Polymer Science Program
Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University

Prof. Ralph H. Colby

309 Steidle Building
Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA  16802-5007
(814) 863-3457 (Office)
(814) 865-2917 (Fax)
E-mail:  rhc@plmsc.psu.edu
 

OVERVIEW

Using rheological techniques to probe the dynamics of polymer liquids is the thrust of Dr. Colby's research program.  Simple notions of scaling are used to construct models for polymer dynamics, allowing for interpretation of the rheology data.  Current research interests include polyelectrolytes, ionomers, liquid crystalline polymers, block copolymers, miscible polymer blends, branched polymers, networks of both charged and uncharged polymers, surfactants, and colloidal suspensions.
 

BIOGRAPHY

Ralph H. Colby received his B.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University in 1979.  After working two years at the General Electric Company in rheology research and process development, he attended graduate school at Northwestern University, where he received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering in 1983 and 1985.  Graduate research focused on rheology of linear polybutadiene melts and solutions, and included 15 months as a visiting scholar in the Exxon Research and Engineering Company, Corporate Research Science Laboratories.  He then worked for ten years at the Eastman Kodak Company in their Corporate Research Laboratories.  Rheology research areas over these ten years included linear polymer melts and solutions, miscible polymer blends, block copolymers, randomly branched polymers, polymer gels, liquid crystalline polymers, polyelectrolytes, proteins, surfactants and colloidal suspensions.  In 1995, Dr. Colby was hired into the position of Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University and was promoted to Professor in 2000.  He teaches a very demanding undergraduate course on Polymer Rheology and Processing and continues to use rheological experiments to probe the dynamics of polymers and other complex fluids.

Recently published-
M. Rubinstein and R.H. Colby. Polymer Physics. Oxford University Press, 2003.
Corrections for the Polymer Physics textbook made in the 2004 printing
Corrections for the Polymer Physics textbook made in the 2007 printing
Publications Listing (updated in 2006)
Review Articles (updated in 2006)

1. Current Students
2. Alumni

RHEOMETERS

1. Advanced Rheometric Expansion System (Rheometric Scientific)
2. Rheometrics Fluids Spectrometer II (Rheometric Scientific)
3. High Tech Machine
4. Low Shear 30 Viscometer (Contraves)

PRINCIPAL RESEARCH AREAS

1. Charged Polymers
2. Entanglement in Polymer Melts and Solutions
3. Gels and Branched Polymers
4. Miscible Polymer Blends
5. Structured Fluids
6. Glass Formation
7. Polyelectrolyte-Surfactant Systems
8. Biopolymers
   

1. Society of Rheology
2. Rheology Research Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
3. Rheology Index (Society of Rheology)
4. IRC in Polymer Science and Technology, Leeds,UK
5. European Society of Rheology
6. The British Society of Rheology