Alan Denton

Professor

Faculty

Physics

Alan Denton smiling confidently at camera.

Areas of Study & Research

Theoretical and Computational Soft Matter Physics

My group's current research interests focus on equilibrium structure and phase behavior in a variety of condensed matter and biologically relevant systems. Of primary interest are soft materials, including colloids and nanoparticles, polymers and polyelectrolytes, and biomaterials. By developing and applying statistical mechanical and computer simulation methods to model effective interactions between macromolecules, we predict structural and thermodynamic properties of multicomponent soft materials. Our modeling advances fundamental understanding of complex phenomena, including macromolecular crowding, microgel swelling, and stability of colloid-nanoparticle mixtures. The results are relevant for a range of applications, including nanocomposite materials, biosensors, filtration, and drug delivery.

Current Projects:
  • Molecular Simulations of Macromolecular Crowding in Microgel-Nanoparticle and Polymer-Nanoparticle Mixtures
  • Molecular Simulations of Fluid-Solid Phase Transitions in Suspensions of Compressible Microgels
  • Computational Modeling of Microion Distributions in Ionic Microgels with Nonuniform Architecture
  • Modeling of Ion Distributions, Osmotic Pressure, and Swelling in Solutions of Ionic Microgels and Microcapsules
  • Deswelling and Dynamics of Ionic Microgels in Crowded Suspensions
  • Monte Carlo Simulations of Polymer Crowding in Polymer-Nanoparticle Mixtures

Courses Taught

Introductory Level: University Physics I, University Physics II

Upper Level: Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetic Theory, Thermal and Statistical Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Computational Physics

Graduate Level: Statistical Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Mathematical Methods in Physics

Education

  • Ph.D., Physics, Cornell University (1991)
  • M.Sc., Physics, University of Toronto (1984)
  • B.A.Sc., Engineering Science, University of Toronto (1983)

Publications

For a full list, see Google Scholar and ResearchGate

Mariano E. Brito, Gerhard Nägele, and Alan R. Denton, "Effective interactions, structure, and pressure in charge-stabilized colloidal suspensions: Critical assessment of charge renormalization methods," J. Chem. Phys. 159, 204904-1-26 (2023). article cond-mat

Mohammed O. Alziyadi and Alan R. Denton, "Osmotic swelling behavior of surface-charged ionic microgels," J. Chem. Phys. 159, 184901-1-11 (2023). article cond-mat

Anne C. Nickel, Alan R. Denton, Judith E. Houston, Ralf Schweins, Tomàs S. Plivelic, Walter Richtering, and Andrea Scotti, "Beyond simple self-healing: How anisotropic nanogels adapt their shape to their environment," J. Chem. Phys. 157, 194901-1-15 (2022). article

Elshad Allahyarov, Hartmut Löwen, and Alan R. Denton, "Structural correlations in highly asymmetric binary charged colloidal mixtures," Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 24, 15439-15451 (2022). article

Mohammed O. Alziyadi and Alan R. Denton, "Osmotic pressure and swelling behavior of ionic microcapsules," J. Chem. Phys. 155, 214904-1-11 (2021). article cond-mat

Alan R. Denton and Wyatt J. Davis, "Influence of solvent quality on depletion potentials in colloid-polymer mixtures," J. Chem. Phys. 155, 084904-1-11 (2021). Editor's Pick article cond-mat

A. Scotti, A. R. Denton, M. Brugnoni, R. Schweins, and W. Richtering, "Absence of crystals in the phase behavior of hollow microgels," Phys. Rev. E 103, 022612-1-20 (2021). article

Mariano E. Brito, Alan R. Denton, and Gerhard Nägele, "Modeling deswelling, thermodynamics, structure, and dynamics in ionic microgel suspensions," J. Chem. Phys. 151, 224901-1-23 (2019). article cond-mat

S. K. Wypysek, A. Scotti, M. O. Alziyadi, I. I. Potemkin, A. R. Denton, and W. Richtering, "Tailoring the Cavity of Hollow Charged Microgels by Varying pH and Ionic Strength," Macromol. Rapid Comm. 41, 1900422-1-9 (2019). article

Alan R. Denton and Mohammed O. Alziyadi, "Osmotic pressure of permeable ionic microgels: Poisson-Boltzmann theory and exact statistical mechanical relations in the cell model," J. Chem. Phys. 151, 074903-1-19 (2019). Editor's Pick article cond-mat

Andrea Scotti, Alan R. Denton, Monia Brugnoni, Judith E. Houston, Ralf Schweins, Igor I. Potemkin, and Walter Richtering, "Deswelling of Microgels in Crowded Suspensions Depends on Cross-Link Density and Architecture," Macromol. 52, 3995-4007 (2019). article

Samuel L. Brown, Vijay D. Shah, Maria V. Morrell, Mitchell Zubich, Alexander Wagner, Alan R. Denton, and Erik K. Hobbie, "Superlattice formation in colloidal nanocrystal suspensions: Hard-sphere freezing and depletion effects," Phys. Rev. E 98, 062616-1-9 (2018). article

Wyatt J. Davis and Alan R. Denton, "Influence of solvent quality on conformations of crowded polymers," J. Chem. Phys. 149, 124901-1-11 (2018). article cond-mat

Tyler J. Weyer and Alan R. Denton, "Concentration-dependent swelling and structure of ionic microgels: Simulation and theory of a coarse-grained model," Soft Matter 14, 4530-4540 (2018). article cond-mat

Braden M. Weight and Alan R. Denton, "Structure and stability of charged colloid-nanoparticle mixtures," J. Chem. Phys. 148, 114904-1-11 (2018). article cond-mat

Alan R. Denton, "Effective electrostatic interactions in colloid-nanoparticle mixtures," Phys. Rev. E 96, 062610-1-14 (2017). article cond-mat

Matthew Urich and Alan R. Denton, "Swelling, structure, and phase stability of compressible microgels," Soft Matter 12, 9086-9094 (2016). article cond-mat

A. R. Denton and Qiyun Tang, "Counterion-induced swelling of ionic microgels," J. Chem. Phys. 145, 164901-1-10 (2016). article cond-mat

Wei Kang Lim and Alan R. Denton, "Depletion-induced forces and crowding in polymer-nanoparticle mixtures: Role of polymer shape fluctuations and penetrability,” J. Chem. Phys. 144, 024904-1-10 (2016). article cond-mat

Wei Kang Lim and Alan R. Denton, "Influence of polymer shape on depletion potentials and crowding in colloid-polymer mixtures," Soft Matter 12, 2247-2252 (2016). cover image article (open access) cond-mat

Qiyun Tang and Alan R. Denton, "Ion density deviations in semipermeable ionic microcapsules," Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 17, 11070-11076 (2015). article cond-mat

M. M. Hedrick, Jun Kyung Chung, and Alan R. Denton, "Structure and osmotic pressure of ionic microgel dispersions," J. Chem. Phys. 142, 034904-1-12 (2015). article cond-mat

Qiyun Tang and Alan R. Denton, "Ion density deviations in polyelectrolyte microcapsules: Influence on biosensors," Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 20924-20931 (2014). article cond-mat

Wei Kang Lim and Alan R. Denton, "Polymer crowding and shape distributions in polymer-nanoparticle mixtures,” J. Chem. Phys. 141, 114909-1-10 (2014). article cond-mat

A. R. Denton, "Crowding in Polymer-Nanoparticle Mixtures," in New Models of the Cell Nucleus: Crowding, Entropic Forces, Phase Separation, and Fractals, R. Hancock and K. W. Jeon, Eds., International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology 307, pp. 27-72 (UK: Academic Press, 2014). Elsevier's copyright policy prevents me from posting this article online. reprint request

A. R. Denton, "Coarse-Grained Modeling of Charged Colloidal Suspensions: From Poisson-Boltzmann Theory to Effective Interactions," in Electrostatics of Soft and Disordered Matter, D. S. Dean, J. Dobnikar, A. Naji, and R. Podgornik, Eds., Proceedings of the CECAM Workshop "New Challenges in Electrostatics of Soft and Disordered Matter," pp. 201-215 (Pan Stanford, Singapore, 2014). cond-mat

J. B. Miller, A. C. P. Usselman, R. J. Anthony, U. R. Kortshagen, A. J. Wagner, A. R. Denton, and E. K. Hobbie, "Phase separation and the 'coffee-ring' effect in polymer-nanocrystal mixtures," Soft Matter 10, 1665-1675 (2014). cover image article

J. K. Chung and A. R. Denton, "Effective electrostatic interactions in mixtures of charged colloids," Phys. Rev. E 88, 022306-1-9 (2013). article cond-mat

A. R. Denton and M. P. Schmidt, "Exploring Fluctuations and Phase Equilibria in Fluid Mixtures via Monte Carlo Simulation," Eur. J. Phys. 34, 475-487 (2013). article cond-mat

Ben Lu and Alan R. Denton, "Crowding of polymer coils and demixing in nanoparticle-polymer mixtures," J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 23, 285102-1-9 (2011). article cond-mat

A. R. Denton, "Poisson-Boltzmann Theory of Charged Colloids: Limits of the Cell Model for Salty Suspensions," J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 22, 364108-1-12 (2010). article cond-mat

B. Lu and A. R. Denton, "Charge Renormalization, Thermodynamics, and Structure of Deionized Colloidal Suspensions," Communications in Computational Physics 7, 235-249 (2010). Special Issue on Structure Formation and Evolution in Soft Matter/Complex Fluid Systems. article (open access) cond-mat

A. R. Denton, Charge Renormalization, Effective Interactions, and Thermodynamics of Deionized Colloidal Suspensions, J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 20, 494230-1-8 (2008). article cond-mat

A. R. Denton, "Effective Interactions in Soft Materials," in Nanostructured Soft Matter: Experiment, Theory, Simulation and Perspectives, A. V. Zvelindovsky, Ed., pp. 395-433 (Springer, Dordrecht, 2007). chapter cond-mat