Former PhD student who worked on polymer nanotribology.
Photograph of Maryam Raftari.

Maryam came to Sheffield in October 2008 from Tehran, where she graduated with a Masters degree in physics from Sharif University in 2007. Prior to Sharif, Maryam studied at the Islamic Azad University, also in Tehran. At Sheffield she is working in collaboration with Professor Graham Leggett of the Department of Chemistry on a project to understand the nanoscale phenomena involved in tribology, i.e. the study of friction. Polymer surfaces present an interesting challenge for friction because of their varied and controllable proerties. Their interaction with small asperities, such as that of an atomic force microscope tip are not fully understood. Maryam is studying the interactions between functionalised (and non-functionalised) AFM tips and polyelectrolyte brush-coated surfaces. This work, funded by the EPSRC also involved, Jason, who, although still working with Graham, has returned to my group. On Monday April 08, 2013 Maryam successfully defended her thesis in an amazing 6 (six) h examination by her examiners, Dr Anthony Higgins (Swansea University) and Dr Ashley Cadby (University of Sheffield).

Having completed her PhD, Maryam left for postdoctoral work in the United States. Sadly, after a long illness, Maryam passed away on September 9, 2021. She will not be forgotten.

Professor Graham Leggett's research group

Dr Anthony Higgins

Dr Ashley Cadby

Publications

M. Raftari, Z. J. Zhang, S. R. Carter, G. J. Leggett, and M. Geoghegan "Salt dependence of the tribological properties of a surface-grafted weak polycation in aqueous solution" Tribol. Lett. 66 11 (2018)

M. Raftari, Z. J. Zhang, S. R. Carter, G. J. Leggett, and M. Geoghegan "Nanoscale contact mechanics between two grafted polyelectrolyte surfaces" Macromolecules 48 6272-9 (2015)

M. Raftari, Z. Zhang, S. R. Carter, G. J. Leggett, and M. Geoghegan "Frictional properties of a polycationic brush" Soft Matter 10 2759-66 (2014)

Oral presentations

American Physical Society March meeting, Boston, USA, February 2012

Materials Research Society Fall meeting, Boston, USA, November 2011

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