Dr. Matthew R. Libera
Professor
Education
- Sc.D. (1987) MIT, Cambridge, MA, Materials Science
Advisors: John Vander Sande and Morris Cohen - S.M. (1983) MIT, Cambridge, MA, Materials Science
- B.S. (1981) Lafayette College, Metallurgical Engineering
Research:
Prof. Libera's research interests primarily center on measuring and controlling the morphology of soft materials, both synthetic polymers and biological tissue. Much of his work focuses on the development, implementation, and application of advanced imaging techniques to the measure materials morphology using various types of microscopy, particularly electron microscopy and increasingly with confocal immunofluorescence imaging. Over the past decade he has concentrated his efforts primarily on polymeric biomaterials such as hydrogels and bioresorbable materials with applications to biomedical devices. A particular area of ongoing interest concerns the question of how to develop next-generation biomaterials that reduce the susceptibility of biomedical devices to infection while preserving their desirable healing properties.
In the area of advanced electron microscopy, Libera studies polymer morphology and polymer interfaces using spatially resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in multi-component systems such as block copolymers, polymer blends, and composites. One current emphasis area centers on the quantitative mapping of water in hydrated polymers and tissue using cryo-TEM coupled with spatially resolved EELS. This work has led to activities at Stevens to both study the physics of electron-polymer interactions as well as pattern polymers on surfaces using electron-beam lithography.
Prof. Libera is the Executive Director of the Stevens Laboratory for MultiScale Imaging (LMSI), a core user facility with an array of imaging tools including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) coupled with dip-pen nanolithography (DPN), and confocal/fluorescence optical imaging. Libera recently played a leading role in winning NSF funding to acquire a new and very advanced cryo-scanning electron microscope (SEM) optimized for the measurement of materials morphology, including frozen-hydrated materials, at high spatial resolution. This and other LMSI instruments are enabling Stevens researchers to make important new discoveries ranging from new ways to deliver drugs, creating hip and knee implants that are more infection resistant, to helping to heal major bone fractures. In addition to these innovate research areas, the LMSI is providing opportunities for high-school outreach and education through the collaborative activities with the Stevens Center for Innovative Engineering and Science Education and the Project SEED program of the American Chemical Society.
Prof. Libera is a member of the Society for Biomaterials, the Materials Research Society (MRS), the Microscopy Society of America (MSA), the American Physical Society (APS), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His efforts as both a researcher and teacher at Stevens have been recognized by the award of an honorary Stevens Masters degree (2005), the Jess N. Davis Award for Exemplary Research, 1998, and the Alexander Humphreys Award for Outstanding Teaching, 1997, among other accolades.
Experience
- 1989 - present, Professor Stevens Institute of Technology
- 1992 - present, Executive Director, Laboratory for Multiscale Imaging
- 1996 - 97, Visiting Scientist, Robert L. Mitchell Technical Center, Hoescht-Celanese Corporation, Summit, NJ
- 1988 - 89; Visiting Scientist; IBM Research Division; Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA
- 1987 - 1988 Post-Doctoral Research Associate, MIT, Cambridge, MA
Research Projects Interests
- Polymeric biomaterials and hydrogels
- Biomaterials-associated infection
- Electron microscopy
- Electron-beam lithography
- Electron energy-loss spectroscopy
Publications
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(2010) "Nanoscale water mapping in hydrated biological materials by low-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy", Ultramicroscopy, Vol. 50, p. 866-876.
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(2010) "Advances in the Transmission Electron Microscopy of Polymers", Polymer Reviews, Vol. 50( 3), p. 321-339.
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(2010) "Differential response of staphylococci and osteoblasts to varying titanium surface roughness", Biomaterials (submitted).
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(2009) "Specimen thickness dependence of hydrogen evolution during cryo-transmission electron microscopy of hydrated soft materials", Journal of Microscopy, Vol. 236( 3), p. 174-179.
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(2009) "Selective adsorption of surface-modified ferritin on a phase-separated polymer blend", Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, Vol. 73( 1), p. 152-155.
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(2009) "Length-Scale Mediated Adhesion and Directed Growth of Neural Cells by Surface-Patterned Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogels", Biomaterials, Vol. 30, p. 721-729.
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(2009) "Spatially controlled bacterial adhesion using surface-patterned poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels.", Acta Biomaterialia, Vol. 5, p. 589-596.
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(2008) "Dose-limited spectroscopic imaging of soft materials by low-loss EELS in the scanning transmission electron microscope", Micron, Vol. 39, p. 734-740.
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(2008) "Nanoscale composition of biphasic polymer nanocolloids in solution measured by spatially resolved EELS in the cryo-STEM", Microscopy and Microanalysis, Vol. 14( 5), p. 459-468.
Awards and Honors
- Master of Engineering, Honorus Causa, Stevens Institute of Technology, 2003
- Jess N. Davis Award for Exemplary Research, 1998
- Alexander Humphreys Award for Outstanding Teaching, 1997
- Materials Research Society Student Award, 1986
- Microscopy Society of America, Presidential Scholar, 1986
- Charles D. Fraser Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Scholarship, 1980
Professional Organizations and Societies
- The American Society for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- The Society for Biomaterials
- The Materials Research Society (MRS)
- The Microscopy Society of America (MSA)