Schniepp Group Home

In the nanomaterials & imaging lab, we investigate and develop high-performance lightweight nanomaterials of the next-generation. Such materials will be low-cost to produce, yet very versatile and multi-functional.

Principal Investigator of the Group is Prof. Hannes Schniepp.

Our Lab in the Media
Highlights

News

Dec 2017	Prof. Schniepp speaks at the 7th International Conference on Mechanics of Biomaterials and Tissues about our most recent results on the hierarchical structure of silk.
Dec 2017	Prof. Schniepp joins the editorial board of PLOS ONE, one of the world's largest scientific journals as an Academic Editor.
Dec 2017	Prof. Schniepp presents four papers at the 2017 Fall MRS Meeting in Boston, MA on topics including the brown recluse ribbon silk, thermal interface materials, and interfacial properties of graphene.
Nov 2017	Ph. D. student Qijue Wang receives an International Student Opportunity Award from the Reves Center for International Studies, William and Mary.
Sep 2017	New publication: Polymer (2017) — Hocker, Hudson-Smith, Smith, Komatsu, Dickinson, Schniepp & Kranbuehl: "Graphene oxide reduces the hydrolytic degradation in polyamide-11". A tiny amount of graphene makes plastics more durable.
Mar 2017	The U.S. National Science Foundation produces a video feature of our breakthrough on the loops of the brown recluse spider in their Science Now—Science 360 show (Episode 50).
Feb 2017	Discovery Channel Canada] airs a TV feature of our brown recluse looped silk discovery in their science show Daily Planet (7:00 pm show on February 15).
Feb 2017	BBC radio interview: On Feb. 20, the BBC aired a 5-minute radio interview with Prof. Schniepp on the group's recent breakthough on the looped recluse silk. Now available here (The Naked Scientists).
Feb 2017	ABC Australia radio interview: On Feb. 24, the BBC interview was also aired on the other side of the world. Now available here (The Naked Scientists).
Feb 2017	The Naked Scientists, a British science podcast, features Prof. Schniepp's BBC interview on their web page, including a written story and images: link.
Feb 2017	The Daily Press has a video feature on our silk research.
Feb 2017	The Daily Press interviews Prof. Schniepp as part of their front page story on our paper on the loops in the silk of the recluse spider.
Feb 2017	New publication: Materials Horizons (2017) — Koebley, Vollrath & Schniepp*: "Toughness-enhancing metastructure in the recluse spider's looped ribbon silk". Ribbon silk has the unique ability to enhance toughness and maintain strength via looping.
Oct 2016	New publication: Energy & Fuels (2016) — Dickinson, Suijkerbuijk, Berg, Marcelis & Schniepp* "Atomic Force Spectroscopy Using Colloidal Tips Functionalized with Dried Crude Oil: A Versatile Tool to Investigate Oil–Mineral Interactions". Press Release.
Oct 2016	Invited Presentation: Our PhD student Sean Koebley presents the most recent breakthroughs in his investigations of the brown recluse ribbons silk in front of the William & Mary Graduate Studies Advisory Board.