CMBE Fall 2008 by Christopher LaRosa

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MS&E Graduate Student Wins Award page 7

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

CHEMICAL, MATERIALS & BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING

FEATURES Research Team Developing Electronic Nose to Detect Explosives page 15

CONTENTS 3

Message from the Department Head

Alumni Notes

Faculty News

Chemical Engineering Faculty

Materials Science & Engineering Faculty Some articles reprinted with permission from emagination, Vol. 1 2008.

Student Team to Help Power Plant Improve Performance

Faculty-Authored Books Among Top Sellers

Artificial Antibodies for Locating and Destroying Tumors page 6

Layered Ferroelectric Superlattices and Compositionally Graded Ferroelectric Films

UConn Engineering Graduate Student Pursues Cutting-Edge Research

Ben Wilhite Captures NSF CAREER Award

Engineering Student Shines

Polymer Expertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lifetime Work Garners International Acclaim

Manipulation and Property Mapping of Surfaces with Nanometer Scale Resolution

Prabhakar Singh to Lead Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Carbon Nanotube-Based Liquid Crystalline Materials

Laurencin Named One of 100 Chemical Engineers of Modern Era

High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)

Department Welcomes Five New Faculty Members

Advanced Hydrogen Storage Materials

Bioengineering Offered as an Area of Discipline

Research Team Developing Electronic Nose to Detect Explosives

UConn Hosts First Materials Camp

Artificial Antibodies for Locating and Destroying Tumors

Biomaterials for Bone Repair

MS&E Graduate Student Wins Award

Message from the Department Head t is my pleasure to bring you up to date with the happenings in our department. We have recently completed an intensive period of faculty recruiting that culminated in the hiring of several new faculty. Three of our new faculty members, Bill Mustain, Jeff McCutcheon and George Rossetti, have arrived and are already teaching; two more, Brian Willis and Prabhakar Singh, will begin in January ‘09. In addition, another five began joint appointments with us during the fall semester. We now have a total of 27 tenured or tenure-track faculty in the department: 12 faculty in Chemical Engineering (ChE) and 11 in Materials Science & Engineering (MS&E) plus Dr. Cato Laurencin (ChE), the Dean of the Medical School and Vice-President for Health Affairs, Harris Marcus (MS&E), the Director of the Institute for Materials Science, Prabhakar Singh, the Director of the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center, and me. We also have four colleagues with joint appointments in Orthopaedic Surgery who will help teach in the MS&E program, one Professor-in-Residence (MS&E) and one Lecturer-in-Residence (ChE). Our emeritus

In our undergraduate programs, we now have concentrations in Energy, Polymers, and Bioengineering as part of ChE and Nanomaterials, Biomaterials and Metals in MS&E.

[ CoMBinE ] CoMBinE is published for the alumni, faculty, students, corporate supporters and friends of the Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering Department at the University of Connecticut. Suggestions and information are welcome. Send correspondence and address corrections to: Katrice@engr.uconn.edu WRITERS/EDITORS

Nan R. Cooper Katrice Duell Kristina Goodnough GRAPHIC DESIGN/PHOTOGRAPHY

Christopher LaRosa University Communications

faculty remain active, with Tom Anderson teaching in ChE, Mike Howard helping in the Unit Ops Lab, Bob Coughlin serving on the PTR Committee, Art McEvily still in the lab, Don Potter showing the MS&E seniors how to run the SEM and TEM and Mike Cutlip continuing to help with Polymath classes. Both of our undergraduate programs were successful in the recent round of accreditation exercises. MS&E was actually backdated an extra two years for the maximum eight-year term. Both graduate programs continue to grow. Our students lead the Materials Advantage Chapter (ACerS, TMS, ASM International and AIST), the Materials Research Society (MRS) chapter and Alpha Sigma Mu, and of course, the AIChE chapter and

the Chemical Engineering Honors Society, Omega Chi Epsilon. The Materials Advantage chapter was not only selected one of the five national Chapters of Excellence, it also was presented the World Materials Day Award at the fall 2008 MS&T Conference. In our undergraduate programs, we now have concentrations in Energy, Polymers, and Bioengineering as part of ChE; and Nanomaterials, Biomaterials and Metals in MS&E. We are helping the students to understand what ‘Biomolecular’ means in CBME! With 11 faculty members already working on biological topics, our Biomolecular Science & Engineering focus brings together bioengineering and biomaterials; of course, the students receive their accredited degrees in ChE or MS&E. Our professors continue to build their research programs. In the past year, for example, Ben Wilhite won an NSF CAREER award, Ranjan Srivastava secured funding from both NSF and NIH, Bryan Huey was awarded an IMR grant to build his new AFM and Mark Aindow was part of a successful team to bring a new FIB to UConn. Our graduate programs are becoming very busy. We’ve redesigned the core courses in MS&E to increase flexibility, and we have reactivated the practice-oriented Master of Engineering (MENG) program in ChE, adding to the ongoing MENG program in MS&E. With only 25 new CMBE graduate students starting this year, we still saw 38 graduate students register for one MS&E graduate course. Clearly the interest in Materials, like both Chemical and Biomolecular, pervades the whole School, not just the department. Our faculty continue to build our research productivity. Last year, the faculty published 88 refereed journal articles and 132 conference papers; we had 89 active research grants; we advised 59 Ph.D. students and 51 M.S. students. Our department was also home to just over 240 undergraduates. We look forward to continued growth in the number of students and the productivity of the department. Dr. C. Barry Carter Department Head

CONTRIBUTOR

Doug Cooper

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Student Team to Help Power Plant Improve Performance hree engineering students, overseen by Chemical Engineering professor Douglas Cooper, began a research study over the summer aimed at helping the UConn power plant attain greater performance efficiencies. The team seeks to fine-tune plant operation with the goal of reducing the consumption of natural gas and fresh water while still meeting the electrical, heating and cooling requirements of its customer, the UConn campus. The student team includes doctoral candidate Rachelle Howard (Chemical Engineering) and two undergraduate students, Michelle Przybylek (Environmental Engineering) and Melissa Tweedie (Chemical Engineering). They will collaborate with the plant Utilities Manager, Ron Gaudet, and Power Plant Supervisor, Tim Grady, to reduce natural gas usage and carbon emissions through improvements in overall plant efficiency; reduce water usage through identification of alternative designs and operational practices; and lengthen equipment life and reduce equipment maintenance costs through decreased cycling. UConn has a combined-cycle cogeneration plant that came online in 2006 and meets the electricity needs of the entire campus. At the UConn cogen, explained Mr. Gaudet, fuel is first burned in gas turbines that turn electric generators. The hot exhaust gases exiting each turbine enter heat recovery steam generators to produce both high and low pressure steam. The high-pressure steam turns a steam turbine generator to

produce yet more electricity without burning additional fuel. The low-pressure steam is used to heat campus buildings in the winter and to drive refrigeration compressors to supply chilled water to air conditioning units in the summer. The result is an extremely efficient and flexible operation. Ms. Howard will test and document new methods for plant performance evaluation and loop tuning. Her efforts will focus on the control system, which receives hundreds of temperature, pressure, flow and other sensor signals and rapidly adjusts valves, pumps, compressors and the like so the plant runs safely and efficiently. Ms. Howard has developed a method for analyzing control signals and improving control system performance without the need to deliberately disrupt the plant as required by current industrial practice. She will confirm the accuracy of her method by comparing it with Loop-Pro®, commercial software donated by Control Station, Inc. Ms. Przybylek, who participates in the UConn Honors Program, will perform an overall energy and carbon balance analysis that will form the basis of her senior Honors thesis. Ms. Tweedie will build upon her previous experience with UTC Power to perform an overall water balance analysis. Both will participate in other tasks as needed to the benefit of the plant.

Melissa Tweedie (seated), Rachelle Howard and Michelle Przybylek.

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UConn’s cogen power plant is pictured above.

FacultyAuthored Books Among Top Sellers The School of Engineering is fortunate in having faculty members who are not merely teaching core concepts, but writing top textbooks that advance the instructional arts in important ways. Our faculty members have authored more than 60 top textbooks. Many are bestsellers in academic institutions today.

TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY: A TEXTBOOK FOR MATERIALS SCIENCE Springer 1st Edition (4 volumes), 1996 Transmission Electron Microscopy has widespread use across the globe, with over 13,000 copies sold. A second edition is slated for publication in 2008. An MRS Bulletin review (May 1998) called it “The only complete text now available which includes all the remarkable advances made in the field of TEM in the past 30-40 years.....The authors can be proud of an enormous task, very well done.” Authors D.B. Williams and C. Barry Carter. Dr. Carter is Head of the Department of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering at UConn.

Layered Ferroelectric Superlattices and Compositionally Graded Ferroelectric Films ssociate professor S. Pamir Alpay of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering (CMBE) and his team are engineering artificially layered ferroelectric superlattices and compositionally graded ferroelectric films with enhanced properties through spatial variations in internal stresses, film composition, and microstructure. Exploiting the unique intrinsic characteristics of ferroelectric materials and introducing compositional and internal stress gradients, Dr. Alpay has obtained unusual electrical and electromechanical properties that are not possible for bulk ferroelectrics and ferroelectric thin films. His work is expected to yield broad classes of new electromagnetic devices: transpacitors, transductors and transponents—usually high energydensity materials that can be configured to store and release energy (electrical, magnetic and mechanical) in predictable ways, making them useful as sensors and actuators. Unlike passive/homogeneous ferroics, transpacitors, transductors, translastics, and other transponent devices are active devices with potential applications in a multitude of high-sensitivity, high-energy-products that will lead to a new generation of sensors, actuators, and other energy storage and metering devices.

Manipulation and Property Mapping of Surfaces with Nanometer Scale Resolution n enabling tool for nanotechnology known as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) allows the manipulation and property mapping of surfaces with nanometer scale resolution. One of the greatest limitations of AFM remains imaging speed, generally requiring up to four minutes per frame. To address this limitation, Dr. Bryan Huey (CMBE) and his team have invented High Speed Scanning Property Mapping (HSSPM), a new method that allows full frame image acquisition down to 1/10th of a second with resolution equal to that of conventional AFM systems. This over 1000-fold improvement has significant implications in terms of increased throughput and efficiency, large area imaging, and especially the ability to quantify dynamic effects with previously inaccessible spatial and temporal resolution. Current research leveraging these new capabilities includes characterizing limitations on data write/erase speeds for next-generation hard drive materials as well as studying electronic and optical coupling for next generation photovoltaic switches and solar cells. With the rapidly expanding interest, applications, and professional

Below: The contrast in this 3500 nm x 3500 nm image below depicts the orientation of ferroelectric domains aligned into (low) or out of (high) the surface of a 30 nm thick piezoelectric thin film.

At left: This 2000 nm x 2000 nm HSSPM image displays nanoscale ferroelectric domains switching from ‘up’ to ‘down’ states with <20 nm spatial resolution.

opportunities in nanotechnology throughout Connecticut and beyond, advances like HSSPM are crucial for engineering research and education.

Synthesis and Self-Assembly of Carbon Nanotube-Based Liquid Crystalline Materials ssociate professor of CMBE Lei Zhu is conducting research involving the synthesis and self-assembly of carbon nanotube-based liquid crystalline materials, and characterization and design of useful nanotechnology devices for the development of novel photovoltaics and nanotransistors. His research is supported by an NSF CAREER Award and a DuPont Young Professor grant. Photovoltaic systems use semiconductor technology to convert sunlight directly into electricity. In the absence of sunlight, batteries store energy. Photovoltaics may be used to power calculators, lights, water pumps, homes and even industrial facilities.Transistors are used in countless applications, from radios to BlackBerry® handheld computers.

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High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) MBE Professor Mark Aindow and his research group use high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study engineering materials on the nano-scale. This approach has proven to be particularly useful in the study of catalysts for fuel cells. These catalysts are usually precious metals such as platinum on carbon supports. The metals are in the form of nanoparticles just a few atoms in diameter to maximize the surface area, thereby reducing the amount of metal needed in each fuel cell and minimizing

cost. The team’s current projects encompass new ways of making very finely dispersed catalysts; use of novel supports such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and aerogels; catalyst degradation by particle coarsening during service in fuel cells; and effects of contaminants in fuel on the performance of fuel cell catalysts. This work is supported by the Department of Energy, Army Research Office and local fuel cell companies.

Advanced Hydrogen Storage Materials key component for the hydrogen economy is fuel cell-powered vehicles that, in turn, depend critically upon advanced hydrogen storage materials. The challenge is to develop a storage material that simultaneously satisfies three competitive requirements: (i) high hydrogen density, (ii) reversibility of hydrogen release/uptake cycle near the ambient temperature and pressure, and (iii) fast release/ uptake kinetics. Dr. Leon Shaw of CMBE is employing nano-engineering techniques to satisfy these requirements. Dr. Shaw and his team are using LiNH2 + LiH, Mg(NH2)2 + LiH, and LiBH4 + MgH2 mixtures to store hydrogen reversibly. They are employing various nano-processing techniques—all of which will enable rapid sorption and desorption of hydrogen molecules on the solid surface, provide large interfacial area for reactions between solid hydrides, and reduce the diffusion distance of hydrogen within the solids. This research may lead to novel hydrogen storage materials that can meet the Department of Energy’s FreedomCAR requirements and thus make hydrogen vehicles a reality.

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Artificial Antibodies for Locating and Destroying Tumors wo CMBE faculty, Drs. Yong Wang and Lei Zhu, seek to develop artificial antibodies capable of locating and destroying tumors. Antibodies are proteins produced in the white blood cells of humans and other vertebrates, and they move freely through blood and fluids, where they identify and attack “foreign objects” such as viruses, bacteria and other so-called antigens. This ability to fight off potentially dangerous invaders lies at the heart of vaccines, which function by increasing the production of antibodies. Drs. Wang and Zhu seek to improve upon antibody effectiveness, first by gaining a better understanding of the characteristics and functions of natural antibodies, then by developing artificial versions that offer greater stability and functional properties. They approach this challenge via two parallel pathways, with biomolecules the focus of one path and artificial polymers at the heart of the second path. Drs. Wang and Zhu contend that natural biomolecules and synthetic polymers may be paired to obtain a more lethal tumor-fighting weapon.

Drs. Lei Zhu and Yong Wang

MS&E Graduate Student Wins Award S&E graduate student, Claire Weiss received the gold medal at the Army Research Laboratory Summer Student Research Symposium. Claire spent the summer carrying out experimental research for her Ph.D. thesis at the ARL in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Her research was funded through her advisor’s (Pamir Alpay) U.S. Army Research Office grant on the development of tunable materials for On-The-Move (OTM) Communications. Claire competed with about 110 undergraduate and graduate students

for this award. Each student wrote papers describing their work and research results, which were reviewed by their directorate review panel. The top students from each directorate presented their papers to the ARL workforce, judged by the ARL Director and ARL Fellows panel. Her gold medal was received at the symposium along with a $500 check for her work on “Novel Thin Film Materials for Tunable Device Applications” on August 7, 2008, at the Adelphi Laboratory Center in Maryland. The winners will also have their reports published in a technical memorandum

Biomaterials for Bone Repair rs. Mei Wei and Montgomery Shaw are conducting broad-reaching research on the applications of biomaterials in bone repair and in orthopaedic and dental implants. According the Dr. Wei, they seek to develop “a new generation of biomaterials, which have excellent biocompatibility, sufficient mechanical strength, good osteoconductivity and osteoinductivity, suitable for dental and orthopaedic applications… As life expectancy grows longer, there will be a demand for a significant increase in the survival rate of implants.” The team is investigating new synthetic composite materials, woven from apatite

UConn Engineering Graduate Student Pursues Cutting-Edge Research JONATHAN P. WINTERSTEIN (Ph.D. candidate, Materials Science & Engineering) B.S. Washington State University – Pullman onathan, who is supported by a prestigious National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship, chose UConn because of the opportunity to work with Dr. C. Barry Carter. His thesis involves chemical and structural characterization of oxide ceramics with applications in alternative energy generation. “Defects and surfaces play a critical role in the performance of catalysts and electrolytes in solid-oxide fuel cells. Hopefully my research will lead to methods of engineering these ceramics for optimal properties.”

and polymer fiber, for use in promoting bone repair, spinal fusion and other skeletal healing. According to Dr. Wei, 1.3 million bone repair procedures are performed in the U.S. yearly. The most difficult are those involving compound fractures, trauma, bone tumors, congenital defects and spinal fusion. She and Dr. Shaw believe hydroxyapatite/polymer material will enhance structural integrity as bones repair. They also believe this combination can be designed to deliver bone-regenerating drugs, and may slowly biodegrade in the human body— thereby eliminating the need for replacement or followup surgery to remove the materials. Other research foci include development of hydroxyapatite/polymer composite scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, and the investigation into ways to improve titanium-based orthopaedic and dental implants by application of a hydroxyapatite coating to the surface prior to implantation. WWW.CMBE.ENGR.UCONN.EDU | 7

Ben Wilhite Captures NSF CAREER Award ssistant professor Benjamin Wilhite has received a National Science Foundation Early Career Development (CAREER) Award that will support his research aimed at improving the harvesting of hydrogen from green hydrocarbons (biofuels). The $400,000, five-year award is the third CAREER Award garnered by UConn engineering faculty in 2008 and the 19th CAREER award within the School of Engineering since 1996. Dr. Wilhite will focus his efforts on the development of multi-functional catalytic membranes capable of breaking down green hydrocarbons (e.g., methanol, ethanol, butanol) into high-purity hydrogen. Current routes for hydrogen harvesting require the use of permselective barriers for purifying hydrogen produced by either steam reforming or partial oxidation reactions; these permselective barriers reduce overall hydrogen production rates and are fabricated from costly materials (e.g., palladium, silver). Dr. Wilhite’s research will instead focus upon using purely catalytic membranes for achieving high-purity hydrogen production; this will be accomplished by creating multiple unique catalytic regions

within the membrane (for fuels reforming, carbon monoxide cleanup, heat generation) while controlling reaction rates and selectivities by externally manipulating thermal and concentration gradients. If successful, this research effort will provide a breakthrough reduction in the cost of hydrogen production and a key contribution to the creation of a clean, sustainable hydrogen economy. In 2007, Dr. Wilhite was awarded a three-year Office of Naval Programs Young Investigator Program (YIP) award for his work involving a new class of micro-channel reactors capable of efficiently producing hydrogen for use in fuel cells by clever design of thermal gradients and heat integration in multistage microreformers. He also received a DuPont Young Faculty grant in 2007. Dr. Wilhite received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame du Lac in 2003. He spent three years as a research associate and research scientist within the Microsystems Technology Laboratory and Microchemical Systems Research Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined the chemical engineering faculty at UConn in 2005 and has played an important role in the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center and the Connecticut Biofuels Consortium.

Alumni Notes Gregory J. Biederman (M.S. Chemical Engineering, ‘80) was named President and CEO of Nylon Corporation of America (NYCOA) in January. He previously was Vice President for Specialty Intermediates at INVISTA. Mark Gothberg (B.S. Chemical Engineering, ‘68) is Chief Operating officer of Strategic Health Care Communications and editor of eHealthcare Strategy & Trends. 8 [ CoMBinE ]

John Trocciola (M.S. Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, ‘65) was presented one of two 2007 Fuel Cell Seminar & Exposition Awards for his contributions to the fuel cell industry, including his collaboration on 40 U.S. patents in various fuel cell areas. He was employed at UTC from 1963-2004.

Engineering Student Shines hristine Endicott , (B.S. Chemical Engineering, ’08) is now pursuing doctoral studies at Cornell University. She was impressed by the range of undergraduate research opportunities available at UConn. An Honors Program scholar, Christine completed her thesis on a small molecule called furanone that appears to inhibit the explosive growth of the deadly bacterium anthrax. Her advisor said that “Based on Christine’s work, it may be possible to design more effective drugs and treatment strategies for dealing with anthrax.”

Read more about Christine at www.engr.uconn.edu/endicottstory.php

Faculty News Assistant professor Puxian Gao was awarded one of just seven (from 300 submissions) 2007 Honda Initiation Grants for his proposed study involving composite nano-catalysts for auto emissions control systems. The Honda award confers a $50,000 grant for “innovative ideas in the early stages of research that are likely to make valuable contributions to technology during a term of 5-10 years.” Associate professor Richard Parnas received the High Merit Award in the 2007 Pioneering Nanotechnology Competition sponsored by Masscal Scientific Instruments of Orlando, FL, in recognition of his scholarly work to reduce synthetic plastic land fill by developing toughened wheat protein restructured with poly-thiols.

Polymer Expert’s Lifetime Work Garners International Acclaim Reprinted from The UConn Advance

“He has had a very big impact on the Institute of Materials Science and the profession,” Shaw adds. The word “polymer” is a Greek word meaning “many parts or units,” an apt description for substances akin to the beaded chain Weiss keeps on his shelf. Silk and wool, rubber, corn starch— even DNA strands—are naturallyoccurring polymers. When processed to achieve desired properties, polymers find countless applications in modern products, from use in consumer products, such as floor coverings, sunglasses, playground equipment, shoe soles, and swimming pools—to military and medical products, such as bullet-proof vests, artificial heart valves, and bone prosthetics. They are also widely used in other products, such as shampoos and super-absorbent diapers. Weiss works on the physics of ionomers, specifically their structures and property relationships. “My work involves trying to understand how to manipulate the structure to achieve specific properties,” he says. “The structure of ionomers is on the nanometer scale, and diffuse, so ionomers are particularly difficult to characterize. Unlike metals and ceramics, which have well organized crystalline structures, ionomer structures are more disordered— essentially liquid-like—and thus definitive delineation of the structure is challenging. It’s difficult, or nearly impossible, to get them into a state of equilibrium, because of their very high viscosity and extremely slow relaxation times.” These same characteristics can also prove advantageous, however, allowing researchers to “freeze-in” relatively stable, but non-equilibrium structures that may have useful applications. In addition to his fundamental research, Weiss has worked with many private companies to develop materials suitable for a variety of commercial

applications. He has 18 U.S. patents in an array of applications, including golf ball covers. Increasingly, he and his colleagues are turning to biomass as source materials for ionomers. Unlike most plastics, these renewable materials degrade readily in the environment. He is now making ionomers from polylactic acid, which is derived from corn starch, and from other monomers derived from agricultural products. Polylactic acid can biodegrade over the course of months, and ionomers derived from the substance are being used in plates, cups, and utensils at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Weiss says polymer research has evolved significantly in the last 40 years. “Nowadays, we are looking at developing super-hydrophobic surfaces,” he says. “Water spilled on a lotus leaf, for

example, beads up because the surface possesses nano and micro-roughness that traps air and prevents water from wetting the underlying surface. If we could build a window with such a coating, it would be self cleaning. Water would bead up on the surface and wash away dirt, providing a dirt-free surface. “Or consider a military application,” he adds. “The military is interested in superslippery surfaces. No one could stand on such a surface—they would fall down. This technology could be used, for example, to paralyze an enemy in a non-fatal way.” WWW.CMBE.ENGR.UCONN.EDU | 9

Photo by Peter Morenus

olymers are found everywhere in the natural world, and engineering professor Robert Weiss has devoted his career to manipulating polymers to produce an array of useful products, from better golf balls to improved proton exchange membranes for fuel cells. In May, he was honored by the Society of Plastics Engineers with the society’s International Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements in polymer research. Weiss is the UTC Professor of Advanced Materials & Processing and a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering. During his 33-year career, he has contributed substantively to the field of polymer science and engineering. His research focuses primarily on ionomers, a type of polymer containing bonded salt or acid groups. His interests also span proton exchange membranes—used in fuel cells—along with polymer blends, thin polymer films, electrically conductive polymers, and hydrogels. Prior recipients of the award include Alan MacDiarmid, a 2000 Nobel Laureate in chemistry, Weiss’s UConn colleague, Montgomery Shaw, and his doctoral thesis advisor and frequent collaborator, William MacKnight, now professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts. Commenting on Weiss’s award, MacKnight says “Bob has made very significant contributions to ionomers. … [He] has had an exemplary career, and this is a fitting reflection of his accomplishments. SPE strongly emphasizes applications, and this honor distinguishes Bob’s work as having merit not only on a fundamental basis but also for its improvements to the plastics industry.” Shaw, who nominated Weiss for the award, says, “Bob is able to inspire people to do great things. He’s a real leader. His impact is even greater than what he has accomplished himself. With all of his obligations as a faculty member, journal editor, and the like, he also finds time to mentor undergraduate students and involve them in interesting research.

Department Welcomes Six New Faculty Members

Prabhakar Singh to Lead Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center r. Prabhakar Singh, the new Director of the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center, has also been appointed as a full professor in the Materials Science & Engineering Program. He is a world leader on fuel cell research and strengthens our department in the area of energy research. Dr. Singh will be presenting a course next year in the MS&E program, on new topics in energy. Dr. Singh is currently with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) where he oversees and directs the advanced solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) development activities of the NETL-PNNL led U.S. Department of Energy’s SECA Core Technology Program and interfaces with government and industrial clients working in the fuel cell product development. Dr. Singh will begin his duties officially on January 1, 2009. Dean of Engineering Mun Y. Choi made the announcement, saying “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Singh, a world class researcher and visionary in the field of fuel cell science who will help to transform the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center into an international leader in the design, development and commercialization of fuel cells.” As Director, Dr. Singh will guide the Center’s research and educational activities while also overseeing operations. He will have responsibility for attracting resources and engendering strong collaborative partnerships between the CGFCC and industrial and government partners. He will serve as a catalyst for team-based visionary research and development in the area of fuel cell technology and application.

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He is widely recognized for his technical contributions relating to the identification, characterization, and development of mechanistic understanding of accelerated corrosion of metals and alloys under bi-polar exposure conditions as encountered in advanced fuel cell electrochemical power generation systems. Prior to joining PNNL, Dr. Singh held several key technical and management positions at Ford Motor Company, Westinghouse Electric Corporation and FuelCell Energy. While at Ford Motor Company’s Visteon Corporation enterprise, Dr. Singh managed PEM fuel cell research and development, including fuel cell system and advanced “on board” fuel processing technologies development. At Westinghouse Electric Corporation, as technical group leader and a member of the technical staff, Dr. Singh developed SOFC cell and stack component materials, large scale manufacturing processes, hydrocarbon processing and “on anode” reforming. At FuelCell Energy, Dr. Singh led the development work on corrosion tolerant materials, creep tolerant electrodes and process scale up. Dr. Singh earned his Ph.D. in metallurgy at the University of Sheffield, England and an MBA degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He holds more than 50 U.S. patents and trade secrets, and he has authored or co-authored more than 100 technical reports and papers along with three book chapters. He is a Fellow of ASM International, the American Ceramic Society and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, and he serves as Chairman of the ASM Energy Committee. He has received a number of honors and awards. He serves on the ASM Executive Committee and the editorial boards of ASME and the American Ceramic Society.

Laurencin Named One of 100 Chemical Engineers of Modern Era By Kristina Goodnough

ato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., vice president for health affairs at the University of Connecticut Health Center, dean of the medical school and chemical engineering professor, has been named one of the “100 Chemical Engineers of the Modern Era” by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. The recognition from the world’s leading organization for chemical engineering professionals acknowledges Laurencin’s work in tissue engineering to develop materials to promote bone repair and wound healing. Specifically AIChE recognized Laurencin for development of a novel polymer-synthesized ceramic-composite-based system for bone repair and in vitro evaluation. “This is a wonderful honor, made possible by the collective work of the colleagues on my research team,” says Laurencin who was recognized by the organization as part of the celebration of its centennial. The recognition is designed to highlight individuals who have contributed to the profession in the “Modern Era,” the years following World War II. The awards will be presented at the AIChE’s annual meeting in Philadelphia next month. An orthopedic surgeon as well as a chemical engineer, Laurencin has focused much of his research on the development of materials to assist in treating orthopedic trauma and performing reconstructive surgeries and arthroplasties. “The synthetic materials are biodegradable polymers or

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plastics made from specific compounds that are absorbed into the body as part of the healing process. Besides aiding in tissue repair and regeneration, these new materials don’t need to be removed like traditional materials,” says Laurencin. “Through the AIChE recognition, Dr. Laurencin has taken his rightful position alongside leading figures in the field, including Robert Langer and Stuart Churchill,” says Mun Y. Choi, dean of UConn’s School of Engineering, where Laurencin has an appointment as a professor in the chemical and biomolecular engineering department. “Dr. Laurencin has helped to expand the boundaries of chemical engineering and its influence on emerging technologies through his research and training activities in regenerative medicine and advanced polymer synthesis. We are very fortunate to have someone of Dr. Laurencin’s stature and reputation as a colleague at UConn,” adds Choi. Earlier this year, Laurencin was recognized by Scientific American for his work developing a bioengineered matrix to regenerate an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). “The fiber matrix design mimics that of the ACL, which allows the patient’s own cells to regenerate the ligament,” says Laurencin. “Our hope is to ultimately create a ligament that will allow a patient to restart major physical activity sooner. Any solution that can speed up the healing and long-term function is hugely important to patients.” Laurencin joined UConn in August. He holds the Van Dusen Endowed Chair in Academic Medicine and is a professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Before joining UConn, he was on the faculty of the University of Virginia where he was the Lillian T. Pratt Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, as well as the orthopedic surgeon-in-chief at the University of Virginia Health System. Laurencin earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He earned his Ph.D. in biochemical engineering/ biotechnology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Additional New Faculty Members Dr. George A. Rossetti, Jr., who joined the department as an associate professor of materials science, brings expertise in structure-processing-property relations in electroceramic materials and their applications in dielectric, electromechanical and energy conversion devices and systems. Dr. Rossetti has worked as a research professor in the Institute of Materials Science at UConn since 2006. He previously was a research associate professor at Rutgers University. His experience also spans more than a decade in industry, during which he served as Director of Functional Materials at Continuum Photonics Inc. in Billerica, MA and a Senior Research Engineer at Norton Company Central Research Laboratories, Saint-Gobain Corporation, Worcester, MA. He was also a Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Center for Advanced Microgravity Materials Processing at Northeastern University, Boston. Dr. Rossetti earned his M.S. in materials engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and his Ph.D. in solid state science from The Pennsylvania State University. He conducted post-doctoral work at the Princeton Materials Institute. Associate professor Dr. Brian G. Willis will soon join UConn from the University of Delaware, where he is an assistant professor. Dr. Willis maintains a vigorous research program in nanotechnology with applications for biochemical sensors, molecular electronics, semiconductor devices and fuel cells. His research, which merges integrated circuit technology with molecular devices, has received significant support from NSF, the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Defense. Dr. Willis is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award and, from the University of Delaware, an Emmert Faculty Fellowship and the Dow Corning Award. Dr. Willis has more than 20 refereed journal and conference publications. He earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from MIT in 1999.

Dr. William Mustain joined the department as an assistant professor after completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His research interests include the development of new materials for proton exchange membrane fuel cells, the development of a room temperature molten carbonate fuel cell, aerobic biocathodes for oxygen reduction reaction, microfabricated biological fuel cells and fundamental studies on both electrochemical kinetics and ionic transport in solid electrolytes. As a Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Mustain was a member of a research group that was the first to demonstrate and fully characterize the high activity of cobalt-palladium alloy electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the PEM cathode. Dr. Mustain, who has four patent disclosures on his work, was awarded the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) 2004 Outstanding Teaching Assistant of the Year Award, a Hamid Arastoopour Excellence in Education Award, and a Heald Scholar (’98-02) award. He received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from IIT in 2006. Dr. Jeffrey McCutcheon joined the department with a dual affiliation with the Center for Environmental Science & Engineering (CESE) at UConn. He completed his Ph.D. at Yale University in 2007. His dissertation focused on transport phenomena associated with osmotically driven membrane processes, notably forward osmosis and pressure retarded osmosis. It resulted in eight publications. Dr. McCutcheon completed a post-doctoral fellowship at SUNY Stony Brook and joined a small startup company as the Technical Group Leader. At Stony Brook, Dr. McCutcheon helped to develop electrospun nanofiber supported thin film composite membranes for nanofiltration. At UConn, he will advance his work involving membrane filtration for water treatment, desalination, and power generation applications.

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Chemical Engineering Faculty C. BARRY CARTER DEPARTMENT HEAD, PROFESSOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING D. Phil., Oxford University Sc.D., Cambridge University Interfaces & Defects, Ceramics Materials, TEM, AFM, Energy

WILLIAM MUSTAIN Ph.D. Illinois Institute of Technology Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Aerobic Biocathodes for Oxygen Reduction, Electrochemical Kinetics & Ionic Transport

RICHARD PARNAS DOUG COOPER Ph.D. University of Colorado Process Modeling & Control

Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles Biodiesel Power Generation, PEM Fuel Cell, Polymer Gels & Filled Polymers

CATO LAURENCIN Ph.D., MIT M.D., Harvard Medical School Advanced Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Biodegradable Polymers, Nanotechnology

YU LEI Ph.D. University of California-Riverside Bionanotechnology, Bio/nanosensors, Bio/nanomaterials, Remediation

JEFFREY MCCUTCHEON Ph.D. Yale University Membrane Separations, Polymer Electrospinning, Forward Osmosis/Osmotic Power

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MONTGOMERY SHAW Ph.D. Princeton University Polymer Rheology & Processing

RANJAN SRIVASTAVA Ph.D. University of Maryland, College Park Systems Biology & Metabolic Engineering

YONG WANG Ph.D. Duke University Nanobiotechnology, Nanomedicine & Drug Delivery

ROBERT WEISS

BRIAN WILLIS

Ph.D. University of Massachusetts, Amherst Proton Exchange Membranes, Polymer Blends

Ph.D. MIT Nanotechnology, Molecular Electronics, Semiconductor Devices & Fuel Cells

BENJAMIN WILHITE Sc.D. University of Notre Dame Microreactors & Sustainable Energy

LEI ZHU Ph.D. University of Akron High Energy Storage Polymer Capacitors, Biodegradable Polymers as Nanomedicine, PEM Fuel Cells & DMFCs

Materials Science & Engineering Faculty MARK AINDOW

HAROLD BRODY

Ph.D. University of Liverpool, England Defects and Interfaces, Microstructural Development in Alloys and Thin Films, and Electron Microscopy

ScD. MIT Materials Processing, Alloy Casting and Solidification, and Process Models

PAMIR ALPAY

PUXIAN GAO

Ph.D. University of Maryland Ferroic Materials, Thermodynamics & Kinetics of Phase Transformations, Thin Film Deposition

Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology Nanomaterials Synthesis and Characterization, Nanotechnology for Biomedical Applications

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RAINER HEBERT

GEORGE ROSSETTI

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison Phase Transformations, Metals and Alloys, Metallic Glasses, Severe Plastic Deformation Processing

Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University Electroceramic Materials: Crystal Chemistry and Physics, Particulate Processing, and Crystal Growth

BRYAN HUEY Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania Scanning Probe Microscopy, Nanoscience, Electronic Materials, Texture, and Ceramics

PRABHAKAR SINGH

THEO KATTAMIS

LEON SHAW

ScD. MIT Solidification and Metals Joining, Materials Processing, Thin Coatings and Tribology

Ph.D. University of Florida Nanomaterials, Coatings, Composites, Freeform Fabrications, and Hydrogen Storage Materials

HARRIS MARCUS

MEI WEI

Ph.D. Northwestern University Freeform Fabrication, Mechanical Behavior, Fatigue, Nanotechnology, and Photonic Crystals

Ph.D. University of New South Wales, Australia Biomaterials, Ceramics, Coatings and Composites

RAMPI RAMPRASAD Ph.D. University of Illinois Materials Modeling & Computation, Nano-materials, Thin Films & Interfaces, Photonic Crystals & Meta-materials

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Ph.D., University of Sheffield MBA, University of Pittsburgh Fuel Cells & Energy

Research Team Developing Electronic Nose to Detect Explosives ogs, pigs—even dolphins—have been trained to sniff out different agents, from illicit drugs and rare truffles to explosives. Many bombs use nitrated compounds—such as TNT or dynamite, which contain volatile components— as explosives. These compounds emit scent molecules that may be detected by trained animals. With nearly $800,000 in funding from NSF, by Dr. Yu Lei, and his colleagues will seek to develop an electronic nose system for explosive detection. Dr. Lei leads a team of researchers who hope to develop real-time, ultra-sensitive sensor arrays capable of sniffing out even trace quantities of explosives. He is joined by UConn colleagues Christian Brückner (Chemistry) and Ali Gokirmak (Electrical & Computer Engineering),

Bioengineering Offered as an Area of Discipline ioengineering is an interdisciplinary program covering topics including, but not limited to, biochemical engineering, biomolecular engineering, metabolic engineering, and biomedical engineering. The discipline leverages the crossover between the two programs in our department and brings together our faculty working in these areas. What makes our approach special is that the bio-specialization is built upon the foundation of Materials Science & Engineering and Chemical Engineering, leading to an accredited undergraduate degree in either MS&E or ChE. Graduates will be equally at home at the Materials Research Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Our graduates can take the core courses in either program and then choose from a variety of technical electives. An important component of the program is that the faculty work on both the main campus in Storrs and at the UConn Health Center in Farmington. Students are encouraged to spend time at both locations and to have a committee that reflects this exciting link between the two UConn campuses. Seminars, conducted by internationally recognized experts, will assist in introducing to our students the current state of bioengineering research.

and a colleague at the University of California—Riverside. The team will focus on the development of the science behind a miniaturized sensing device capable of detecting potential explosives with greater speed, selectivity and accuracy than ever before using simple instrumentation. As envisioned, the unit will combine a number of features: the ability to capture and concentrate airborne explosive molecules, and the real-time capacity to distinguish and identify compounds commonly found in explosives. It will lay the groundwork for a hand-held unit that inspectors could use, say, to inspect luggage of passengers boarding a plane. Read more on page www.engr.uconn.edu/eesniffer.php

From left, researchers Ali Gokirmak, Christian Brückner, and Yu Lei in their lab.

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UConn Hosts First Materials Camp aculty and students from the department of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering and the University’s Institute of Materials Science (IMS), along with industrial partners, hosted nearly 40 students and four teachers on Monday, October 20, 2008 for UConn’s first Materials Camp. The students hailed from the University High School for Science and Engineering, a Hartford magnet school. According to Dr. Rainer Hebert, the camp was organized under the auspices of ASM International, a professional organization of materials engineers and scientists. The organization has offered Materials Camps since 2002 as an avenue

Department of Chemical, Materials & Biomolecular Engineering 191 Auditorium Road, Unit 3222 Storrs, CT 06269-3222 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

for high-school students to gain exposure to materials science activities and careers. Members of the ASM International Hartford chapter sponsored the event. Dr. Hebert said UConn’s IMS decided to host and sponsor the Materials Camp because the Institute houses an impressive selection of cutting-edge equipment and resources for demonstrations, an enthusiastic population of undergraduate and graduate students, and a desire to “attract bright and curious students to our program.” During the half-day camp, the Hartford students visited seven learning stations, each equipped with a particular theme. The stations covered a range of representative materials science demonstrations involving nanotechnology, materials identification, high-temperature materials, casting, microstructures, energy and brazing. The groups enjoyed 30-minute explanations and demonstrations at each station, where “instructors” included not only UConn materials science faculty and students but also industry representatives,

along with individuals from the CRISP program comprising researchers from Yale University and Southern Connecticut State University. The day culminated with a panel discussion hosted by materials science and engineering senior Salay Stannard, Dr. Hebert and industry representatives Joe Kubinski and Mark Vecchiarelli, president of Yankee Casting. Dr. Hebert expressed gratitude to Mr. Arnie Grot of the ASM Hartford chapter for his assistance, and to the student volunteers whose efforts and excitement made the event a success.

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