in the Water Uptake and Hygroscopic Growth of Atmospherically Relevant Multicomponent Aerosol Particles, J. Phys. Chem. A. 2015, 119, 4489. Link
Morris, H.S.; Tivanski, A.V.; and Kohen, A. Determination of Concentration and Activity of Immobilized Enzymes, Anal. Biochem. 2015, 484, 169172. Link
Singh, P., Morris, H.S., Tivanski, A.V., Kohen, A. A Calibration Curve for Immobilized Dihydrofolate Reductase Activity Assay, Data in Brief. 2015, 4, 19. Link