Katherine Cimatu
Education
Ph.D., University of Houston
Research
- Ultrafast Non-linear Spectroscopy
- Interfacial Chemistry
- Materials Science
Interfaces and surfaces where chemical processes starts play a very significant role in bio-interfaces, heterogeneous catalytic reactions, nanoscience and renewable energy. For the past few years, scientists have been keen in building and developing spectroscopic and microscopic instruments that elucidate the chemical nature of different surfaces and interfaces (i.e. gas-liquid, liquid-solid and gas-solid interfaces). Sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy is a non-linear vibrational technique that has been around for more than two decades. It is a powerful technique that can probe structure, orientation and chemical fingerprint of molecules at the interface. As a second-order nonlinear technique, SFG has an inherent interfacial specificity because in some cases, any signal derived from the bulk that has inversion symmetry is symmetry forbidden in the dipole approximation.
In our group, pico- and broadband sum frequency generation spectroscopic technique will be built, and its corresponding results will be supported by other techniques such as FTIR, Raman, AFM, SEM and TEM to study systems such as biocompatible polymers, lithium battery materials, electrical energy storage materials, nanoparticles and flat metallic and dielectric surfaces, and occurrences of corrosion on conducting and semiconducting materials. And lastly, future studies also will be made by time-resolved SFG spectroscopy. The integration of these various techniques allows us to look at these interfacial systems with a unique perspective.
Research interests in our group are very interdisciplinary, including physical chemistry, interfacial chemistry, analytical chemistry, nonlinear pico- and femtosecond spectroscopy and microscopy, nanotechnology, polymer science, corrosion, and energy application studies.
Selected Publications
(掳student and * corresponding author)
Tharushi Ambagaspitiya, Danielle John Garza, Aoife Zuercher, and Katherine Leslee Cimatu*. Investigating the self-assembly of pH-sensitive switchable diamine surfactant using sum frequency generation spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. 2024 Accepted in Journal of Chemical Physics, Research Article (Invited Article: Special Topic on "Festschrift in honor of Yuen-Ron Shen)
Tharushi D. Ambagaspitiya; Danielle John Garza; Eli Skelton; Emma Kubacki; Alanna Knight; Stephen C. Bergmeier, Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu*. Using the pH sensitivity of switchable surfactants to understand the role of the alkyl tail conformation and hydrogen bonding at a molecular level in elucidating emulsion stability. 2024 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science,Volume 678, Part A, 2025, Pages 164-175, ISSN 0021-9797,
V. A. B. Lorca, O. 脕valos-Ovando, C. Sikeler, E. Y. Santiago, E.Skelton, Y. Wang, R. Yang, K. L. A. Cimatu, O. Baturina, Z. Wang, J. Liu, J. M. Slocik, S. Wu, D. Ma, A. I. Pastukhov, A. Kabashin, M. E. Kordesch, A. O. Govorov*. Lateral Flow Assays Biotesting by Utilizing Plasmonic Nanocrystals Made of Inexpensive Metals 鈥 Replacing Gold. ACS Nano Lett. 2024, 24, 20, 6069鈥6077
M. S. Sultan, V. Makarov, F. Mendoza, M. Sajjad, D. B. Diestra, F. P. N. Inbanathan, E. Skelton, U. I. Premadasa, K. L. A. Cimatu, K. Habiba, W. Jadwisienczak, B. Weiner, and G. Morell. Superparamagnetic Properties of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots. Feb 2024, in Journal of Applied Physics (Vol.135, Issue 8).
V. A. B. Lorca, O. 脕valos-Ovando, C. Sikeler, E. Y. Santiago, E.Skelton, Y. Wang, R. Yang, K. L. A. Cimatu, O. Baturina, Z. Wang, J. Liu, J. M. Slocik, S. Wu, D. Ma, A. I. Pastukhov, A. Kabashin, M. E. Kordesch, A. O. Govorov*. Lateral Flow Assays Biotesting by Utilizing Plasmonic Nanocrystals Made of Inexpensive Metals 鈥 Replacing Gold 2024 bioRxiv 2024.01.08.574723; doi:
Severa L. , Hurtado CS, Ron膷evi膰 I, Ma拧谩t M, Bastien G, 艩to膷ek JR, Dra膷铆nsk媒 M, Houska V, Kaletov谩 E, Garza DJ, C铆sa艡ov谩 I, Cimatu KLA, Bastl Z, Kaleta J* Regular Arrays of Rod鈥怱haped Molecular Photoswitches: Synthesis, Preparation, Characterization, and Selective Photoswitching within Mono鈥 and Bilayer Systems Oct 2023 Chemistry - A European Journal e202302828 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202302828
Inbanathan, F*, Cimatu, K., Ingram, D., Erasquin, U. J., Dasari, K. & Sultan, M. S., Sajjad, M., Makarov, V. & Weiner, B., Morell, G., Sharifi Abdar, P., Jadwisienczak, W.. (2023). Paramagnetism in Microwave-Synthesized Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Quantum Dots. Materials. 16. 3410. 10.3390/ma16093410. Research Article IF: 3.4 (contribution: synthesis, sample preparation, characterization, writing and editing)
Ramasinghe LP, Cimatu KLA* Quantifying elasticity maps of methacrylate-based copolymers using atomic force microscopy 1 Oct 2023 MRS Communications13(5):907-916 Research Article (Cover Article)
Skelton E, Erasquin U, Sukul A, Zuercher A, White J, Bythell BJ, Cimatu KLA Visible Light-Assisted Coordination of a Rh(III)-BODIPY Complex to Guanine 27 Feb 2023 Inorganic Chemistry 62(8) : 3368-3380
Yi He; Shuai Ren; Xi Wang; David Young; Marc Singer; Zineb Belarbi;Maalek Mohamed-Said; Sheyla Camperos; Md Rubel Khan; Katherine Cimatu, , CORROSION 4086, 2022.
Annik Bernhardt, Tharushi D. Ambagaspitiya, Martin E. Kordesch, Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu, Jixin Chen*, , ChemPhysChem. April 26, 2022. Accepted Author Manuscript.
Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu,* Tharushi D. Ambagaspitiya, Uvinduni I. Premadasa, Narendra M. Adhikari, Adelaide Kruse, Emily Robertson, Shanshan Guan, Lihan Rong, Rigoberto Advincula,b Benjamin J. Bythell, Polymer-Solvent Interaction and Conformational Changes at a Molecular Level: Implication to Solvent-Assisted Deformation and Aggregation at the Polymer Surface, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Volume 616, 15 June 2022, Pages 221-233.
Li, Feifei; Hopwood, Jonathan; Hu, Xiaobing; Ambagaspitiya, Tharushi; Cimatu, Katherine Leslee Asetre; Ciszek, Jacob, Monolayer Induced Changes in Metal Penetration and Wetting for Metal-on-Organic Interfaces, ACS Chemistry of Materials, ACS Chemistry of Materials, American Chemical Society, 2021, 33, 24, 9515-9523
Yasser Saleh Mustafa Alajerami*, David Drabold, M. H. A. Mhareb, Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu, Gang Chen, and K. M. Abushab, , Physica Status Solidi B: Basic Solid State Physics, 21 November 2020.
Md. Rubel Khan掳, Himanshu Singh, Sumit Sharma, Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu*, , The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2020, 11, 22, 9901-9906. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c02517
Katherine Leslee A.Cimatu*, Uvinduni I.Premadasa掳, Tharushi D.Ambagaspitiya掳, Narendra M.Adhikari掳, Joon Hee Jang, , Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2020, Volume 580, 15 November 2020, Pages 645-659.
Y. S. Alajerami*, D. A. Drabold, M. Mhareb, Kashi N. Subedi, Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu, and Gang Chen, Physical, structural, and shielding properties of cadmium bismuth borate-based glasses, Journal of Applied Physics 127, 175102 (2020);
Y.S. Alajerami*, D. Drabold, M.H.A. Mhareb, Katherine Leslee A.Cimatu, Gang Chen, M.Kurudirek, Radiation shielding properties of bismuth borate glasses doped with different concentrations of cadmium oxides, Ceramics International, Volume 46, Issue 8, Part B, 1 June 2020, Pages 12718-12726,
Md. Rubel Khan掳, Uvinduni I. Premadasa掳, Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu*, Role of the cationic headgroup to conformational changes undergone by shorter alkyl chain surfactant and water molecules at the air-liquid interface, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2020, Volume 568, 15 May 2020, Pages 221-233, (Inside Cover: Vol 570)
Romelyn Obiles掳, Uvinduni I. Premadasa掳, Paul Cudia, Uriel Joseph Erasquin掳, Jenna M. Berger掳, Imee Su Martinez*, and Katherine Leslee Asetre Cimatu*, , Langmuir, 2020, 36, 1, 180-193, Publication Date: December 15, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b02927
Uvinduni I. Premadasa掳, Narendra M. Adhikari掳, and Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu*, , J. Phys. Chem. C, 2019, 123, 46, 28201-28209, DOI:10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b07816
Narendra M. Adhikari掳, Uvinduni I. Premadasa掳, Zachary J. Rudy掳, and Katherine Leslee A. Cimatu*, , Applied Spectroscopy, 2019, 0, 0, 1-14, DOI: 10.1177/0003702819857139
Jeeranan Nonkumwong, Joseph Uriel Erasquin掳, Kurt Waldo Sy Piecco, Uvinduni I. Premadasa掳, Ahmed M. Aboelenen, Andrew Tangonan, Jixin Chen, David Ingram, Laongnuan Srisombat*, and Katherine Leslee Asetre Cimatu*, , Langmuir, 2018, 34, 43, 12680-12693 Published DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b01333
Lei Wang, Joseph Pyle, Katherine Cimatu*, Jixin Chen*, "," Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry Vol 367, 1 December 2018, Pages 411-419.
Uvinduni I. Premadasa, Negar Moradighadi, Kondalarao Kotturi鈥, Jeeranan Nonkumwong, Md. Rubel Khan, Marc Singer, Eric Masson*, and Katherine L. A. Cimatu*, 鈥 Solvent Isotopic Effects on a Surfactant Headgroup at the Air鈥揕iquid Interface.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C, 2018, 122 (28), pp 16079鈥16085. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b03680
Ali Asghari Adib, Saeed Nazemidashtarjandi, Alexander Kelly, Adelaide Kruse, Katherine Cimatu, Allan E. David and Amir M. Farnoud*, Engineered silica nanoparticles interact differently with lipid monolayers compared to lipid bilayers, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2018,5, 289-303 10.1039/C7EN00685C (Journal Cover)
Narendra M. Adhikari, Uvinduni I. Premadasa, and Katherine Leslee Asetre Cimatu* 鈥淪um frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy of methacrylate-based functional monomers at the hydrophilic solid鈥搇iquid interface,鈥 Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, pp 21818-21828 DOI: 10.1039/C7CP03113K
Uvinduni I. Premadasa, Narendra M. Adhikari, Susil Baral, Ahmed M. Aboelenen, Katherine Leslee Asetre Cimatu*, 鈥淐onformational Changes of Methacrylate- Based Monomers at the Air-Liquid Interface Due to Bulky Substituents.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C, 2017, 121 (31), pp 16888鈥16902 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b05433
Stephanie C. Chan, Joon Hee Jang, Katherine A. Cimatu*,鈥Orientational Analysis of Interfacial Molecular Groups of 2-Methoxyethyl Methacrylate Monomer Using Femtosecond Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.鈥 J. Phys.Chem. C 2016, 120, 29358鈭29373.
Katherine A. Cimatu*, Stephanie C. Chan, Joon Hee Jang, Kasey Hafer., 鈥淧referential Organization of Methacrylate Monomers and Polymer Thin Films at the Air Interface Using Femtosecond Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C. 2015, 119, 45, 25327-25339.
Cimatu, Katherine A., Mahurin, Shannon M., Meyer, Kent A. and Shaw, Robert W., 鈥淣anoscale Chemical Imaging of Zinc Oxide Nanowire Corrosion.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C, 2012, 116, 10405鈥10414.
Sagle, Laura B., Cimatu, Katherine A., Litosh, Vladislav A., Liu, Yi, Flores, Sarah C., Chen, Xin, Yu, Bin, and Cremer, Paul S., 鈥淢ethyl Groups of Trimethylamine N-Oxide Orient Away from Hydrophobic Interfaces.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 18707鈥18712.
Cimatu, Katherine A. and Baldelli, Steven ,鈥淐hemical Microscopy of Surfaces by Sum Frequency Generation Imaging鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C 2009, 113, 16575-16588.
Hernandez, M., Chinwangso, P., Cimatu, K., Srisombat, L., Lee, T. R., and Baldelli, S.,"Chemical Imaging and Distribution Analysis of Mono-, Di- and Tri-chelating Alkanethiol Self-assembled Monolayers on Gold by Sum Frequency Generation Imaging Microscopy." J. Phys. Chem. C, 2011, 115, 11, 4688鈥4695.
Cimatu, Katherine, Moore, Justin, Barriet, David, Chinwangso, Pawilai, Lee, T. Randall and Baldelli, Steven. , 鈥淪um Frequency Generation Imaging of -OCH3, -CH3, -C=C, -phenyl, cyclopropyl and fluoro terminated 渭-CP SAMS on Au.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C. 2008, 112, 14529-14537.
Cimatu, Katherine and Baldelli, Steven ,鈥淐hemical Imaging of Corrosion: Sum Frequency Generation Imaging Microscopy of Gold Surface in Cyanide.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 8030-8037.
Hedberg, Jonas, Leygraf, Christofer, Cimatu, Katherine, and Baldelli, Steven. 鈥淎dsorption and Structure of Octadecanethiol on Zinc Surfaces As Probed by Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy, Imaging, and Electrochemical Techniques.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C. 2007, 111, 11751-11755.
Cannara, Rachel J., Brukman, Matthew J., Cimatu, Katherine, Sumant, Anirudha V., Baldelli, Steven and Carpick, Robert W. 鈥淣anoscale Friction Varied by Isotopic Shifting of Surface Vibrational Frequencies.鈥 Science 2007, 318, 780.
Cimatu, Katherine, Moore, Justin, Lee, T. Randall and Baldelli, Steven 鈥淚maging of Microcontact Printed Monolayers Generated from Aliphatic Dithiocarboxylic Acids with Sum Frequency Generation Imaging Microscopy: Contrast Based on Terminal Group Orientation.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C. 2007, 111, 11751-11755.
Cimatu, Katherine and Baldelli, Steven 鈥淪patially Resolved Surface Analysis of Octadecanethiol Self-Assembled Monolayer on Mild Steel Using Sum Frequency Generation Imaging Microscopy.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. C 2007, 111, 7137-7143.
Cimatu, Katherine and Baldelli, Steven 鈥淪um Frequency Generation Imaging Microscopy of CO on Platinum.鈥 J. Am. Chem. Soc 2006, 128, 50, 16016-16017.
Cimatu, Katherine and Baldelli, Steven 鈥淪um Frequency Generation of Microcontact-Printed Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers.鈥 J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 4, 1807-1813.