All colloquia are in Room 301 of Old Engineering, unless
otherwise indicated.
- Tuesday June 17, 2008, 16:30, Room 231
- Light Sensitive Film Forming Polymer
for Tissue Engineering Application
- Monica Apostol
- Prelim
- Comm: George, Pernodet, Rafailovich
- Monday, May 5, 2008, 15:30, Room 231
- Bubble Formation During Impact of
Molten Metallic Droplets on Substrates
- Meng Qu
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gouldstone, Longtin, Sampath, Venkatesh
- Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 14:00
- Analysis of Surface Layer Effects in Spherical Contact
- Jae Hun Kim
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gouldstone, Korach, Sampath, Venkatesh
- Monday March 17, 2008, 13:00
- Defect Structures in Silicon Carbide Bulk Crystals, Epilayers and Devices
- Yi Chen
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Dudley, Gambino, Huang, Wang
- Friday February 15, 2008, 10:00
- Electrospun Conducting Polymer Composites for
Chemo-Resitive Environmental and Health Monitoring Applications
- Aisha Bishop
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gouma, Halada, Rafailovich, Zhang
- Friday February 1, 2008, 13:00
- Tribological Pproperty and Neutron Reflectively Analysis
of Swelling Polyelectrolyte Brushes Under the Wet Condition
- Prof. Motoyasu Kobayashi
Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering
Kyushu University, Japan
- Abstract:
Polymer chains tethered on a flat surface with a sufficiently high
surface density are called as "polymer brushes". They serve as
extremely effective lubricants, producing a very low friction
coefficient. Especially, the water lubrication systems using
polyelectrolyte or hydrophilic polymer brushes have attracted much
attention because of its applications to medical implant devices
such as artificial joints as well as environmentally friendly
technologies. This study investigates the relationship between
brush structure and frictional properties of polyelectrolyte
brushes immersed in aqueous solution. High-density polyelectrolyte
brushes on silicon wafer were prepared by surface-initiated atom
transfer radical polymerization of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl
phosphorylcholine (MPC) and N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate,
which was transformed to 2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium
iodide (META) salt by methyl iodide. These charged polymer brushes
showed low friction coefficients in humid air and in water by
sliding a glass ball under loading of 0.49 N at 298 K. Swollen
structures of polyelectrolyte brushes immersed in various
deuterated solvent were analyzed by neutron reflectivity.
- Friday, December 21, 13:30 (note time change)
- Gold Nanoparticles Toxicity for Human Dermal Cells
- Tatiana Mironava
- Prelim
- Comm: Pernodet, Rafailovich
- Monday, December 17, 2007, 10:00, Light Engineering, Room 250
- On the Role of Particle State and Substrate Parameters
on the Phase Evolution of Thermally Sprayed Ceramic Oxides
- Jose Colmenares
- Prelim
- Comm: Herman, Welch, Sampath
- Wednesday, December 12, 2007
- Durability of the Carbon Fiber/Vinyl Ester Interphase:
- A Surface and Interface Study
- Christopher Young
- Prelim
- Comm: Clayton, Tobin, Venketesh
- Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 3:45, Room 231
- Polymerization in Complex Fluids
- Eric W. Kaler, PhD
Provost & Senior Vice President
Stony Brook University
- Abstract:
Polymerization reactions can be carried out in microstructured fluids,
namely microemulsions and vesicular solutions, to yield novel polymer
molecules and nanostructures. Microemulsions are equilibrium phases that
contain immiscible liquids such as oil and water stabilized by a
surfactant film. They are of both scientific and great practical
interest. We have carried out polymerization of several monomers in
oil-in-water microemulsions and have produced very stable monodisperse
latices with particle sizes as small as 10 nm. Fast polymerization rates,
high conversions and ultra-high molecular weight polymers are achieved
with both oil-soluble and water-soluble initiators. A theory of the
process will be described along with confirmatory novel small angle
neutron scattering experiments. Further analysis isolates the effects of
monomer water solubility, glass transition temperatures, and termination
processes on the polymerization pathways. A fairly complete description
of the process is in hand.
Closed spherical polymer shells can be synthesized via polymerization of
monomers taken up in closed surfactant bilayers called vesicles. Typical
vesicle dispersions are formed by mechanically disrupting a lamellar
phase, but vesicles form spontaneously in mixtures of cationic and anionic
surfactant. Proper use of surfactant mixtures avoids syntheses of
specialized surfactant molecules, and indeed the electrostatic
interactions of anionic and cationic surfactants makes available a rich
variety of microstructures. The unilamellar vesicles that form
spontaneously can be used as templates or molds for polymerization
reactions, and the resulting products are characterized by Cryo-TEM and
scattering experiments.
- Friday, December 7, 2007, 10:00
- Biomarker Sensing using Nanostructured Metal Oxides Sensors
- Krithika Kalyanasundaram
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Clayton, Gouma, Kubinski, Mahajan
- Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 13:00
- Aspects of the Nanomechanics of Polymers,
Polymer Nanocomposites and Nanostructures
- R.C. Picu
Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Abstract:
This talk will address aspects of the nanoscale mechanics of neat and
filled polymers. Results from an investigation of the origins of stress in
polymeric materials will be presented first. It will be shown that stress
production in polymers is not of a different nature than in all other
materials, as proposed by the current entropic spring theory. The
entropic and scaling properties follow from the atomic scale particle
interactions and from chain connectivity. We propose a new description of
stress production which is substantiated by atomistic simulations. Insight
obtained from molecular modeling of chain dynamics in polymers filled with
nanoparticles will be presented next. The influence of the filling
fraction, filler size and filler-polymer interaction on chain structure
and dynamics and the way this physics reflects in the macroscopic rheology
of the melt will be discussed. The talk will end with an overview of our
experimental program on size effects in the mechanical behavior of
materials. To unravel such effects, we developed a class of nanostructures
which are subjected to pre-defined stress states applied monotonically of
cyclically. Examples will be given showing that materials that are
brittle, rate insensitive and fatigue insensitive at the macroscopic
scale, may exhibit fatigue sensitivity and inelastic rate dependent
behavior at the nanoscale.
- Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 15:00, Room 213
- Use of Biofuel Blends for Heat and Energy Production
- C.R. Krishna
Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Abstract:
Biofuels are becoming more widely used because of state and federal
requirements, increasing cost and scarcity (?) of petroleum fuels,
concerns about the environment (global warming etc.). Biofuels include
ethanol, biodiesel, biooils, etc... Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has
been researching the use of biodiesel and biooil blends for heat and
energy production for the last several years. Biodiesel blends in heating
oil have been tested in small boilers used and in commercial boilers used
for heating. Blends in residual oils have also been tested for application
in large boilers firing heavy oil. More recently, biooil blends in
residual oils are being researched for application to power generation
boilers. Also recently, research is being conducted into the use of
biodiesel blends in diesel/heating oil in microturbines that can be part
of a combined heat and electric power system. The presentation will give
some results from these activities, and will highlight some of the
unexpected results from the use of biodiesel blends in these systems in
contrast to their use in diesel engines. Some of the potential
difficulties in the use of these fuels will also be indicated.
- Monday, November 19, 2007, 10:00 a.m
- In-Situ formation and Microscopic Characterization
of Methane Hydrates in Host Sediments
- Prasad Kerkar
- Prelim
- Comm: Dudley, Koga, Mohajan, Rogers
- Monday, November 12, 2007, 10:00
- Inelasticity in Metallic Thermal Spray Coatings:
Continuum and Micromechanical Approaches
- Wanhuk Brian Choi
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gouldstone, Korach, Matejicek, Sampath, Venkatesh
- Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 13:00
- Development of Materials and Components for
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Advanced Power Plants
- Robert Vaßen, Detlev Stöver
IEF-1, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany
- Abstract:
The presentation will give an overview on the present activities in the
field of energy systems at the IEF-1 at the research center Jülich. The
institute is specialized in the manufacture of materials and components
for energy systems by using powder technology.
One major field of research is the solid oxide fuel cell development in
which Jülich is focused on planar anode supported cells. Both the
development of new, advanced materials and also favorable, cost-
effective processing technologies are major issues. Recent achievements
will be shown.
In the field of the power plant technology especially protective
coatings as thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are developed. In this
field, work is concentrated on new TBC materials with enhanced
temperature capability and on advanced processing methods with improved
microstructures. A rather new field of research in the power plant
technology is the development of membranes for CO2 separation. Results
on the development of oxygen and hydrogen conducting as well as
microporous membranes will be given.
- Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 12:30
- Growth and Superconductivity
of Single Crystals La2-xBaxCuO4
- Genda Gu, PhD
Condensed Matter Physics & Materials Science
Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Abstract:
In 1986, Bednorz and Muller made a great discovery of the high temperature
superconductivity in La2-xBaxCuO4 cuprate materials. Since the discovery
of the superconductivity in high temperature superconducting oxide La2-xBa
xCuO4 , a large number of groups have attempted to grow the single
crystals. However, no single crystal La2-xBaxCuO4 with x > 0.11 has been
successfully grown. I will present the experimental result on the effects
of the growth condition and the compositions of a feed rod on the crystal
growth of La2-xBaxCuO4 in an infrared image floating zone method. Our
result shows that a planar solid-liquid growing interface tends to break
down into a cellular interface when the growth velocity is more than 1
mm/h. When the planar solid-liquid growing interface break down into a
cellular interface, the single crystal size decreases abruptly and the
as-grown rod is not single phase. The large single crystals of La2-xBax
CuO4 with x = 0 to 0.165 has been successfully grown in our group. The
size of those single crystals of La2-xBaxCuO4 with x=0 to 0.165 is 6~8
mm diameter and 150 mm length. The superconductivity transition
temperature Tc of as-grown single crystals of La2-xBaxCuO4 (x=0 to 0.165)
have been measured. The various physical properties have also been studied
[1,2,3].
*This work supported by DOE No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.
[1] Tranquada, J., et al; Nature, 429(2004)534.
[2] Abbamonte, P. et al.; Nature Physics; 1(2005)155-8.
[3] Reznik, D. et al, Nature; 440(2006)1170-3, 27.
- Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 16:00, Room 231, Engineering
- Shedding Light on Surfaces
- Jeffrey T. Koberstein
Vida and Percy Hudson Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Columbia University
- Abstract:
Surface modification strategies are an essential aspect of many
important material applications and have become increasingly
sophisticated. In many cases it is now desirable to control surface
structure and functional group distribution at the nanoscale. The goal
of our research is therefore to gain a fundamental understanding of the
molecular-level design and fabrication of nanostructured functional
surfaces on both soft and hard material substrates with particular
emphasis on creating smart, responsive interphases.
There are several challenges involved with the implementation of
smart surface nanotechnology: one must have molecular design rules, one
must have techniques for precise synthesis of functional organic and
polymeric surface molecules, one must have some method to assemble these
molecules at surfaces with controlled nanostructure, and finally, one
must provide an energy source if the surface is to show responsive
character. The first part of the presentation presents three rules that
have emerged for the molecular design of functional polymer surfaces :
surface segregation, surface structure and surface reorganization. The
surface tension and surface structures for a number of model functional
polymer systems will be reported to illustrate these principles. A
lattice model is described that is found to provide excellent
predictions of surface properties and structure under essentially all
conditions, including surface reorganization.
Several examples will be presented where the design principles have been
successfully applied to develop design solutions for particular surface
modification problems. These examples show that surface modification
molecules can be designed and synthesized to spontaneously self-assemble
at a substrate surface by simple adsorption form a solution in
supercritical carbon dioxide. Finally, we show that preprogrammed, smart
surfaces can be synthesized that change their properties upon
illumination with light. Photochemical surface modification uses only
photons as reagents and thus is highly controlled, clean, and amenable
to spatial patterning. This new technique allows for surface chemical
patterning by standard photolithographic masking techniques. “Shedding
light” on surfaces is shown to constitute an exciting new method for
preventing the dewetting of polymer films, for creating carbohydrate
antigen microarrays and for the general patterning of a variety of
interesting biological molecules on virtually any surface.
- Tuesday, October 9, 2007, 11:00
- In-vitro Biomineralization Induced by
Self-Assembled Extracellular Matrix Proteins
- Xiao-Lan Ba
- Prelim
- Comm: Qin, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Monday, October 8, 2007, 15:00
- Mimicking Marine-based Natural systems:
A Study of Sediment-hydrate Interactions under in situ Conditions
- Mike Eaton
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Castaldi, Gouma, Mahajan, Rafailovich
- Monday, September 17, 2007, 13:00, Room 231 (Note: room change)
- Flame Retardant Nanocomposite Blends
- Seong-Chan Pack
- Prelim
- Comm: Rafailovich, Schwartz, Sokolov
- postponed to a later undetermined date
- Crystal Growth and Superconductivity Study by Neutron Scattering for La(2-x)BaCuO4
- Wen Jin-Sheng
- Prelim
- Monday, August 27, 2007, 10:00
- Electrospun Fibers for Three-Dimensional Biological Studies
- Ying Liu
- Prelim
- Comm: Clark, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Tuesday, July 31, 2007, 13:00
- A Critical Assessment of the In-Flight Particle State
During Plasma Spraying of YSZ and Its Implications
on Coating Properties and Process Reliability
- Vasudevan Srinivasan
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gouldstone, Herman, Longtin, Sampath
- Friday, July 27, 2007, 11:00
- The Structural Basis of Neural Channel Transport and the Hogkin-Huxley Relation
- Charles Fortmann
Material Science Department
Stony Brook University
- Abstract:
A previously reported relation for charged particle transport in two energy type
gradients is applied to neural ionic transport. One energy type gradient is the
electric field, expressible as a concentration gradient along the axis of
transport. A second energy gradient results from the interaction of the
transporting ion with the neural channel structure. Neural channels are lined
with alpha helix protein secondary structures. It is known that the alpha helix
is filled with water vapor and hydrophobic amino acids arranged to present
minimum water vapor and water-hydrophobic interface. Ions as all point charges
generate enormous electric fields at small distances such as the few nanometers
relevant here. Dielectric striction induces a low energy configuration
characterized by a balance of water a strong dielectric pulled toward the
transporting ion and the neural structure deformation necessary for the water
approach. The second energy type energy gradient is generated by changes in
channel diameter along in the axial direction. The resultant two energy type
gradient relations for ionic transport is shown to reduce to the Hogkin-Huxley
relation as well as to account for recently described deviations from Hogkin-
Huxley relation.
- Friday, July 27, 2007, 12:00
- Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Biomimetric Application
- Jack Lombardi
- Prelim
- Comm: Mammone, Rafailovich, Schwartz, Sokolov
- Tuesday, July 17th, 2007, 16:00
- Rheology and Structure of Thermoreversible Hydrogels
- Jun Jiang
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Chu, Colby, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Monday, June 25, 2007, 14:00, Room 231, Old Engineering
- Bio-compatible nanoparticles and nanoclusters
- Dr. Vishwas Joshi
Nanoprobes Incorporated
- Abstract:
Nanoscience and nanotechnology have been motivated by the growing
importance of very small (d < 50 nm) entities leading to a remarkable
convergence of very diverse fields. We at Nanoprobes (incorporated 1991)
believe that the interface between the 'dry' side of inorganic and organic
nanostructures and the 'wet' side of biology offers enormous opportunities
for science, engineering, and medicine on the nanoscale. Great strides
have been made during the past fifty years in understanding many nanoscale
biological structures that include components of proteins, DNA, RNA, and
lipids. In addition to potential biological applications of nanoparticles,
we also consider implications of water soluble nanoparticles and clusters
in chemistry, applied physics, optics, computational analysis and
modeling, and materials science.
I will begin describing my own introduction to Undecagold, a heavy atom
nanocluster, used for elucidation of structures and functions of
biological macromolecular complexes. I will further describe preparation
and functionalization of various heavy atom nanoclusters and nanoparticles
with biocompatible organic ligands for specific end uses including heavy
atom labels for electron and X-ray microscopy, labels or "tags" for
sensing and bio-recognition using light, fluorescence microscopy, IR and
Raman microspectroscopy, environmentally friendly photo-catalysts and
oxidants, X-ray contrast agents and agents for diagnosis and treatment of
diseases.
I will also briefly discuss some future research opportunities.
- Friday, June 15, 2007, 14:00, Engineering room 231
- Bio-Inspired Programmable Materials Construction
Using Polymers and Nanoparticles
- Dr. Zhi Steven Li
Department of Materials Science & Engineering
and Department of Chemical Engineering
MIT
- Abstract:
Biological systems form sophisticated multi-length scale structures with
tremendous control over the placement of nanoscopic building blocks within
extended architectures. The promise of borrowing from nature's repertoire
for novel material synthesis has led to the pursuit of a variety of
biotemplated and biomimetic strategies. Recently, by using hydrophobic
interactions, hydrogen bonding, and/or electrostatic interactions, many
sophisticated multi-length scale materials have been constructed through
the programmable assembly of polymeric materials and inorganic
nanomaterials. In the first part of this talk, I will cover a few examples
where DNA-based bio-recognition was used as a power tool for the assembly
of inorganic nanomaterials. In the second part, a two-level multi-
component antimicrobial surface coating and a new family of bio-inspired
superamphiphilic free-standing thin films will be discussed. Finally, I
will briefly discuss some related future research opportunities.
- Thursday, June 14, 2007, 14:00, Engineering room 231
- Plasma-Sprayed Tantalum Oxide-Based Coatings
for Environmental Barriers
- Dr. Christopher M. Weyant
Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Northwestern University
- Abstract:
For decades, plasma spray processing has been investigated as a means to
produce thermal barrier coatings for metallic gas turbine engine
components. With the desire to increase turbine inlet temperatures, and
therefore, increase engine efficiency, silicon-based ceramics have been
developed to handle the thermal and mechanical stresses of the
applications. Unfortunately, the protective silica on these ceramics can
be volatilized in water-containing atmospheres at high temperatures.
Plasma spray processing has again been employed to develop environmental
barrier coatings (EBC) to protect these ceramics. Often, a layered system
is considered to meet EBC material requirements including chemical
compatibility, phase stability, and minimal thermal expansion mismatch
with the substrate.
Plasma-sprayed tantalum oxide-based coatings were investigated as a
possible layer in an EBC system due to tantalum oxide’s close coefficient
of thermal expansion with silicon nitride ceramics. Alloying additions
including alumina and lanthana were investigated to enhance the phase
stability of tantalum oxide and minimize grain growth. Optimization of
the plasma-spray process for pure tantalum oxide on as-fired AS800
(commercial silicon nitride ceramic) surfaces produced a well-adhered
coating with ~3% porosity. Pure and alloyed coatings were statically and
cyclically heat treated in order to examine long term effects. Scanning
electron microscopy was used to study micro structural changes and grain
growth. High-brilliance X-rays at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at
Argonne National Laboratory were used to evaluate residual stress and
phase evolution in the coatings. This transmission experiment allowed for
the determination of residual stresses through the thickness of the
coating and also was used to determine stresses in secondary phases. In
situ heat treatment experiments were also conducted at the APS to
investigate phase evolution, internal stress, and thermal expansion of the
coatings.
The alloying additions successfully stabilized the lower-temperature â-
tantalum oxide phase and decreased the rate of grain growth in the
coating. Phase transitions and grain growth in this material would
contribute to the failure of an EBC. Residual stress and micro structural
analysis of thermally-cycled coatings determined that a tantalum oxide
coating alloyed with 1.5 wt.% alumina and 1.5 wt.% lanthana showed promise
as an EBC. Unfortunately, subsequent expose to a high-temperature, water-
vapor atmosphere led to spallation. However, due to its strong adhesion
and thermal compatibility with silicon nitride ceramics, tantalum oxide-
based coatings can still be considered as part of a layered EBC structure
serving as the bond coat.
- Monday, June 4, 2007, 14:00
- Tailored Synthesis of Nanostructured WO3
for Selective Gas Detection
- Wang Li-Sheng
- Prelim
- Comm: Gouma and Tobin
- Monday, May 14, 2007, 09:30
- The Efficacy of Surface Modified Nano Titanium Dioxide
Against Photocatalytic Activity from Ultra Violet Irradiation
- Wilson Lee
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Koga, Maes, Pernodet, Rafailovich, Schwarz
- Wednesday, May 2, 2007, 13:00
- Cr-Containing Nanostructured Hard Coatings
Deposited by PVD Techniques
- Dr. Polychronopoulou Kyriaki
Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering Department
University of Cyprus
- Abstract:
Transition metal (TM) nitrides, carbides, and borides
are extremely popular for tribological applications.
By virtue of their physical, chemical and mechanical
properties (like high hardness, good abrasive and
sliding wear resistance and high temperature
stability) they are widely used for tools, dies,
aerospace, and automotive applications. The increasing
industrial demand for advanced protective thin films
with tailored properties (structure, grain size,
bonding) requires the development of multi-elemental
and/or multi-phase ceramic layers. If grain boundary
sliding or the propagation of dislocations can be
avoided or suppressed by an appropriate design of
nanocrystalline materials with strong grain
boundaries, the strengthening of materials can be
adjusted by extremely small grains; such materials can
reach superhard values. In addition to the bonding
type, which can be modified by the choice of alloying
elements, the nanostructure influences the properties
of hard ceramic coatings.
In our group at University of Cyprus we have been
working on Cr-B-N coatings deposited onto various
substrates by high-rate reactive cathodic arc
evaporation. We demonstrate the correlation between
microstructure and mechanical as well as tribological
properties of hard ceramic coatings. The second part
of the talk will be focused on nanostructured Cr-
(Cu,Al)-N coatings within a wide range of compositions
which have been synthesized using twin electron-beam
evaporation onto different substrates. In this
presentation results from a variety of techniques will
be presented and evaluated: such as XRD, SEM, XPS,
HRTEM, etc.
- Wednesday, April 18, 2007, 13:15
- Porous Ceramics by Nature and by Design
- Katherine T. Faber
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Northwestern University
- Abstract:
Porous ceramics offer a wealth of uses from water treatment
to catalysis to sensors. Processing of porous materials
historically has focused on foaming methods in the liquid
state. Two examples of alternative processing methods for
porous ceramics are presented here, one from natural
materials, the second synthetic, with an eye toward optimal
design.
Silicon carbide, one of the hardest and most refractory
materials known, does not occur in nature. Both silicon
carbide powder synthesis and bulk production are energy
intensive processes, often conducted in excess of 2000ºC.
Only limited processes are available at moderate
temperatures through melt infiltration techniques, and they
offer little microstructural control. An alternative,
specifically used to produce porous SiC, relies on naturally
derived scaffolds (wood). These so-called “biomorphic”
silicon carbides are produced by pyrolyzing wood to create
the carbon scaffold. The scaffold or template is then used
for silicon infiltration and reaction to create versatile
SiC-based cellular materials having porosities of more than
50%.
Thermoreversible gelcasting (TRG) has emerged as another
feasible processing method for porous, complex-shaped
ceramics using a low-viscosity slurry. TRG is a direct
casting method in which a triblock copolymer monomer
solution in solution is used to disperse a low viscosity,
high solids loading ceramic slurry. Fugitive phases are
included to produce the requisite porosity. Gelation is
controlled solely by temperature, as the process uses a
physical rather than a chemical gelation and can be reversed
multiple times. This method has recently been applied to the
processing of porous/dense alumina laminates.
- Brief bio:
Katherine T. Faber currently holds the position of
Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and
Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and
Applied Science at Northwestern University. Her research
interests include fracture of brittle materials, thermal
shock, fatigue, and reliability. She has published
approximately 120 papers and edited one book in the area of
fracture and toughening mechanisms in ceramics, glasses,
electronic materials, cement-based materials, coatings, and
ceramic-matrix composites. Educated at Alfred University
with a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering (1975), she then went on
to the Pennsylvania State University for a M.S. in Ceramic
Science (1978) and to the University of California at
Berkeley for a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering
(1982). She has held the positions of Invited Summer
Employee at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
(1975, 76) and Development Associate at the Carborundum
Company (1978-79) and Visiting Professor of Materials at the
University of California at Santa Barbara (Winter 1996).
Prior to joining the faculty at Northwestern in 1988, she
was Assistant and Associate Professor of Ceramic Engineering
at the Ohio State University (1982-87). Her administrative
positions have included Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
and Research in the McCormick School (1992-97) and Chair of
the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (1998-
2003). Among Professor Faber's awards are the National
Science Foundation's Presidential Young Investigator Award,
Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and of ASM
International, the Charles E. MacQuigg Award for Outstanding
Teaching at Ohio State, the Society of Women Engineers
Distinguished Educator Award, and the YWCA Achievement Award
for Education. She is an ISI Highly Cited Author in
Materials, and currently serves as President of the American
Ceramic Society.
- Friday, April 13, 2007, 13:30
- Control of Surface Structure and Properties of Solid
Surfaces through Surface-initiated Radical Polymerization
- Prof. Atsushi Takahara
Institute for Materials Chemistry and Engineering
Kyushu University, Japan
- Abstract:
Surface-initiated polymerization from a
solid surface is one of the promising methods to
modify wettability, hydrophobicity, and frictional
properties on the surface of inorganic or organic
films, particles, and fibers. During past decades,
controlled radical polymerization technique have been
applied to surface-initiated polymerization system,
giving a tethered polymer with high grafting density
and well-controlled molecular weight, a so-called
"polymer brush". In this study, hydrophilic and
hydrophobic polymer brushes were prepared on the
silicon wafer by surface-initiated atom transfer
radical polymerization (ATRP) of 2-
methacryloyloxyehtyl phosphorylcholine(MPC) and
poly((2-pefluorooctyl)ethyk acrylate) (PFA-C8),
respectively. The formation of polymer brushes was
confirmed by various characterization methods. In the
case of PMPC, the structure at the water interface was
characterized by neutron reflectivity. On the other
hand, the surface ordered structure of fluorooctyl
groups in PFA-C8 brush film was characterized by
grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction. Extremely high
hydrophilicity and low friction coefficient were
observed for PMPC brush. On the other hand, PFA-C8
showed high hydrophobicity with low contact angle
hysteresis.
- Thursday, April 5, 2007, 13:00
- Using Light to Clean up the Environment:
Photocatalysis, Surface Science, Nanotechnology and
Novel Materials for Environmental Protection
- Alexander Orlov, PhD
Chemistry Department
University of Cambridge, UK
- Abstract:
Combining solar light with photocatalysts can destroy a variety
of dangerous pollutants in air and water. Additionally,
photoactive materials are also naturally present in the
atmosphere, having a potential to initiate various atmospheric
reactions. Both natural and engineered photocatalytic systems
can significantly affect the quality of our environment.
However, there are still many challenges concerning the
efficiency and reliability of the materials used in engineered
systems. In this project, various novel photocatalytic
materials, more active than the conventional materials under
both UV and visible light have been developed. These include:
(1) metal nanoparticles modified TiO2 and (b) doped TiO2. The
fundamental and applied aspects of visible-light absorbing
materials in model systems using various surface science
techniques have been also investigated. Finally, naturally
occurring photoactive materials in mineral aerosols and their
effects on air quality have been studied.
- Monday, March 26, 2007, 14:00
- Using Stereochemistry to Control Structure & Rheology:
Teaching Old Biomaterials New Tricks
- Surita Bhatia, PhD
Department of Chemical Engineering
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Abstract:
Soft biomaterials derived from amphiphilic polymers have
received considerable attention in the last decade. The ability
to tune the modulus of implantable materials to match that of
native tissue is crucial for scaffolding applications;
unfortunately, a significant limitation of current polymeric
biomaterials is a lack of mechanical robustness and a low
elastic modulus. I will discuss a collaborative effort to
address these issues using hydrogels of poly(lactic acid)-
poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(lactic acid) (PLA-PEO-PLA) triblock
copolymers. These materials form associative network gels with
the PLA domains serving as network junctions. Our work
distinguishes itself from previous studies through controlled
stereochemistry of the PLA blocks and crystallinity of the
junction points. We can create nanoscale crystalline junctions
through use of copolymers in which the PLA block is poly(L-
lactic acid) (PLLA), or amorphous junctions through copolymers
in which the PLA blocks contain a racemic mixture of D-lactic
acid and L-lactic acid (PRLA). The crystalline junctions in the
PLLA-based gels cause a significant increase in the elastic
modulus over the PRLA gels, allowing us to create gels with
elastic moduli that are an order of magnitude higher than
previously reported with PLA-based associative gels. The
modulus is also very sensitive to PLA block length and can be
easily tuned to match the moduli of native tissue such as
cartilage. We have also shown that crystalline PLA domains lead
to a microporous gel structure, which is useful for tissue
engineering applications, and that PLA block length and
stereochemistry can be used to control the drug release
characteristics of our systems. Finally, we have incorporated
inorganic nanoparticles into these gels and have demonstrated
that this enhances the elastic modulus and improves viability of
encapsulated chondrocytes.
- Bio:
Surita Bhatia's research interests lie in the area of complex
fluids, polymeric gels, rheology, and biomaterials. She
received her B.Ch.E. from the University of Delaware in 1992 and
her Ph.D. in 2000 from Princeton University under the direction
of William B. Russel. After a brief postdoctoral appointment at
the CNRS/Rhodia Complex Fluids Laboratory, Surita joined the
faculty in Chemical Engineering at the University of
Massachusetts. Surita is a recipient of a National Science
Foundation CAREER Award, a Dupont Young Professor Award, and a
3M Nontenured Faculty Award, as well as a UMass College of
Engineering Outstanding Teaching Award and Outstanding Junior
Faculty Award.
- Friday, March 16, 2007, 11:15 AM, 231 Old Engineering
- Complex Modeling: Towards a Solution of the Nanostructure Problem
- Simon Billinge, PhD
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
- Abstract:
It is essential to perform high precision structural characterization at
the nanoscale. Often, even sub-Angstrom changes in inter-atomic bond
lengths have profound consequences for the chemistry and functionality of
these structure-sensitive materials. Crystallographic methods are the gold
standard for atomic structure determination, however a broad and growing
class of materials and/or nanophase morphologies do not yield to a
crystallographic analysis. The scattering is diffuse, and Bragg-peaks
become broad and overlapped. This is "the nanostructure problem" which
currently has no robust solution.
We have made steps toward this goal using atomic pair distribution function
(PDF) analysis of x-ray and neutron scattering. However, this talk will
focus on the shortcomings of this approach and suggested future approaches
to solving the problem. This includes "Complex Modeling" as a paradigm that
will be described.
- Wednesday February 21, 2007, 13:15
- Professor Mary K. Cowman
Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences
Polytechnic University
- Shaping Up The Semiflexible Polysaccharide Hyaluronan:
Random Coils to Ordered Condensates and Assemblies
- Abstract:
The polysaccharide hyaluronan (HA) is a major
component of the vertebrate extracellular matrix, but also
exists in intracellular and pericellular environments. One of
the most noticeable properties of HA solutions is high
viscosity and elasticity. This behavior is important for some
physiological functions of HA, is exploited in biomedical
products with an annual market exceeding $1 billion, and has
sometimes been attributed to network formation. We have
developed a series of semi-empirical expressions for the
physical properties of well-behaved polymer solutions, in
which nonideality is determined by the extent of hydrodynamic
interaction between polymer chains. Using this approach, we
have been able to quantitatively predict the physical
properties of physiological HA solutions, without including
any contribution from self-association or ordered
conformations. The data are compatible with a random coil
polymer configuration. This does not mean that self-
association and ordered structures do not exist under specific
conditions.
Using atomic force microscopy, we have observed a wide
variety of accessible conformations and interaction modes for
HA deposited on surfaces. In the presence of applied force,
HA chains can be pulled into extended single chains and rope-
like fibers. Recoil is inhibited if the chains are deposited
on graphite or on mica that has a pre-formed layer of ice-like
water. When deposited on mica prior to water layer
structuring, relaxed forms of HA can be observed within the
water layer, including loosely helical HA coils having a form
that matches the dilute solution properties. Further
contraction leads to intramolecularly condensed forms,
stabilized by counterion-mediated polyelectrolyte
interactions, ranging from partially condensed pearl necklace
structures to fully condensed thick worms. Intermolecular
association is also frequently observed for HA on many
different surfaces.
The solution and surface properties can be reconciled
by considering the observed conformational repertoire of HA,
the driving forces for their adoption, and the special
features of the surface environment.
- Friday, January 26, 2007, 10:00, Room 231, Old Engineering Building
- Electrospun Nanoscale Polymer Fibers and Their Biomedical Applications
- Yuan Ji
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gersappe, Rafailovich, Schwarz, Sokolov
- Friday, December 15, 2006, 10:00
- Photonic Engineering for Improved Thin Film Solar Cells
- Jose Mawyin
- Prelim
- Comm: Clayton, Fortmann, Gambino, Halada
- Wednesday, December 13th, 2006, 13:30, Room 232
- Mechanotransduction in Bone Regeneration
and its Potentials in Tissue Engineering
- Yi-Xian Qin, Ph.D.
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Stony Brook University
- Abstract:
The ability of bone to adapt to its physical environment has been studied
for well over a century. Bone mass and morphology accommodates changes in
mechanical demands by regulating the site-specific remodeling processes
which consist of resorption of bone, typically followed by bone
formation. Mineral tissues like bone has a well organized, yet complex,
architecture including various channels and porous structures. An
improved understanding such adaptive process, e.g., mechanotransductive
effects, will ultimately serve to benefit treatment regimens for
musculoskeletal diseases, e.g., osteopenia and osteoporosis via
functional interventions.
Dynamic mechanical loading is well known to
stimulate bone adaptation. It has been proposed that load induced
interstitial fluid flow mediated by oscillatory signals plays a critical
role in tissue and cellular remodeling and regeneration. The objective of
this study is to evaluate the role of functional interstitial fluid flow
in bone through experimental and numerical approaches in the in vivo
model. Biological tissue quality assessed by nanomechanical testing and
NMR will be discussed. Mechanosensory and viability of bone cells
associated with biopolymer and membrane, and its potentials in tissue
regeneration and engineering will also be presented.
This work is kindly
supported by NIH, US Army Medical Research, and National Space Biomedical
Research Institute.
- Wednesday, December 13, 2006, 13:30
- Bond Formation in Ultrasonically Welded Aluminum Sheet Metal
- Dan Wilkosz
- Defense
- Comm: Clayton, Sampath, Ward, White
- Friday, December 8, 2006, 13:00
- Complexation and Polymerization:
Interactions of Uranium with Organic Molecules
- Prashant Jha
- Prelim
- Comm: Halada, Sokolov
- Wednesday, 12/06/2006, 12:50
- Contact Fatigue: Classical Phenomenon & Contemporary Descriptions
- Dr. T.A. Venkatesh
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
- Abstract:
Contact fatigue refers to the dynamic contact between two surfaces where
small, oscillatory, sliding displacements occur between the surfaces,
while one or both contacting surfaces are subjected to fluctuating
stresses. In addition to surface damage, repeated contact of surfaces can
lead to a drastic reduction (by a factor of two or more) in the fatigue
endurance limit and orders of magnitude decrease in the fatigue life of a
material from that seen under contact-free cyclic loading alone. Contact
fatigue has been recognized as a complex, multi-stage, multi-axial,
fatigue-fracture phenomenon involving - fatigue crack initiation,
followed by small crack propagation and crack arrest, or continued crack
growth ultimately leading to catastrophic failure, in a diverse set of
components such as aircraft structures, automotive parts, and biomedical
implants. By incorporating the phenomenon of interfacial adhesion in the
mechanics of rounded contacts, a new adhesion model is developed to
predict the conditions of damage initiation under contact fatigue
conditions and validated with experiments. Strategies for enhancing the
contact fatigue resistance of materials through microstructural
modifications are identified. Furthermore, the potential for smart
piezoelectric composites as diagnostic tools in structural health
monitoring are also assessed.
- Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 9:30
- Microstructure, Properties, and Performance
of High Velocity Thermal Sprayed Materials:
and Approach Towards Reliability Attainment
- Alfredo Valarezo
- Prelim
- Comm: Gouldstone, McGilvray, Nakamura, Sampath
- Friday, December 1, 2006, 13:00
- Phononic Engineered Materials
- Samrat Chawda
- Prelim
- Comm: Clayton, Fortmann, Halada
- Monday, November 27, 2006, 14:00
- Cellulose Degradation Products
Used as the Matrices for Uranium Remediation
- Dong Han
- Prelim
- Comm: Gersappe, Halada
- Friday, November 17, 2006, 13:30
- Correlation of Structure and
Properties of Thermoelectri Materials
- Qing Jie
- Prelim
- Comm: Gambino, Li, Sokolov, Zhu
- Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 12:50
- Synthesis and Processing of High-Electroresponse Dielectric Electroactive
Polymer NanoMaterials for Electric Energy Storage and Actuation
- Dr. Cheng Huang
Johns Hopkins University
- Abstract
The study of electric charge storage and dipole polarization phenomena in
dielectric polymer materials and electrostatic field effects caused by
charges is attractive due to the results of the discovery and development
of novel dielectric polymers as potential soft active materials and their
applications to many energy and health sectors of great practical
importance such as capacitors, energy sources, information storage,
artificial muscles and skins, transducers, and BiOMEMS. One challenge is
how to significantly improve the electroactive response of dielectric
polymer materials and tailor their structures and properties to meet
various requirements. By exploiting supramolecular electronic meso-
structures and their related polarization phenomena: dipole spontaneous
polarization and superelectronic polarization, two classes of high-
electroresponse dielectric electroactive polymer nanomaterials have been
developed: relaxor-ferroelectric nano-phase polymers and delocalized
electronic nano-composites. Experimental results show that in nano-
dielectrics, the interfacial exchange coupling has remarkable effect in
enhancing the dielectric and electromechanical responses. By molecular
design and assembly at molecular level and nanoscale, nanoscale control
or nano-manipulation of electric charge and dipole domains finally
results in desired electroresponse through local electric fields: high
and fast polarization responses for electric energy storage and
actuation. These results also indicate the potential of nano-structured
dielectrics and the application of nanoscale phenomena to develop high-
performance electroactive polymers and smart structures for electric
energy capturing, storage, actuation and sensing.
- Wednesday, November 01, 2006, 12:50
- Computer Simulations of Phase Stability and Microstructure
Evolution Using Atomistic Simulation and Phase-field Approaches
- Shenyang Hu
Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Abstract:
Phase-field approach has been emerging as a very powerful
computational tool during the past decade for modeling and
predicting the microstructure evolution in different materials
processes [1] such as solidification, precipitation in alloys,
ferroelectric transformation, dislocation dynamics, and pattern
formation in polymers. With the input of accurate thermodynamic and
kinetic properties, the phase-field modeling can help us to
understand experiment observations, and provide guidance to design
novel materials [2-4]. In this presentation, first I will present
some of my recent works in phase-field simulations, including the
effect of substrate constraint and defects on phase stability,
domain structure and response to applied electric fields in
ferroelectric films, coring structure evolution during to phase
transformation in Pu-Ga alloys, and surface stress driving
morphological instability in films. Then I will talk about
molecular dynamics simulations of thermodynamic properties such as
free energy, melting temperature, interfacial energy, and critical
nucleus. These data are essential for a quantitative phase-field
modeling. Finally, I will briefly introduce my ongoing researches
and future directions.
[1] L.Q. Chen and S.Y. Hu, Phase-field method applied to strain-
dominated microstructure evolution during solid-state phase
transformations, p271-292 in Continuum Scale Simulation of
Engineering Materials: Fundamentals-Microstructures-Process
Applications, eds. D. Raabe, F. Roters, F. Barlat and L.Q. Chen,
2004.
[2] D.A. Tenne, A. Bruchhausen, N.D. Lanzillotti-Kimura, A.
Fainstein, R.S. Katiyar, A. Cantarero, A. Soukiassian, V.
Vaithyanathan, J.H. Haeni, W. Tian, D.G. Schlom, K.J. Choi, D.M.
Kim, C.B. Eom, H.P. Sun, X.Q. Pan, Y.L. Li, L.Q. Chen, Q.X. Jia, S.
M. Nakhmanson, K. M. Rabe, X. X. Xi, Probing nanoscale
ferroelectricity by ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy, Science 313
(2006), p1614-1616.
[3] K.J. Choi, M. Biegalski, Y.L. Li, et al., Giant enhancement
of ferroelectricity in strained BaTiO3 thin films, Science 306
(2004), p1005-1009.
[4] J.H. Haeni, P. Irvin, W. Chang, R. Uecker, P. Reiche, Y. L.
Li, et al., 2004, Room-temperature ferroelectricity in strained
SrTiO3, Nature 430 (2004), p758-761.
- Wednesday, October 25, 2006, 12:30
- Optoelectronic Polymers and Devices
- Dr. Liming Ding
National Center for Polymer Research
Department of Polymer Science & Engineering
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- Abstract:
Photophysical studies of linear conjugated polymers, oligomers,
hyperbranched conjugated polymers, luminescent dendrons, conjugated
polyelectrolyte and PV/PE hybrid conjugated polymers will be
presented. The optoelectronic devices (LEDs and photovoltaic cells)
based on these semiconducting materials have been investigated. The
effects of conjugation length, chromophore concentration,
chromophore aggregation, solvent polarity, temperature, excitation
energy, substitution patterns and thickness on photophysical
properties were systematically studied. Energy transfer phenomena
in polymer blends and interfacial energy transfer in double-layer
LEDs will be discussed. Semiconducting polymers containing electron-
transporting or hole-transporting moieties were developed to
improve the LED performance. Photoactive polymers containing
stilbene or azobenzene chromophore were synthesized. Effects of UV
irradiation on chromophore chemical structure, absorption,
photoluminescence, PL quantum yields, film wettability and thin
film thickness were investigated. Some research background, current
progress and key strategies to improve device performance will be
introduced.
- Wednesday, October 18, 2006, 12:30
- New Experimental and Theoretical Methods for
Characterization of Nanoporous Materials
- Dr. Peter Ravikovitch
Center for Modeling and Characterization of Nanoporous Materials
TRI/Princeton
- Abstract:
Nanoporous materials, with pores in the range from fractions to
tens of nanometers, find novel applications in emerging chemical,
environmental, biomedical, energy, and electronic technologies.
High surface-to-volume ratio and porosity determine their utility
as adsorbents and catalyst supports, encapsulation media, fuel cell
components, low-k dielectric films, gas storage media, sensors, and
bio- and drug delivery systems etc. These revolutionary advances in
synthesis and applications of nanoporous materials call for a
better understanding of sorption and phase transformations in
fluids confined to nanoscale dimensions, and development of
molecular level characterization tools.
The talk will give an overview of recent advances in adsorption
characterization of nanomaterials. We will present new methods for
evaluation of porosity, specific surface area, surface properties,
and pore size distributions based on a combination of high-
resolution adsorption/desorption experiments and molecular density
functional theory modeling. Particular attention will be given to
characterization of novel templated nanostructures with ordered
networks of pores, hybrid micro-mesoporous materials, and
comparison with diffraction/scattering techniques.
- Tuesday, October 17, 2006, 09:30
- Addressing Surface Effects in Spherical Indentation
- Jae Hun Kim
- Prelim
- Comm: Korach, Gouldstone, Sampath
- Tuesday, October 10, 2006, 13:30
- Nanostructural Evolution of Plasma-Sprayed Splats
- Meng Qu
- Prelim
- Comm: Gouldstone, Longtin, Sampath
- Thursday, October 5, 2006, 13:00, Room 231
- Coke Resistant Coating Technology: Ethylene Pyrolysis Service
- Alok Chauhan
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Bai, Clayton, Kandasamy, Sokolov, White
- Wednesday, September 27, 2006, 13:15
- Developing Decarb Energy Carriers:
A Transition to Hydrogen Economy
- Dr. Devinder Mahajan
Group Leader
Energy Sciences & Technology Department
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Professor and Co-Director
Chemical & Molecular Engineering (CME) Program
Stony Brook University
- Abstract:
Petroleum is now referred to as 'Black Oxygen' (New York Times-
August 2005) and rightfully so. Fossil fuels dominated the world
energy scene for the better part of the last century. Though
looming for a while, the present run-up in energy prices is no
surprise to energy experts-it was just a matter of time. As we
struggle to define the new energy landscape in the world,
research in alternative energy sources has been progressing at a
slower pace than it should have been. A case in point is natural
gas with the highest Hydrogen/Carbon ratio (4/1) that can slowly
replace petroleum based economy. Natural gas can be converted
into synthesis gas, primarily a mixture of carbon monoxide and
hydrogen, that can be further processed into fuels, fuel
additives or fuel precursors namely, oxygenates (methanol or
mixed alcohols), hydrocarbons, and hydrogen. These
transformations require specific catalysts but are under constant
improvement to achieve higher process efficiency.
The talk will start with our ongoing research in Methane Hydrate,
a known but still unavailable energy resource that can supply
natural gas for our nation's need for decades. The availability
of natural gas will allow wise utilization of this feedstock and
sets the stage for a 'slow transition to Hydrogen economy'. We
are pursuing the Liquid-Phase Low Temperature (LPLT) approach to
achieve 'Atom Economy', a term that integrates process
efficiency' and waste minimization in processes based on highly
exothermic syngas transformations. The heart of this approach is
designing 'controlled-site' catalysts (single site and nano) that
can deliver high product selectivity and self-repair. Coupled
with this approach are two process components: low temperature
operation in sync with thermodynamics and liquid phase operation
to achieve isothermal conditions, a crucial environment to avoid
hot spots during catalytic cycle and attain high product
selectivity. This integrated approach holds the potential of
achieving essentially total Carbon utility in syngas
transformations. Our latest results pertaining to the LPLT
approach will be presented. The extension of the natural gas
utilization approach to Biomass will also be discussed.
- Friday, September 15, 2006, 12:00
- The Effect of the Nanoparticles on Dynamics of the Polymer Thin Films
and the Biocompatibility of the Implant Materials
- Ja Seung Koo
- Prelim
- Comm: Rafailovich, Schwarz, Sokolov
- Friday, September 8, 2006, 14:00
- Integration of Process Diagnostic and Three Dimensional Simulations in Thermal Spray
- Wei Zhang
- Prelim
- Comm: Gersappe, Sampath, Zheng
- Wednesday, September 6, 2006, 13:00
- Dr. Theodora Krasia-Christoforou
Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
University of Cyprus
- Synthesis, Characterization and Applications
of Functional Polymeric Materials
- Monday, August 21, 2006, 10:00
- Non Contact, In Vivo Digital Image Speckle Correlation Technique
to Measure Skin Mechanical Properties and Muscular Activity
- Isabelle Afriat
- Comm: Cohen, Rafailovich, Sokolov, White
- Monday, August 21, 2006, 14:00
- DNA Adsorption and Separation on Flat and Patterned Surfaces
- Bing-Quan Li
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Halada, Rafailovich, Schwarz, Sokolov
- Tuesday, August 8, 2006, 9:30
- Anisotropic Electrical Properties in Thermal Spray Coatings:
Splat-Boundary Interfaces
- Atin Sharma
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gambino, Gouldstone, Longtin, Sampath
- Thursday, July 27, 2006, 13:30
- Chunhua Li
- Dynamics of Polymer Thin Films on Attractive Solid Surfaces
- Defense
- Comm: ??, ??, ??, ??
- Friday, July 28, 2006, 10:30
- Nanostructured Metal Oxides for Selective Gas Sensing
- Krithika Kalyanasundaram
- Prelim
- Comm: Akbar, Clayton, Gouma
- Wednesday, July 19, 2006, 1:00 pm, Room 231 Old Engineering
- Kinetics, Bubble Equilibriums, and Secondary Protein Structure
Dynamics, the Materials Science Approach to Protein Folding
- C.M. Fortmann
Applied Mathematics Department, Stony Brook University
- Abstract:
A kinetic description of secondary protein structure generation based
upon physical drift and diffusion via change of the Ramachandran
angle is described and applied to Ubiquitin, a medium sized protein
abundant in animal tissue and having varied secondary structures. A
physical model and a simulation bridging the gap between observation
and atom-by-atom energy relaxation are presented. A Markov
simulation employing energy coupled drift mobility to track charge
motion and account for global molecular entropies and enthalpies was
developed and applied. Equilibrium bubble distributions, and
interaction of local electric fields with bubble distributions and
the corresponding conditional application of a two-tier force
distance map used by the simulation provide insight into: alpha
helix, beta sheet, and autonomous folding unit formation via
conditional bubble conveyance of the hydrophobic force. Thermal drift
is included in every time step. Experimentally observed atmospheric
pressure induced volume increase is consistent with a decrease in
probability of a water vapor bubble of a given radius with increasing
pressure. At the onset of folding (of a denatured protein)
incubation time consistent with experiment is found and explained.
Large forces present from the inception of folding require time under
thermal motion to align these large forces with the rotation axis of
the Ramachandran angles. Once folding begins the collapse is fast
and without out trapping errors. The results have broad implication
of to the concept and application of the autonomous-folding-units.
Five hundred microseconds of folding time at laboratory temperature
are simulated in 10 minutes on a desktop comp
- Tuesday, July 18, 2006, 8:45
- Plasma Spray Magnetic and Electronic Functional Oxides
- ShanShan Liang
- Prelim
- Comm: Gambino, Gouldstone, Longtin, Sampath
- Monday, July 10, 2006, 11:00
- Interactions of Proteins in Gels, Solutions and on Surfaces
- Perumal Ramasamy
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Brink, Halada, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Tuesday, June 27, 2006, 14:00
- Extermophile Mediated Hydrogen Production
for Hydrogenation of Substrates in Aqueous Media
- Mouzhgun Anjom
- Prelims
- Comm: Halada, Mahajan, Rojo
- Thursday, June 15, 2006, TBA
- Static and Dynamic Modeling of Electronic Devices
- Juhi Bansal
- Prelims
- Comm: Gersappe, Rafailovich
- Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 14:00
- Mimicking Marine-based Natural systems:
A Study of Sediment-hydrate Interactions under in situ Conditions
- Mike Eaton
- Prelims
- Comm: Castaldi, Gouma, Mahajan, Rafailovich
- Friday 06/02/2006, 14:00, Light Engineering, room 250
- Tailoring the Nanometer-Scale Structure and
Properties of Dilute Semiconductor Alloys
- Rachel S. Goldman
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Michigan
- Abstract:
For many compound semiconductors, the introduction of
impurities at dilute concentrations leads to dramatic
changes in the electronic, optical, and magnetic
properties. For example, the introduction of a few
percent nitrogen into GaAs leads to a band gap
reduction of hundreds of meV. Furthermore, the
incorporation of a few percent manganese into GaAs
enables a combination of semiconducting and
ferromagnetic behavior. The resulting narrow gap
nitride and dilute magnetic semiconductors are
promising for several applications ranging from long-
wavelength light-emitters and high efficiency solar
cells to spin-electronics and spin-optoelectronics.
In both cases, the nanometer-scale details of impurity
incorporation are critical to understanding and
controlling the observed properties. In this talk, I
will discuss our investigations of the growth,
nanometer-scale structure, and properties of dilute
GaAsN and GaMnAs alloys, using nuclear reaction
analysis and cross-sectional scanning tunneling
microscopy, in conjunction with several other
measurements. In the case of GaAsN, I will discuss
the incorporation of N into substitutional vs.
interstitial lattice sites [1], and its effect on
electron transport and optical properties. In the
case of GaMnAs, I will discuss clustering of MnGa and
AsGa point defects [2], and its possible effect on
electronic and magnetic properties.
- [1] M. Reason, H.A. McKay, W. Ye, R.S. Goldman, et al,
APL 85, 1692 (2004).
- [2] J.N. Gleason, M.E. Hjelmstad, V.D. Dasika, R.S.
Goldman, et al APL 86, 011911 (2005).
- This work is supported in part by DOE, NSF, AFOSR,
ONR, TRW, and NASA-Lewis.
- Rachel S. Goldman is an Associate Professor of
Materials Science & Engineering, Applied Physics, and
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at the
University of Michigan (UM). During the 2005-2006
academic year, she is the Augustus Anson Whitney
Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute and the Division of
Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard
University. Goldman received her B.S. degree in
Physics (High Honors with Distinction) from UM in
1988, her M.S. degree in Applied Physics from Cornell
University in 1992, and her PhD in Materials Science
from the University of California, San Diego in 1995.
Following her PhD, she was a postdoctoral fellow in
Physics at Carnegie Mellon University from 1995 to
1996. In 1997, she joined UM as the Dow Corning
Assistant Professor. Goldman’s research interests
are in the atomic-scale design of electronic
materials, with a focus on the mechanisms of strain
relaxation, alloy formation, and diffusion; and
correlations between microstructure and electronic,
magnetic, and optical properties of semiconductor
films, nanostructures, and heterostructures. Goldman
received the AVS Peter Mark Memorial Award in 2002 and
the UM Ted Kennedy Family Team Award in 2004. In
addition, she received an NSF CAREER Award (1998-
2004), a UM Career Development Award (1999), a Poster
Award from the Materials Research Society (MRS)
(2000), and an MRS Graduate Student Award (1994). She
is a member of the Board of Directors of AVS, and the
Past Chair of the Electronic Materials and Processing
Division of AVS, as well as an Associate Editor of
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A and Journal
of Electronic Materials.
- Wednesday, April 5, 2006, 15:00, Light-Eng 250
- Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Technology at GE-Sensors
- Dr. Danielle W. Merfeld
Manager of the Semiconductor Technology Lab
General Electric (GE): Global Research
Niskayuna, NY
- Abstract:
Wide band gap (WBG) semiconductors, such as Silicon
Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN), are the
subjects of intense research due to their unique
material properties. In particular GaN-based
optoelectronic and electronic device applications have
grown spectacularly during the past decade, led by light-
emitting diodes and laser diodes. WBG materials and
devices are the main focus of the Semiconductor
Technology Laboratory at GE’s Global Research Center-
one of the world's most diversified industrial research
labs, providing innovative technology for all of GE's
businesses. With several business interests in mind this
Lab carries out research in the area of optical and
physical (i.e. gas) sensors, UV emitters, high frequency
electronic devices and high power diodes and switches.
This talk will outline some recent accomplishments in
the field of WBG materials and devices with a focus on
sensor device development and their insertion into
systems applications.
- Monday, April 3, 2006, 12:15
- Optical Studies of Crystallinity in Polymer Thin Films and Blends
- Richard S. Stein
Stein is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
and the National Academy of Engineering, and is a Fellow
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He is founder of the Polymer Institute at the University
of Mass at Amherst and recipient of numerous awards
including the Von Hippel Award of the Materials
Research Society, the ACS Borden award, The Japanese
Society of Polymer Science Distinguished Service Award
and the Ford Prize of the American Physical Society.
Stein received his BS in chemistry in 1945 from the
Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. In 1948 he received
his MA and in 1949 his PhD in physical chemistry from
Princeton. He also was honored with a Doctorate of
Science, Honoris Causa, from University of Massachusetts
in 1992.
His research interests accomplishments were summarized
in the Von Hippel statement:
"In recognition of his seminal work in the development
of rheo-optical techniques for polymer characterization
and property assessment, his profound contributions
leading to a fundamental understanding of how polymeric
materials respond to deformation in the melt and solid
states, and his pioneering role in the development of
graduate education in polymer materials."
- Friday, March 17, 2006, 10:30, Room 231
- Studies of Imperfections in 1D and 2D Photonic Crystals
- Dr. Karlene R. Maskaly
Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Abstract:
Reflectors that have periodic dielectric variations in one
or two dimensions, also known as 1D and 2D photonic crystals,
have been widely studied for many potential applications due
to the presence of wavelength-tunable photonic bandgaps.
Such applications include optical resonators, interferometers,
lasers, filters, mirrors, and biological or chemical sensors.
However, the unique optical behaviors of photonic crystals are
based on theoretical models of perfect analogues. Little is
known about the practical effects of dielectric imperfections
on their technologically useful optical properties. Such
imperfections are becoming increasingly prevalent in some of
the currently researched photonic crystal devices. In order
to address this issue, a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD)
code was employed to study the effect of three specific dielectric
imperfections in 1D and 2D photonic crystals. The first imperfection
investigated was dielectric interfacial roughness in quarter-wave
tuned 1D photonic crystals at normal incidence. This study revealed
that the reflectivity of some roughened photonic crystal
configurations can change up to 50% at the center of the bandgap
for RMS roughness values around 20% of the characteristic periodicity
of the crystal. However, this reflectivity change can be mitigated
by increasing the index contrast and/or the number of bilayers in
the crystal. Further FDTD studies were done on the entire normal
incidence bandgap of roughened 1D photonic crystals. These results
revealed a narrowing and red-shifting of the normal incidence bandgap
with increasing RMS roughness. The problem of surface scratches on
1D photonic crystals was also addressed. Although the reflectivity
decreases were lower in this study, up to a 15% change in reflectivity
was observed in certain scratched photonic crystal structures.
However, this reflectivity change can be significantly decreased
by adding a low index protective coating to the surface of the
photonic crystal. In order to explain these computatational results,
the homogenization approximation, which is usually applied to
single rough surfaces, was applied to the roughened/scratched
quarter-wave stacks. The results of the homogenization approximation
matched the FDTD results extremely well, suggesting that the main
role of the roughness features is to grade the refractive index
profile of the interfaces in the photonic crystal rather than
diffusely scatter the incoming light. Additionally, the problem
of acircular pores in 2D photonic crystals was investigated,
showing that almost a 50% change in reflectivity can occur for
some structures. Furthermore, this study revealed trends that
are consistent with the 1D simulations: parameter changes that
increase the absolute reflectivity of the photonic crystal will
also increase its tolerance to structural imperfections. Finally,
the experimental reflectance spectrum from a roughened 1D photonic
crystal was compared to the computationally predicted result for the
same structure. Both the computed and experimental spectra correlate
favorably, validating the findings presented herein. In addition,
I will briefly present some future extensions to this work, including
some additional computational and experimental studies of novel 1D,
2D, and 3D photonic structures.
- Thursday, March 16, 2006, 13:30, Room 232
- Transducer Technology - The Science of Bose Sound
- Dr. X.D. Zhang
Bose, USA
- Thursday, March 16, 2006, 14:30, Room 231
- Colloidal Approaches to Novel Structures and Devices
- Dr. Garry Maskaly
Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Abstract:
Since the development of monodisperse colloidal
particles, they have been used to produce artificial
opaline structures, which are ordered arrays of
nanometer to micron scale particles usually arranged in
an FCC lattice. These structures have been widely
explored, particularly in recent years, in the context
of photonic crystals where they have found much use.
However, the lack of structural diversity imposes
limitations on the usefulness of these colloidal arrays.
The FCC structure does not provide direct pathways
through the material and is not an ideal structure for
photonic crystal applications. A wide variety of
applications would be opened for these colloidal crystal
based devices if more structural control were possible.
Such applications include higher quality photonic
crystal structures and devices including lasers,
controlled filtration devices, and novel catalytic
structures. I present two approaches to increase the
functionality of colloidal devices. The first approach
focuses on tailoring attractive electrostatic
interparticle forces to develop the colloidal equivalent
of ionic crystal structures, termed ionic colloidal
crystals (ICCs). The thermodynamics and kinetics of the
structural formation of ICC structures are studied to
determine what conditions must be met in order for their
formation to occur. We propose, for the first time, the
use of the Yukawa-type potential to model attractive
interactions between particles with a constant surface
charge, allowing a Madelung-type summation to find
minimum energy structures. Conditions of low ionic
strength and relatively low electrostatic forces are
found to be necessary to achieve ICC formation. These
conditions lie in a relatively unexplored parameter
space for colloidal systems, possibly explaining the
lack of previous observations of ICC formation. However,
recently, such conditions have been achieved by
Leunissen et al. [Nature, 2005], experimentally
validating the concept of ICCs. The second approach for
enhancing the functionality of colloidal structures
focuses on producing composite devices by incorporating
active media into opaline materials. The photonic
crystal properties of opaline materials have many
impacts on the behavior of emissive materials contained
within the structure. In particular, we have found that
the optical gain of nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) is
enhanced through incorporation into opaline structures.
These enhancements are targeted toward producing easily
tuned photonic crystal/NQD laser devices. Such increases
in the functionality of ordered colloidal structures
will enable developments in many key technological
areas.
- Thursday, March 16, 2006, 10:00
- Polyaniline Hybrids for Gas Sensing
- Aisha Bishop
- Prelim
- Comm: Gouma, Halada, White, Zhang
- Monday, February 27, 2006, 10:00
- Polymer Nanocomposites with Enhanced Thermal and Mechanical Properties
- Mayu Si
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Halada, Hsiao, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Thursday, February 16, 2006, 10:00
- Cellular Traction Force Measurement
using DISC and FEM
- Zhi Pan
- Prelim
- Comm: Clark, Halada, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Thursday, February 2, 2006, 10:00
- Chemical Vapour Deposition and Characterization of
Silicon Carbide Epitaxial Films
- Yi Chen
- Prelim
- Comm: Dudley, Sokolov, White, Zhang
- Wednesday, February 1, 2006, 9:30
- Inelastic Deformation Mechanisms in Thermal Spray Metallic Coatings
- Brian Choi
- Prelim
- Comm: Gouldstone, Korach, Russo, Sampath
- Monday, January 23, 2006, 13:30
- Characterization of the Defects in 4H- and 6H-SiC Crystals
with Homoepitaxially Grown Layers
- Hui Chen
- Prelims
- Comm: Dudley, Gouldstone, Sokolov, Zhang
- Friday, January 20, 2006, 14:00
- Insights into the Effect of Microstructure Defects
on Thermal Transport Properties of Thermal Sprayed Coatings
- Wei-Guang Chi
- Prelim
- Comm: Gambino, Gouldstone, Longtin, Sampath
- Tuesday, January 17, 2006, 9:30
- Studies of Defects and Strain Relaxation
of III-Nitride Epifilms
- Jie (Nina) Bai
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Dudley, Gambino, Rojo, Xu
- Wednesday, January 5, 2006, 16:30
Synthesis and Characterization of Thermoreversible
Hydrogels from Associating Polymers
- Jun Jiang
- Prelim
- Comm: Chu, Colby, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Tuesday, December 20, 2005, 13:30
- Nanostructured Metal Oxides as Sensor Materials:
Fabrication, Characterization and Applications
- Guan Wang
- Prelim
- Comm: Dudley, Gambino, Halada, Yang
- Friday, December 16, 2005, 14:00
- The Development of an Evnironmentally Friendly
Protective Coating for the Depleted Uranium-07.5 WT% Titanium Alloy
- Donald F. Roeper
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Clayton, Demaree, Halada, White
- Wednesday, December 14, 2005, 10:00
- Interfacial Phenomena in Drops Evaporation
and Nanoparticle/Cell System
- Xiao-Hua Fang
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Rafailovich, Schwarz, Sokolov, White
- Wednesday December 7, 2005, 13:30
- Dr. Joan Carvajal
- Growth and Characterization of RbTiOPO4:(Nb,Ln)
A New Self-Frequency Doubling Crystal
- Abstract:
Compact all-solid-state laser sources (red, green, blue, and UV) are
needed for a variety of applications, such as color projection,
high-density optical data storage, laser printing, underwater
communications, and medicine. A class of these sources is achieved with
up-conversion lasers emitting at a shorter wavelength than the pump
source. An alternative to up-conversion lasing is frequency conversion by
nonlinear optical processes. Self-frequency doubling crystals are
nonlinear optical crystals with suitable sites for laser active ions which
can combine the near infrared laser emission from the active ions with the
second-harmonic generation properties of the host to produce green-laser
radiation by self-frequency doubling.
This talk will discuss about a specific group of materials, the potassium
titanyl phosphate (KTiOPO4) family, doped with lanthanide (Ln) ions.
High-optical quality RbTiOPO4:(Nb,Ln) single crystals have been obtained
with large volumes for technical applications. Their structure has been
refined and the hosts have been characterized optically. The spectroscopic
characterization of the active ions showed that efficient emission can be
obtained at 1.5 and 1.0 B5m of Er3+ and Yb3+, respectively.
- Monday, December 5, 2005, 14:00, Room 232
- The Surface Characterization of Electroceramics
- Dr. Naoki Ohashi
National Institute of Materials Science (NIMS)
Tsubuka, Ibaraki Japan
- Tuesday November 22, 2005, 14:00, Room 231
- The Impact of Nano Titanium Dioxide on Human Cells
- Wilson Lee
- Prelim
- Comm: Maes, Rafailovich, Sokolov, Ulman
- Tuesday November 22, 2005, 15:45, Room 231
- Chemistry at the Art/Science Interface
- Silvia A. Centeno
Department of Scientific Research
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Abstract:
The diagnosis of aging problems of works of art and the development of
conservation or stabilization strategies requires multidisciplinary
analysis of complex systems and innovative problem-solving. Over the past
century this study of artifacts and of the means to repair or stabilize
them has emerged as a specialized discipline called conservation science.
Museums, libraries, and archives worldwide now employ full-time scientists
to provide essential support for the efforts to conserve works of art,
monuments, and to reveal their stories.
Case studies on the application of non-destructive and micro-destructive
techniques to authenticate of works of art and to characterize the
degradation processes of the artists' materials, such as the deterioration
processes that arise from the pigment-binder interactions in traditional
oil paintings or in Medieval manuscripts, will be discussed.
- Wednesday November 16, 2005, 13:30
- Materials Science Faculty Colloquium Series
- Please meet our faculty and explore the research opportunities
within the Materials Science Department.
- Miriam Rafailovich
- Tissue Engineering --- A Materials Science Approach to Biology
Cells interact with their enviroment by sensing both mechanical and
chemical signals. Nanotechnology has given us the ability to molecularly
engineer materials with designer properties. In order to fully exploit
these technologies for the construction of biomimetic artifical tissues, we
must understand the fundamental principals which govern the interaction of
cells and proteins with materials. We must understand the interplay between
mechanical and chemical transduction and the effects of surface
conformation on protein folding. This can only be accomplished within an
interdsciplinary team, where a large variety of complementary techniques
are applied to address multi-faceted problems. We will therefore discuss
the effects of surface charge, dielectric constant, and dimensionality on
protein folding and cellular recognition. Then we will show that even in
the absence of chemical interactions cell function is dramatically affected
by the mechanical properties of their enviroment.
- Wednesday November 2, 2005
Lisa Miller
Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Friday October 28, 2005 - Saturday October 29, 2005
- Mid-Atlantic
American Society for Engineering Education
Conference
- Reinventing Undergraduate Curricula
- Charles Wang Center
- Attendance is free for the Stony Brook Community.
Limited to 100 attendees so please register in advance,
if you plan to attend.
- Contact: hwhite@notes.cc.sunysb.edu
- Speakers:
INTEL, Siemens Westinghouse, College of Staten Island, Manhattan
College, University of Texas at El Paso, Brookhaven National Laboratory,
Morgan State University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania,
Stony Brook University, United State Military Academy, HOFSTRA University,
University of District of Columbia, Eastern Connecticut State University,
Vaughn College, Suffolk Community College, Loyola College, Center for
Science Teaching & Learning, New York Academy of Science, Copper
Development Association, Benet Laboratories, National Action Council for
Minorities in Engineering, Syracuse University, Northrop- Grumman, BAE
Systems, MESOSCRIBE Technologies Inc., EDO Corporation, ZYDOC, and AFCO
Systems.
- Sponsors:
National Science Foundation; College of Engineering & Applied
Sciences; School of Professional Development; New York Chapter, The
Institute of Environmental Testing & Technology; and KLD Labs, Inc.
- Wednesday 10/26/2005, 13:30, Old Engineering 301
- Deformation Processing of L10-Ordering Iron-Palladium Base Intermetallics
- Jörg M.K. Wiezorek
Associate Professor and William Kepler Whiteford Faculty Fellow
Graduate Program Coordinator and Director MMCL
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
University of Pittsburgh
- Abstract:
Similar to Fe-Pt and Co-Pt, alloys based on FePd are of interest for permanent
magnet applications because of the large uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy
associated with the formation of a tetragonal L1o-ordered intermetallic phase,
here gamma1-FePd. The magnetic properties of FePd intermetallics after conventional
processing are rather disappointing due to microstructural effects. Hence,
optimization of the technical properties of FePd ferromagnets requires the
development of a detailed understanding of the phase-transformation and
microstructural transformation behavior as well as of the mechanisms of
magnetization reversal. Here, thermo-mechanical processing, involving cold-work
and annealing at temperatures below the ordering temperature, was used to
control microstructures and to improve properties of FePd. Fe-Pd alloys are
suitable as a model system for the class of L1o-ordering ferromagnets, because
they can be cold-worked in the disordered FCC and ordered L1o state, thereby
enabling systematic comparisons of microstructural evolution during annealing.
This also allows basic investigations of the underdeveloped field of annealing
phenomena in ordering intermetallics. Exploiting the interplay between
recrystallization and the ordering transformation allows for control of
microstructural morphology and scale, producing FePd with sub-micron grain
sizes and up to about 8-fold increased coercivity compared with conventionally
processed material. SEM, TEM and XRD have been used for microstructural
studies, including the determination of texture evolution in these tetragonal
ordered intermetallic alloys. Relationships between processing condition,
microstructure (scale, morphology and texture) and the magnetic properties will
be discussed together with models to rationalize the microstructural evolution.
- Biographical Sketch:
Dr. Jörg Wiezorek joined the faculty of the Department of Materials Science and
Engineering in the fall of 1998 and was promoted to Associate Professor with
tenure in 2004. He received a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Metallurgy from
the University of Cambridge, UK (1994) and a Diploma (M.Sc. equivalent) in
Physics from the University of Münster, Germany (1991). He was a post-doctoral
fellow conducting materials research at the Ohio State University. Currently
his research centers on mechanical and physical phenomena in bulk and thin film
nano-materials with a focus on intermetallics. He has published over 80
articles based on his research and teaches on crystallography, diffraction,
electron microscopy and nano-characterization, structure of solids, dislocation
theory and physical metallurgy. He is an active member of the materials related
professional societies ASM International, TMS, MRS and MSA. He has co-organized
the 46th International Field Emission Symposium, IFES 2000., and is organizing
the 12th symposium on Advanced Intermetallic Alloys to be held during the MRS
Fall Meeting 2006. He received the National Science Foundation CAREER award
(2001), a Visiting Professor appointment at the Institute for Applied Physics
at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland
(2002), the Outstanding MSE Teacher Award (2003), the NCEM Visiting Scientist
Fellowship from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
(2004/06), and the William Kepler Whiteford Faculty Fellowship (2005/07) at
Pitt. He serves as the Director of the Materials Micro-Characterization
Laboratory, Graduate Coordinator for MSE and as a reviewer for numerous
archival journals as well as for national and international funding agencies.
- Wednesday, October 19, 2005, 11:00
- CEAS Dean's Distinguished Lecture
- University and Federal Funding
"Up Close and Personal"
- Craig S. Hartley, Ph.D., P.E.
Emeritus Program Manager, AFOSR
Former Program Manager, NSF
Former Program Manager, DOE
-
Abstract:
As a former university faculty member, university
administrator and program manager in three federal
agencies, Dr. Hartley offers some observations on
the nature of the federal funding process as it affects
university faculty. The observations are based on personal
experiences, and not meant to be policy, yet provide
a unique insight into the relationship between government
agencies that provide research funding to universities
and the faculty who perform the research. A presentation
that covers the proposal solicitation and review processes,
grant administration and reporting procedures will be
followed by a question and answer session. The intention
is to provide a realistic and useful framework within
which faculty can plan and conduct research projects that
merit federal support.
- Friday, October 14, 2005, 13:00
- Synthesis of Functional Oxides through Precursor Plasma Spraying
- Xian-Zhong Guo
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gambino, Gouldstone, Sampath, Zheng
- Tuesday, August 30, 2005, 13:00
- Petrochemical Applications for Ablated Silicon Carbide Coatings
- Alok Chauhan
- Prelims
- Comm: Clayton, Saundaram, Sokolov, White,
- Friday, September 2, 2005, 12:00
- Rheology and Dynamics in Polymeric Nano-Composites
- Eihab Jaber
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gersappe, Rafailovich, Schwartz, Sokolov
- Friday, June 10, 2005, Room 232
- Introduction to e-nose: Headspace Sampling
- Dr. Matteo Falasconi
University of Brescia
Italy
- Abstract:
For any instrumental method, electronic nose included, the initial task
consists of delivering a fraction of the sample to the instrument; this
stage of the measure is termed as sampling. One of the simplest ways in
which a certain sample, e.g. a food product or a biological sample, can be
studied is to investigate the volatile compounds present in it. To do this,
the operator should create a system in which the original sample (either
liquid or solid) is in a closed container and an equilibrium condition,
between the sample proper and the gas phase above it, is established. The
vapour phase in contact and in equilibrium with the sample is called
headspace (HS) and its investigation is referred as HS analysis. HS
analysis can be viewed as an extraction procedure where, instead of a
liquid solvent, the gas phase is used to partition the volatile compounds.
Hence, the gas is held as an ideal solvent for the volatile compounds.
The lecture will be entirely devoted to the HS sampling - namely, static
and dynamic headspace. The HS sampling is the flavour isolation method
which most readily lend itself to quality control applications. It is
usually a crucial task and often determines the subsequent success of the
analysis. For the theoretical part, the lecture takes inspiration from the
amazing book of Kolb and Ettre (B. Kolb and L.S. Ettre, Static
headspace-gas chromatography, Whiley-VCH, 1997). Emphasis will be then
given to the headspace analysis by EN; significant examples drawn by the
lab practice - will be presented as well. Finally, a short overview of the
novel techniques, such as permeation and diffusion tubes, for generating
standards of reference will be provided.
- Wednesday, May 15, 2005
- Surface Modification of Polymer Blends and Polymeric Nanocomposite
Thin Films Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (scCO2)
- Luckner John Jerome
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Mahajan, Rafailovich, Schwarz, Sokolov
- Friday, May 13, 2005, 14:00
- Spectroscopic Studies of Uranyl Species
for Environmental Decontamination
- Charlotte Eng
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Clayton, Halada, Kubicki, Sokolov
- Thursday, May 12, 2005, 9:00
- Electrical Characterization of
Vacuum Plasma-Sprayed Polycrystalline Silicon
- Narasimhan Srinivasan
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Allen, Gambino, Sampath, Sokolov
- Monday, May 9, 2005, 10:00
- Study of Gas Specificity in MoO3/WO3
Thin Film Sensors and their Arrays
- Arun K Prasad
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gambino, Gouma, Halada, Kubinsk
- Wednesday, 04/27/2005, 13:00, Room 301
- Silicon Science and Technology: the End of the Beginning
- C.M. Fortmann
Applied Math Deptartment
Stony Brook University
- Abstract:
Silicon is the second most abundant element on earth,
second only to oxygen. Silicon has been fundamental
to engineering since the dawn of civilization:
stone, cement, optics, opto-electronics, integrated circuits,
photonics, photovoltaic solar energy production, TFT flat panel dispalys,
and realms beyond. Science has driven recent technological developments
and the prospects for an acceleration are great. Specifically a scientific
investigation of the thermodynamics, electronic, and optical properties
of amorphous silicon morph into the creation of an integrated photonics
technology based on a multi-tiered material engineered silicon.
- Friday, April 22, 2005, 11:00
- Physiochemical Characterization and Failure Analysis
or Modern Military Coating Systems
- Lionel Keene
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Clayton, Halada, Gersappe, McKnight
- Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 13:30, Room 232
- Richard Gross
Polytechnic University
- Subject TBA
- Wednesday, April 13, 2005, 13:00
- Charge Transfer and Structural Transformation
in Organometallic Complexes: Implications for Environmental
Remediation and Molecular Engineering
- Professor Gary Halada
- Abstract:
Organic liganding of metallic species plays a critical role in both natural
processes (such as transport and fate of environmental contaminants) and
emerging areas of molecular engineering (such as nanomaterials design,
environmental remediation, sensor development and molecular electronics).
Charge transfer reactions drive molecular transformations related to
stability, transport, and bioavailability of radiological contaminants,
such as uranium. Both the apparent oxidation state of uranium and the
redox properties of the ligands affect the nature of complexation. Through
characterization and analysis leading to models of complexes and their
molecular orbital structure, combined with electrochemistry of complexes in
aqueous solution, the relationship between environmentally-influenced
structure and the transformation of complexed uranium by natural or induced
metabolic reactions (ie. bioremediation) or engineered remediation
processes may be better understood. The methods and understanding
developed in the study of uranium-organic complexes have direct application
to many areas of molecular engineering, materials design and sensor
development.
- Friday, April 1, 2005, 12:00
- Modeling of Thermo-Mechanical Properties
of Thermal Barrier Coatings
- Petr Michlik
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Berndt, Gersappe, Khalsa, White
- Friday, April 1, 2005, 13:00
- Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of
Ceramic and Metallic Thermal Spray Coatings
- Ondrej Racek
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Berndt, Cowgill, Gouma, Mahajan
- Wednesday, March 30, 2005, 13:30
- Nanostructured Materials for Selective Chemosensors
- Prof. Pelagia-Irene (Perena) Gouma
- Abstract:
Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology refer to materials and
structures of length scales in the 1-100nm range and the ability to
manipulate them at the atomic scale. Nanotechnology research aims at
providing a fundamental understanding of phenomena and materials that
enable the creation and use of devices and systems that have novel
properties and function. This lecture will focus on nanostructured
metal oxide systems that are developed for use in chemical detection
devices aiming to control the environment as well as to improve the
prevention, detection, and diagnosis of diseases. The synthesis of
nanostructured metal oxides and their composites in particulate,
fiber, thin film and non-woven membrane form will be presented along
with the characterization of their structural and thermal stability,
emphasizing the effects of nanoscale processing to oxides
polymorphism. The development of gas sensing devices and their arrays
based on these materials will be discussed. Controlling gas
selectivity is a key issue of any sensor technology and examples will
be given of highly specific gas detectors that we have developed in
our lab (such as the ammonia sensor for selective catalytic reduction
systems) as well as on the steps taken towards a selective electronic
nose system. Finally, novel bio-doped metal oxide systems have been
produced and used for pathogen detection and examples of these will
be presented (e.g. a urea biosensor) and discussed. The successful
incorporation of enzymes and other biomolecules in transition metal
oxides is critical to the development of resistive type biosensing
devices and in bio-fuel cells and drug delivery systems.
- Wednesday, March 9, 2005, 1:30
- Nanoscale Electronic Structure
- Dr. Jim Davenport
Physics Department
Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Wednesday, March 2, 2005, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Shan-Shan Liang, CTSR
- Don Roeper, ESCA
- Wednesday, 02/16/2005, 13:30
- Single Crystal Growth of Organic Semiconductors
for Field Effect Applications
- Christian Kloc
Bell Laboratories
Lucent Technologies
Murray Hill, NJ, USA
- Abstract:
Organic semiconductors attract considerable attention due to promising
applications in Organic Light Emitting Diodes, OLEDs and Field Effect
Transistors, FETs. Solubility of some organic semiconductors in organic
solvent favors them for printed large area OLED displays and inexpensive
printed microelectronics. However, low mobility of carriers in organic
semiconductors limits usability of organic semiconductors in integrated
circuits and need to be overcome. For this reason, the knowledge of
intrinsic properties achievable in very pure and perfect crystals is
important. Therefore, we have carried out a program to grow single crystals
of organics of unusual high purity and crystalline perfection. Solution
growth, melt growth, solvothermal method and vapor transport have been
applied. For research purpose, using a gas phase transport method, we have
produced millimeter - sized crystals of numerous organic semiconductors
with higher quality and purity. Field effect transistors have been prepared
on surfaces of single crystals. Some of organic semiconductors like
rubrene, pentacene, copper phthalocyanine exhibit carrier mobilities
comparable or even higher than amorphous silicon. However, characterization
of starting materials, crystals, thin films and resulting devices remains
the crucial issue in evaluation of current technology and will dominate the
future research of organic semiconductor
- Wednesday, February 9, 2005, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Dong Han, AMCL
- Shan-Shan Liang, CTSR
- Chun-Hua Li, Garcia/Polymer
- Wednesday, February 2, 2005, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Frank Szalajda, AMCL
- Radha Ramasamy, Garcia/Polymer
- Min-Hua Shao, Garcia/Polymer
- Friday, January 28, 2005, 5:00, Old Engineering, 2nd Floor Lounge
ESG Alumni talk to Current ESG Majors
- Friday, January 28, 2005, 9:45
- An Integrated Approach Towards Synthesis and Control
of Microstructure and Properties of Thermal Sprayed Materials
- Vasudevan Srinivasan
- Prelim
- Comm: Gouldstone, Herman, Sampath, Zhang
- Wednesday, January 19, 2005 2:30
- Characterization of Growth Defects in Piezoelectric Single Crystals
by Synchrotron White Beam X-ray Topography
- Huai-Bin Chen
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Dudley, Fazi, Rojo, White
- Friday, January 28, 2005, 5:00, Old Engineering, 2nd Floor Lounge
ESG Alumni talk to Current ESG Majors
- Wednesday, December 15, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Yuan Sun, Garcia
- Lionel Keene, ESCA
- Friday, December 10, 2004, 11:30, Old Engineering, Room 232
- Flame Made Nanoparticles for Gas Sensors
- Sotiris E. Pratsinis
Particle Technology Laboratory
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH)
- Abstract:
The lecture will start with a fascinating historic overview of aerosol
technology from ancient China and Greece to the current manufacture of
SiO2, TiO2, Ni and carbon black. Recent advances in the scientific
understanding of aerosol formation and growth allow now optimal reactor
design and inexpensive production of sophisticated nanoparticles with
controlled composition, size and morphology leading to exciting new
products: Silica particles thinly- or spot-coated with titania (1-2%) in
flames lead to production of highly selective epoxidation catalysts.
Flame-made titania particles coated in-situ with vanadia monolayers lead to
selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 at lower temperatures than
conventionally made catalysts giving the potential for better fuel
utilization and more effective pollutant (e.g. Hg) removal during
incineration. Noble-metal clusters on ceramic nanoparticles are made by
flame spray pyrolysis (FSP) resulting in efficient catalysts for
manufacture of chiral ethyl pyruvate for pharmaceuticals. Stable
quantum-dots of ZnO for UV filters can be made by in flames by
co-precipitation with SiO2 without fractionation.
Emphasis is placed now on synthesis of sensors using flames for their
capacity to make highly pure materials at high production rates. Here,
single crystalline tin oxide nanoparticles of 9-17 nm were produced using
the versatile FSP technique. The singly crystallijne particles were only
slightly aggregated and were directly used for thick film sensor deposition
by drop coating. These sensors show low output signals to CO even at high
concentrations (> 500 ppm, both in humid and dry air) and much higher
signals with propanal present, which corresponds to a typical behavior for
undoped SnO2. At low operating temperatures (<300°C), the sensor signals to
propanal and CO are higher in dry than in humid air. Compared to state of
the art SnO2 thick film sensors, the signal response to NO2 and propanal of
the flame-made sensors was faster and showed the expected power law
behavior. Flame-made SnO2 showed high and fast response to both reducing
(propanal) and oxidizing (NO2) gases. In-situ flame deposition of Pt and Pd
on SnO2particles forCO detection will be discussed, if time permits.
- Monday, December 13, 2004, 10:00
- On the Deposit Formation Dynamics and
Multiscale Characterization of
Thermal Sprayed Splat Structure
- Li Li
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gambino, Gouldstone, Sampath, Zhang
- Thursday, December 9, 2004, 11:00, Old Engineering Room 231
- Electron Microscopy of Fully Wet Samples
- Dr. A. Chausovsky
Quantomix Corporation
Nes Ziona, Israel
- limited seating: please RSVP: jquinn@www.matscieng.sunysb.edu
- Abstract:
Electron microscopy is the prime tool for
the investigation of biological ultrastructure.
However, its routine use in cell biology and
histology is hampered by lengthy and arduous sample
preparation procedures. Additionally, a number of
artifacts may be introduced during such process.
The Wet SEM is a recently developed enabling
technology solution that allows direct observation
of native samples in conventional scanning electron
microscope. The sample is placed in a sealed
specimen capsule, and is isolated from the vacuum
by a 100 nanometers thick, electron-transparent
partition membrane. The Wet SEM technology allows
sample imaging to a depth of a few micrometers
using backscattered electrons. As a result, wet, un-
embedded cells, tissues and non-biological
specimens are visualized, and there is no need for
thin sectioning and other lengthy preparation
steps. We will present a broad spectrum of existing
applications and scientific results in a number of
independent systems. This enabling technology
allows broad application in different fields of
cell biology, diagnostics, tissue engineering,
material science and numerous aspects of quality
control operations.
- Wednesday, December 8, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Radha Ramasamy, Garcia
- Yuan Ji, Garcia
- Wednesday, December 8, 2004, 10:00, Room 231
- Crystallization of Thin and Ultra-thin Polymer Films
- Yan-Tian Wang
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gersappe, Lustiger, Rafailovich, Sokolov
- Tuesday, December 7, 2004, 9:00
- Magnetic Functional Oxide by Plasma Spray MnZn Ferrites
- Qing-Yu Yan
- PhD Defense
- Comm: Gambino, Gouma, Lewis, Sampath
- Wednesday, December 1, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Yan-Tian Wang, Garcia
- Charlotte Eng, ESCA
- Wednesday, November 24, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Narasimham Srinivasan, MO
- Qing-Yu (Alex) Yan, MO
- Wednesday, November 17, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Atin Sharma, MO
- Mayu Si, Garcia
- Friday, Novmeber 19, 2004, 12:00
- Development of an Environmentally-Friendly Protective Coating
for the Depleted Uranium-0.75 Wt% Titanium Alloy
- Donald Roeper
- Prelim
- Comm: Clayton, Demaree, Halada, White
Career Paths in Engineering
Thursday, November 11, 2004
5:00pm - 7:00pm
SAC 302
FOOD!
OUTSTANDING SPEAKERS:
Marek Pawlowski, PhD,
Vice President,
Product Development,
OmniCorder Technologies, Inc.
Mike Johnson,
District Sales Manager,
Data Device Corporation
Joanne Sklar, Senior Engineer,
Opto-Mechanical Engineering,
BAE Systems
Thomas Lobasso,
P.G., President,
TerraSure Development, LLC.
- Wednesday, November 10, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Arun K Prasad, AMCL
- Ondrej Racket, MTL
- Tuesday, November 9, 2004, evening
- Sheldon Weining
- Stony Brook, Manhattan Campus
- ASM Metro NY/NJ event
- Wednesday, November 3, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Clive Li, Garcia
- Jerome Luckner, Garcia
- Wednesday, October 27, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Bing-Quan Li, Garcia
Abstract:
The adsorption and organization of proteins in
extracelluar matrix (ECM) are critical steps in the
development and organization of tissues. Thus to
understand and control the formation of ECM through
proteins is very important in tissue engineering.
Fibronectin, a major ECM adhesive protein helping
the binding between cell and ECM, will undergo
fibrillogenesis in the presence of cells. Our group
has found that flat surface (i.e. sulfonated
polystyrene (PSS)) with high surface charges can
initiate fibronectin unfolding and fibril
formation. This electrostatic force induced
formation could be one of mechanisms to explain the
behavior of fibronectin in vivo. To understand the
process of adsorption and fibril formation of
fibronectin on charged surface, we did Neutron
Reflectivity experiment in liquid cell to extract
the in situ information about the thickness of
protein layer, interface roughness between
substrate and protein, protein and buffer etc. on
silicon and gold based
PSS coating, respectively. The results will be
compared with the data obtained by AFM.
- Eihab Jaber, Garcia
Abstract:
Polymer nanocomposites are formed when nanometer
sized inorganic particles (fillers) are introduced
into the polymer matrix. Controlling the
attributes of the filler, such as their surface
area and their interactions with the polymer
matrix, offers the possibility of the development
of a new class of materials. The ability to
control the interactions between the filler and the
polymer can impact areas such fields of lubrication
and polymer processing. However, there is a
fundamental gap in the knowledge by which these
small nanoscale particles enhance the properties of
the material. While advances in synthetic methods
have led to a precise control of structure at the
nanometer scale; the development of a theoretical
framework has not yet been able to predict
macroscopic properties of polymers in such
nanostructured environments. We use Molecular
Dynamics simulations to determine the role that
percolating clusters play in the rheology of these
nanofilled polymer materials.
We model the filler particles as spherical filler
particles in a matrix of unentangled polymer
chains. We observe the effect of shear on the
ability of the percolating clusters to affect chain
orientation. Our results indicate that the
presence of these clusters leads to increased chain
orientation which increases the shear thinning
behavior of the filled polymer melt
- Wednesday, October 20, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Xiao-Hua Fang, Garcia
- Xian-Zhong Guo, CTSR
- Wednesday, October 13, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Jie Bai, Xray
- E Guan, Garcia
- Friday, October 8, 2004, 14:00, Room 232
- Metal oxide nanocrystals for gas sensing
- Dr. Elisabetta Comini
INFM - CNR
Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Regional Laboratory for Gas Sensors and Artificial Olfactive Systems (SENSOR)
Universita' degli Studi di Brescia
Dipartimento di Chimica e Fisica per l'Ingegneria e per i Materiali
Facolta' di Ingegneria
Brescia, Italy
- Abstract:
In the past few years progress has been achieved in the synthesis,
structural characterization and physical properties investigation of
nanostructures. Due to their peculiar characteristics and size effects,
these materials often show some novel physical properties that are
different from those of the bulk, and are of great interest both for
fundamental study and for potential nanodevice applications. Among them
newly developed metal oxide nanobelts and nanorings are potential
candidates for fabrication of nanoscale devices. Their extraordinary
sensing properties have been recently shown for ultra sensitive gas and DNA
detection. The finite size of the metal oxide wires confines the electrons
wave functions, leading to quantized energy levels and to a huge
modification of the transport and optical properties of the material. The
hugely enhanced surface/volume ratio augments the role of surface states in
the sensor response.
Covered topics will be worldwide most recent research in the field of quasi
one-dimensional inorganic structures for gas sensing and some promising
results achieved at Sensor Lab in Brescia Italy in visible
photoluminescence quenching and photoinduced desorption by subbandgap light
and electrical sensing responses.
Information of Dr.Elisabetta Comini:
Elisabetta Comini received the degree in Applied Physics from the
University of Pisa in 1996 with a thesis on spectroscopic
characterization of Erbium doped crystals for laser application. In
February 1997 she started a Ph.D. at the Gas Sensor Laboratory. In
March 2000 she has received the PhD degree by discussing a thesis on
"Preparation and characterization of thin film semiconductor gas sensors".
In November 2001 she has been appointed as Assistant Professor at the
University of Brescia.
During her career Elisabetta Comini has published more than 50 articles
on International Journals with referee.
Some of her research topics are: preparation of semiconductor thin
films by PVD, preparation of nanomaterials, electrical and structural
characterization of metal oxide, development of gas sensor.
- Wednesday, October 6, 13:30
- Materials Manipulation and Transformation in Ancient Art
- John Twilley
Art Conservation Scientist
- Abstract:
This visual presentation will draw upon case studies in the application
of instrumental analysis to the investigation of ancient artworks from
around the world. Scientific studies of the materials of the artist,
and of their alteration by environmental effects over time, hold great
potential for expanding knowledge about past cultures and their
technological development. Such study also serves as the basis for
effective conservation treatment and our ability to draw distinctions
between authentic artworks and their forged imitations. Examples of
discoveries in art works from China, Tibet, and India will be shown that
illustrate a materials-based approach to reconstructing the working
methods of the artists and aspects of the histories of the artworks
themselves.
- Tuesday, September 28, 2004, 9:30
- ATR-SEIRAS Study of the Electrooxidation of
Small Organic Molecules on a Pt Electrode
- Min-Hua Shao
- Prelims
- Comm: Adzic, Halada, Isaacs, Sokolov
- Wednesday, September 22, 2004, 13:30
- Radiation Training
- Ed O'Connell
Environmental Health and Safety
- Wednesday, September 29, 2004, 13:30
- Physical/Chemical/Fire/Electrical Safety
- Wednesday, September 15, 2004, 1:30
- Graduate Student Seminar Series
- Li Li, CTSR
- Huai-Bin Chen, Xray
- Wednesday, September 8, 2004, 13:30
- Library Research
- Godlind Johnson
Engineering Librarian
- Thursday, September 2, 2004, 14:30, Room 232
- Steps In the Development of
Cobalt Catalyzed Hydrocarbon Synthesis
From Laboratory to Commercialization
- Dr. Rafael Espinoza
ConocoPhillips
-
Dr. Rafael Espinoza is world-renowned for his work in Fischer-Tropsch
(F-T) synthesis (F-T is a catalytic process to commercially manufacture
clean hydrocarbon fuels from natural gas and is likely to play a crucial
role in supplying clean energy in the world). Dr. Espinoza worked for
SASOL before coming to ConocoPhillips where he is presently the Director
of Downstream Technologies. The focus of the seminar is ConocoPhillips
F-T cobalt catalyst based technology that is being evaluated in a 100 tons/day
F-T plant in Ponca City, Oklahoma.
- Wednesday, August 25, 2004, 13:30
- Electrophoresis on Conducting Surfaces
- Eli Hoory
- Prelims
- Comm: Halada, Rafailovich, Schwarz, Sokolov
- F
|
