Before Shatha’s project, there was a “gap in scientific literature concerning surface patterning of solids and the interactions between molecules in thin films.”

Shatha explored the interactions between surfactant molecules when deposited onto solid surfaces. These interactions resulted in phase-separation between different molecules, and Shatha found that there are several factors which affect this process: temperature, surface pressure, chain length, and time.

“These factors govern the pattern obtained on surfaces,” says Shatha. “We found that the domains forming these patterns form and grow as a function of time according to Ostwald Ripening.”

Her work has been highlighted in Langmuir, the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science and the Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena, and has been presented at conferences in Halifax, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Boston. Additionally, Shatha’s work was featured in the 2009 Veeco Calendar, a widely-distributed calendar for scientists working in surface chemistry.

Dr. Shatha E. Qaqish

Ph D. University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Chemistry
M. Sc. in Chemistry, Hashemite University, Jordan (2004)
• B. Sc. in Chemistry, Hashemite University, Jordan (2001)

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