About

Professor Rafael Verduzco is a faculty member in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. He serves as the Principal Investigator of the Verduzco Laboratory, which focuses on developing polymeric materials for applications in energy, remediation, and sensing. His research group includes postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students working on various projects such as bioelectronic devices, ion-selective membranes, polymer hydrogels, covalent organic frameworks (COFs) for ion transport and remediation, and membranes for ion separations. Professor Verduzco's work aims to advance the understanding and engineering of polymer-based materials to address challenges in environmental and energy-related fields.

Research topics

• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Organic chemistry
• Composite material
• Chemical engineering
• Engineering
• Waste management
• Electrical engineering
• Psychology

Selected publications

• Real-Time Bioelectronic Sensors based on Electroactive Bacteria with Organic Electrochemical Transistors

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Real-time bioelectronic sensors based on electroactive bacteria with organic electrochemical transistors

  Biosensors and Bioelectronics · 2026-05-14

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Quinone‐Grafted Chitosan Polymers Enhance Microbial Extracellular Electron Transfer for Living Bioelectronic Devices

  Advanced Materials · 2026-01-29

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Microbial bioelectronics using electroactive bacteria provide robust and sustainable solutions for sensing, power generation, and chemical production. While most rely on a limited group of Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-positive species offer devices with additional functionality and broader environmental ranges. However, their thick, nonconductive cell walls hinder efficient extracellular electron transfer (EET). Here, a living bioelectronic device using a redox-active polymer to encapsulate Gram-positive bacteria near an electrode while simultaneously enhancing EET is reported. The redox-active polymer NQ-Chit contains naphthoquinone redox groups grafted onto a chitosan backbone and can be ionically cross-linked to produce redox- active hydrogels. To fabricate living bioelectronic devices, NQ-Chit is blended with the Gram-positive bacterium Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, deposited on an electrode, and ionically cross-linked in situ. The NQ-Chit hydrogel enhances EET current compared to both pure Chit-encapsulated bacteria and planktonic bacteria with NQ-Chit-coated electrodes, and Michaelis-Menten kinetics can describe the dependence of EET current on the concentration of quinone units. The devices remain functional after multiple medium exchanges. Additionally, the redox polymer enhances EET across diverse electroactive bacteria and enables a proof-of-concept for detecting environmental chemicals. This work demonstrates that encapsulating electroactive bacteria with redox-active hydrogels enhances EET and can be implemented in practical bioelectronic devices.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Tuning Thermal Stability through Dopant Size in Chemically Doped DPP–Thiophene Polymers

  Chemistry of Materials · 2026-02-20

  articleOpen access

  Molecular doping of conjugated polymers (CPs) is a key strategy for improving the performance of organic electronics devices, particularly thermoelectrics. Doped donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers, characterized by a tunable energy gap between the Fermi level and the transport band, show great promise in achieving high electrical conductivity (σ) while preserving a favorable Seebeck coefficient (S). Despite the promising performance enhancement of chemically doped D–A polymers, their thermal stability remains largely underexplored, a crucial consideration for the long-term operation of organic thermoelectric devices. In this study, we investigated the dopant size-dependent thermal stability of a diketopyrrolopyrrole-thiophene (DPP-T) D–A copolymer, utilizing two p-dopants: 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) and Mo(tfd-CO2Me)3. Temperature-dependent UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy revealed that DPP-T/F4TCNQ is more prone to dedoping under a high temperature thermal stress than DPP-T/Mo(tfd-CO2Me)3. Although the F4TCNQ doped polymer shows higher initial in-plane conductivity than its Mo(tfd-CO2Me)3 counterpart, it undergoes a conductivity loss of more than an order of magnitude after annealing at 120 °C for 30 min. In contrast, the in-plane conductivity of DPP-T/Mo(tfd-CO2Me)3 remains stable under the same thermal conditions. Thermogravimetric analysis ruled out dopant sublimation as a primary contributor to dedoping, leading us to attribute the conductivity loss in F4TCNQ-doped DPP-T to dopant phase separation and migration. This observation was further confirmed by X-ray scattering studies and nanoscale infrared microscopy and spectroscopy studies. This work could provide further insights into the thermal stability of doped conjugated polymers and suggests that incorporating bulkier dopants is an effective strategy to enhance the thermal robustness of doped DPP-type systems.

  PublisherDOI

• Light‐Mediated Synthesis of Degradable Polymers With Complex Architectures Using α‐Lipoic Acid as a Cleavable Comonomer

  Macromolecular Rapid Communications · 2026-03-15

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  The annual global production of polymeric materials is approaching 500 Mt, and the disposal and recycling of these polymers remains a significant challenge due in large part to the persistence of backbone carbon-carbon bonds, which require extreme conditions to degrade. A potential solution is to design polymers that are robust and stable during normal use but can be degraded on demand and enable new strategies for degradation and recycling. Herein, we present a versatile light-mediated synthetic approach to prepare degradable polymers, including both linear and nonlinear architectures. Our approach involves the controlled radical polymerization via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) of various vinyl monomers along with 1,2-dithiolane-based comonomers, which introduce disulfide bonds into the polymer backbone, enabling efficient degradation. Similar to conventional photoiniferter RAFT polymerization, light initiates the copolymerization and simultaneously generates thiyl radicals that react with growing chain radicals to propagate the polymerization. We demonstrate through the use of 1,2-dithiolane-functionalized inimers and selective excitation of CTAs that we can produce nonlinear polymers, including hyperbranched and graft polymers. This mild and versatile approach offers a promising strategy for designing and synthesizing degradable polymers with tailored architectures.

  PublisherDOI

• ABSTRACT NUMBER: ESOC2026YS286 MICROPLASTICS IN CEREBRAL THROMBI RETRIEVED DURING MECHANICAL THROMBECTOMY: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY USING A NOVEL TECHNIQUE

  European Stroke Journal · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Background and aims Characterization of cerebral thrombus composition has emerged as a promising avenue for improving our understanding of thromboembolic stroke etiology. Recent studies have identified microplastics in multiple human tissues, and experimental evidence suggests that microplastics may induce inflammatory cascades contributing to atherosclerosis and thrombogenesis. However, the presence of microplastics within cerebral thrombi has not been systematically explored. In particular, the feasibility of detecting microplastics in archived formalin-fixed thrombus specimens remains unknown. This study aims to assess the feasibility of identifying and characterizing microplastics in preserved cerebral thrombi retrieved during mechanical thrombectomy. Primary outcomes will include the presence, type, and quantity of microplastics detected within cerebral thrombi. Secondary analysis will explore associations between microplastic content in those who received thrombolytic therapy, baseline stroke severity, and selected clinical and procedural variables Methods This retrospective study will analyze preserved formalin-fixed cerebral thrombi collected from patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke. Thrombus samples will be examined for microplastic content using a combination of novel deparaffinization techniques, complemented by mass spectrometry-based analysis for material characterization. Relevant clinical, radiological, and procedural data will be extracted from medical records. Results Thrombi samples for the study are already processed on slides and stored in our facility. Currently working with Rice University to develop a combination technique for analysis. Conflict of interest Nothing to Disclose

  PublisherDOI

• Effect of operating temperature on vapor permeability of porous hydrophobic membranes used in membrane distillation

  Journal of Membrane Science · 2025-08-21 · 10 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Spatiotemporally Controlled Soft Robotics with Optically Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomers

  Advanced Intelligent Systems · 2025-04-15 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Light‐responsive materials enable the development of soft robots that are controlled remotely in 3D space and time without the need for cumbersome wires, onboard batteries, or altering the local environment. Azobenzene liquid crystal polymer networks are one such material that can move and deform in response to light actuation. Previous works have demonstrated azo‐based soft robotic grippers and transporters that are remotely powered by light. However, highly adaptive, automated spatiotemporal optical control over these materials has not yet been realized. Herein, a system for an azobenzene liquid crystal elastomer soft robotic arm is created by dynamically patterning light for independently maneuverable joints. The nonlinear material response to optical actuation is characterized, and the broad actuation space is explored with diverse arm configurations. A neural network is trained on the arm configurations and corresponding laser pattern to automate the pattern generation for a desired configuration. Finally, the azobenzene liquid crystal elastomer arm demonstrates complex targeted motion, marking an important step toward optically actuated soft robotics with applications ranging from optomechanics to biomedical tools.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bioelectrochemical crossbar architecture screening platform for extracellular electron transfer

  Device · 2025-11-05

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Spatiotemporally Controlled Soft Robotics with Optically Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomers

  Advanced Intelligent Systems · 2025-06-01

  articleOpen access

  Spatiotemporally Controlled Soft Robotics Artistic depiction of a robot with optically responsive liquid crystal elastomer limbs kicking a soccer ball in a grass field. The bending joints of the limbs are controlled remotely by front and back laser beams. The robotic face shield displays the schematic of a neural network collecting the limb configuration by machine vision and adjusting the laser patterns for desirable actions. More details can be found in article number 2500045 by Hanyu Zhu and co-workers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Solution Processing with Entropy-Controlled Stratification of Architecturally-Complex Polymer Blends

  NSF · $268k · 2020–2022

• Collaborative Research: Next-Generation Simultaneously Ion- and Electron-Conducting Block Copolymer Binders for Battery Electrodes

  NSF · $200k · 2016–2019

• Collaborative Research: Universal Processing Approaches for Functional Brush-like Polymer Surfaces

  NSF · $236k · 2016–2020

• Collaborative Research: Hybrid Block Copolymer Electrodes for Electrochemical Energy Storage

  NSF · $197k · 2013–2016

• Collaborative Research: Block Copolymer Compatibilizers for Controlled Morphology and Interfacial Properties in Polymer-Fullerene Blends

  NSF · $232k · 2013–2016

Frequent coauthors

• Kunlun Hong

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  43 shared

• Gregory S. Smith

  University of Cape Town

  41 shared

• Wei‐Ren Chen

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  41 shared

• Yun Liu

  41 shared

• Lionel Porcar

  41 shared

• Paul D. Butler

  National Institute of Standards and Technology

  41 shared

• Pulickel M. Ajayan

  Rice University

  34 shared

• Linda J. Magid

  NIST Center for Neutron Research

  25 shared

Labs

• Verduzco LaboratoryPI

Awards & honors

• CTE Faculty Fellow (2022-25)
• American Physical Society Fellow, Division of Polymer Physic…
• ACS Stanley C. Israel Regional Award (August 2024)
• George R. Brown Superior Teaching Award (April 2021)
• Rice Research + Teaching University Award (May 2020)