The mission of the Department of Materials Science and
Engineering is to produce B.S./M.S./Ph.D. graduates
who can excel in leadership positions in industry and
academia at national and international levels.
Facts at a Glance
Tenure-Track Faculty FTE 11.3
Auxiliary Faculty FTE 1
Undergraduate Students 93
New Research Awards $3.6M
Graduate Students 89
Research Expenditures $4.0M
Ph.D. Awarded (08-09) 12
M.S. Awarded (08-09) 10
B.S. Awarded (08-09) 20
2008-2009 Highlights
5
Dr. Steven May Joins MSE Faculty
9
MSE Celebrates 40 Years of Graduating Ph.D.s
In 2009, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering marked 40 years of graduating Ph.D.
students. In commemoration of this impressive milestone, the department held events as part of Drexel’s
Blue and Gold Days and as part of the MS&T 2009 conference.
14
Drexel Nanotechnology Research Paves the
Way to Ever Smaller Electronic Devices
16
Taheri and Colleagues Win R&D 100 and
Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 Awards
Refereed Journal
92
Publications
Nat’l and Internat’l
35
Awards Won
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr.
Steven May as assistant professor. At Drexel, Dr. May’s research group will focus on oxide materials for
energy applications.
18
24
Professor Christopher Li and colleagues’ pioneering research published in Nature Nanotechnology
demonstrates that it is possible to manipulate a carbon nanotube, the building block of nanotechnology
applications, for the future miniaturization of electronic devices.
Professor Mitra Taheri and colleagues at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have won both an
R&D 100 Award and a Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 Award in the Technology category for the development
of the Dynamic Transmission Electron Microscope.
Senior Design Team Wins $75,000 Phase II EPA Funding
The senior design team of Eric Eisele, Courtney Reid, Dan Pugh, Sarah Byrnes, and Charlie Woods was
awarded a $75,000 Phase II People, Prosperity, and Planet Award from the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) for “Cool Roof Coatings Utilizing Glass Hollow Microspheres for Improved Solar Reflectance.”
New Members of the Drexel Materials Family
Check out the new additions to our growing materials family. These budding engineers are keeping their
parents and grandparents on their toes with new discoveries daily!
Please read on for a comprehensive look at
the department’s activities over the past year
2
read the complete annual report online at
www.materials.drexel.edu/ar/
3
From The Department Head
It is my pleasure to present our 2008-2009 annual report.
In a year marked by market turmoil, students, staff, faculty,
and alumni continued to work hard and demonstrate excellence at all levels.
This year we marked the 40th anniversary of the first
graduating class of Ph.D. graduates
in 1969 with two events: a dinner at
Drexel as part of Blue and Gold Days
and a reception in Pittsburgh at MS&T.
This milestone gave us the opportunity
to recognize the achievements of our
accomplished Ph.D. alumni/ae and at
the same time express our appreciation
for the vision and hard work of the faculty members who started the graduate
program.
We have been extremely fortunate
to recruit Dr. Steven May to our department as Assistant Professor. Steve
received his Ph.D. in Materials Science
and Engineering from Northwestern University and most
recently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Argonne
National Laboratory. Steve’s research group will focus on
oxide materials for energy applications and we are delighted
to add his expertise in energy to our faculty mix.
Our students continue to make us proud. Two of our
undergraduate students received prestigious scholarship
awards: a Department of Defense SMART Scholarship (Andrew DeVillier) and a NASA Aeronautics Scholarship (William Frazier). In addition, a senior design team won $75,000
in grant funding from the EPA for their sustainability project
“Cool Roof Coatings Utilizing Glass Hollow Microspheres for
Improved Solar Reflectance.”
Faculty grant proposals were well received last year with
20 new awards secured totaling $3.6M through regular or
ARRA funding. Among them, the first grant on nuclear materials (Barsoum), a new DoEd GAANN, and several NSF grants
(Gogotsi, Kalidindi, Li, Schauer, Wegst, Zavaliangos), as well
as major instrumentation awards.
Recognized for their achievements, faculty have been
honored by industry and professional societies alike. Among
them, Professor Mitra Taheri and colleagues at Lawrence
4
Livermore National Laboratory received an R&D 100 Award
for their work in the development of the Dynamic Transmission Electron Microscope (DTEM) and Professor Yury Gogotsi
was named a AAAS Fellow. Additionally, Professor Richard
Knight was nominated to the ASM International Board of
Trustees. Our alumni/ae continue to excel in their respective fields with Paul K. Whitcraft (B.S.
1973) selected to Chair the 2009 ASTM
International board of directors and Dr.
Diran Apelian (B.S. 1968) elected as a
member of the National Academy of
Engineering (NAE).
The numbers clearly show that our
department continues to be strong.
Currently we have 93 undergraduates,
31 M.S. (which includes 23 B.S./M.S.
students) and 63 Ph.D. (which includes
four B.S./Ph.D.) students. Our freshman class consists of 25 new students
and is increasing daily. Last year we
graduated 20 BS, 10 MS and 12 Ph.Ds.
Despite the difficult economical climate, last year’s graduates have secured jobs in pursuit of academia and industry
careers with postdoc placements at MIT (Osswald), Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Chmiola), and Yale (Schiffman).
It would be an omission not to mention the passing of Dr.
Constantine Papadakis, President of Drexel University, whose
continuous efforts since 1995 have brought unprecedented
progress to Drexel. Taki will be missed. He will be with us
in spirit as we continue to strive for excellence.
In closing, I invite you to explore this report and learn
more about our recent activities. Join us on Linkedin or Facebook, or even better, if you happen to be in the Philadelphia
area, please take the opportunity to visit us and meet with
me, other faculty, and students.
Sincerely,
Antonios Zavaliangos
Department Head & Professor
visit us online at
Dr. Steven May Joins MSE Faculty
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is
pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Steven May as
assistant professor, effective
September 1, 2009. At Drexel,
Dr. May’s research group will
focus on oxide materials for
energy applications.
Graduating with his Ph.D.
in Materials Science and Engineering from Northwestern
University in 2007, Dr. May’s
dissertation work concentrated on the synthesis and
electrical characterization of magnetic semiconductors. Dr.
May received his undergraduate degree in engineering science
from Pennsylvania State University, where his research focused
on improving the performance of amorphous silicon solar cells.
From 2007 to 2009, Dr. May was a postdoctoral researcher
at Argonne National Laboratory, where his work focused on
the synthesis and characterization of magnetic thin films and
heterostructures. Using a technique known as molecular beam
epitaxy, he synthesized oxide films a single atomic layer at a
time, allowing for the creation of material structures that cannot be realized with bulk synthesis techniques. One example
of a material structure made possible through this synthesis
strategy is a superlattice, which consists of alternating layers of
different materials (A/B/A/B, etc). The properties of superlattices can be strikingly different from that of the component
materials (A or B).
Dr. May has shown that novel magnetic properties can
emerge at interfaces between different oxide materials. Superlattices have also been used to study the effect of atomic
disorder in magnetic materials. By creating a superlattice with
an ordered atomic arrangement, it has been found that magnetic properties of oxides can be substantially improved.
The Oxide Films and Interfaces research group will employ
atomically controlled synthesis to create new materials for applications in energy conversion, energy storage, and low power
electronics. The group will focus on complex oxides, a fascinating class of materials already used in fuel cells, batteries, and
electronics due to their multifunctional properties. Through
this combination of advanced synthesis and characterization,
the group aims to discover new materials for the next generation of devices for energy conversion, energy storage, and information technology.
www.materials.drexel.edu
faculty
news
Gogotsi Appointed Trustee
Chair Professor
Following the recommendation
of the CoE Administrative Council, Dr. Yury Gogotsi has been appointed Trustee Chair Professor
of Materials Science & Engineering. Since joining Drexel University in 2000, Gogotsi has served as
founder and director of the A.J.
Drexel Nanotechnology Institute,
W.M. Keck Institute for Attofluidic
Nanotube-based Probes, and Associate Dean of the College of
Engineering, establishing a world-class Centralized Research
Facility and an Industry Consortium, raising more than $10M
in funding for research and education.
Barsoum Named
Grosvenor Professor
Dr. Michel Barsoum has been
named the A. W. Grosvenor Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
as of November 2008. This position recognizes his professional
accomplishments and personal
efforts in development of the
materials program at Drexel.
This named professorship honors our Department’s founder,
A. W. “Doc” Grosvenor, who set the standard for dedicated
faculty to maintain the high quality of education and research
for which we are known. In 1930, “Doc” began his career
at Drexel in the Mechanical Engineering Department. He
assumed leadership of the Metallurgical Engineering Department at its inception in 1947.
The Department’s first Grosvenor Professor was Professor
Harry Rogers. He held the title until his retirement in December 1991, when Professor Alan Lawley was appointed as
such. Following Lawley’s retirement, Professor Roger Doherty
became the Grosvenor Professor in 2004.
5
Our Staff
Our Faculty
M AT E R I ALS FACULTY
AFFILIATED FACULT Y
Michel W. Barsoum (Ph.D., MIT)
Franco Capaldi
A.W. Grosvenor Professor
Yury G. Gogotsi (Ph.D., Kiev Polytechnic, UA)
Trustee Chair Professor
Surya R. Kalidindi (Ph.D., MIT)
Professor
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engr. & Mechanics
Adam Fontecchio
Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Alexander Fridman
John S. Nyheim Chair Prof. of Mech. Engr. and Mechanics
Richard Knight (Ph.D., Loughborough, UK)
Haviva Goldman
Christopher Y. Li (Ph.D., University of Akron)
Selçuk Güçeri
Associate Department Head and Auxiliary Professor
Associate Professor
Michele Marcolongo (Ph.D., U. of Penn.)
Associate Professor
Steven May (Ph.D., Northwestern University)
Assistant Professor; Starting September 2009
Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy
Dean of the College of Engineering
Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Bahram Nabet
Wei-Heng Shih (Ph.D., Ohio State University)
Wan Young Shih
Jonathan E. Spanier (Ph.D., Columbia University)
Karl Sohlberg
Mitra Taheri (Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon Univ.)
Yen Wei
Ulrike Wegst (Ph.D., U. of Cambridge)
Margaret Wheatley
Associate Professor
Hoeganaes Assistant Professor of Metallurgy
Anne Stevens Assistant Professor
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Professor of Chemistry
John M. Reid Prof. of Biomedical Engineering and Science
E M E R I T US FACULTY
Ihab Kamel
Jack Keverian
6
Andrew Marx
Systems Administrator
Keiko Nakazawa
Holly Burnside
Director, Outreach & Development
Shirin Karsan
Nanotechnology Business Coordinator
Centralized Research
Facilities (CRF)
Materials Program Coordinator
Ed Basgall
Dorilona Rose
Manager, Scanning Electron Microscopy
Judy Trachtman
Manager, Transmission Electron Microscopy
Academic and Financial Coordinator
Craig Johnson
Zhorro Nikolov
Manager, Materials Characterization and Microfabrication
Yenneeka Long Joins MSE Staff
Have a financial question, need to get paid, or looking to change your major to materials? Faculty, staff, and students can
now turn to Yenneeka Long, Administrative Coordinator, to solve these queries.
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Department Head and Professor
Roger D. Doherty
Yenneeka Long
Administrative Coordinator
A. J. Drexel Nanotechnology
Institute (DNI)
Department Head of Chemical & Biological Engineering
Antonios Zavaliangos (Ph.D., MIT)
Roger Corneliussen
Technical Staff
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Giuseppe Palmese
Professor
Dustin Doss
Operations Manager
Anthony Lowman
Caroline L. Schauer (Ph.D., SUNY Stony Brook)
Assistant Professor
Department of Materials
Science & Engineering
Alan Lawley
Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering
Samuel K. Nash
A Philadelphia native, Yenneeka has a B.S. in accounting from LaSalle University and is currently working towards an MBA with a concentration in
Public Administration from DeVry University. She has extensive experience in
the Philadelphia Charter Schools system, working as a high school math and
business teacher and a Senior Coordinator at New Media Technology Charter
School. She has also worked as a part-time accountant for Wynnefield Tutors.
In the future, she plans to pursue an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Management in Higher Education and hopes to develop an educational program
to provide resources to underprivileged youth to help them advance in their
educational careers.
When not managing the departmental finances, Yenneeka can be found singing and writing songs, mentoring and tutoring children within her church and
community, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Yenneeka is also the proud mother of first-grader Harun, who keeps her on
her toes with gymnastics, football, choir, swimming, and homework.
Harry C. Rogers
visit us online at
www.materials.drexel.edu
7
Excellence in Scholarship
Doctor of Philosophy
Sandip Basu
Flow-Enhanced, Specific, In-Situ Pathogen Detection
Using Piezoelectric Microcantilever Arrays with
Single Organism Sensitivity
Advisor: Wei-Heng Shih and Wan Y. Shih
Current Position: Project Manager; TBT Group, Inc.;
Berlin, NJ
Kristopher D. Behler
Chemically Modified Carbon Nanostructures for
Electrospun Thin Film Polymer Nanocomposites
Advisor: Yury Gogotsi
Current Position: Army Research Lab Aberdeen
Proving Ground; Aberdeen, MD
In Situ Raman Spectroscopy Study of Oxidation of
Nanostructured Carbons
Advisor: Yury Gogotsi
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher;
Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
Cambridge, MA
Joseph A. Capobianco
Siddhartha Pathak
Piezoelectric Serum Protein Detector
Advisor: Wei-Heng Shih and Wan Y. Shih
Current Position: Project Manager; TBT Group, Inc.;
Berlin, NJ
John Chmiola
Pore Size—Ion Size Correlations for Carbon
Supercapacitors
Advisor: Yury Gogotsi
Current Position: Post doctoral researcher;
Environmental Energy Technologies Division;
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab; Berkeley, CA
Marko Knezevic
A New Spectral Framework for Crystal Plasticity
Modeling of Cubic and Hexagonal Polycrystalline
Metals
Advisor: Surya R. Kalidindi
Current Position: Scientific Forming Technologies
Corporation; Columbus, OH
Hui Li
Synthesis and Characterization of Aqueous
Quantum Dots for Biomedical Applications
Advisor: Wei-Heng Shih and Wan Y. Shih
Current Position: Post-doc fellow; University of
Connecticut; Hartford, CT
8
John-Paul McGovern
On Spherical Nanoindentation Stress-Strain Curves,
Creep and Kinking Nonlinear Elasticity in Brittle
Hexagonal Single Crystals
Advisor: Michel W. Barsoum
Current Position: Research Associate; Department
of Materials Science and Engineering; Rutgers
University; Piscataway, NJ
Sebastian Osswald
Development and Validation of a Novel Data
Analysis Procedure for Spherical Nanoindentation
Advisor: Surya R. Kalidindi
Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher;
EMPA - a Research Institute of the ETH Domain;
Thun, Switzerland
Jessica D. Schiffman
Determination of the Electrospinning Parameters for
Biopolyelectrolytes and their Modifications
Advisor: Caroline Schauer
Current Position: Postdoc; Department of Chemical
Engineering; Yale University; New Haven, CT
Hakki Orhan Yegingil
Breast Cancer Detection and Differentiation Using
Piezoelectric Fingers
Advisor: Wei-Heng Shih and Wan Y. Shih
Current Position: TBT Group, Inc.; Berlin, NJ
Qing Zhu
Characterization and Application of Piezoelectric
Microcantilever Sensors Fabricated from SubstrateFree PMN-PT Layers
Advisor: Wei-Heng Shih and Wan Y. Shih
Current Position: Process Engineer III; FUJIFILM
Dimatix, Inc.; Santa Clara, CA
visit us online at
Master of Science
Bachelor of Science
Carlos Octavio Bahamondes
Valerie Regina Binetti
Eric Karl Brenner
Robert Charles Ferrier, Jr.
Christopher Michael Hobson
Sean Anthony Miller
Barbara Jane Robinson
Paul Justin Scheps
Mark Christopher Shinners
Janah Cecilia Szewczyk
David P. Althouse
Nicholas Antonakos Eric Karl Brenner (Magna Cum Laude)
Sarah Marie Byrnes
Andrew An-Ze Chan
Eric Eisele
Keith J. Fahnestock
Paul W. Fallis
Mark A. Fiorentino
Rahul Sabu Joseph (Cum Laude)
Sean Anthony Miller (Magna Cum Laude)
Anthony Ikwama Musey
Daniel Evan Pugh
Courtney Anne Reid
Barbara Jane Robinson (Summa Cum Laude)
Ari I. Sagiv
Matthew Schecter
Molly A. Stewart
Darin Joseph Tallman
Charles Kyle Woods
MSE Celebrates 40 Years
of Graduating Ph.D.s
In 2009, Drexel University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering marked 40 years of graduating Ph.D.
students. In commemoration of this impressive milestone,
the department held one of two celebratory events on Friday, May 1, 2009 as part of Drexel’s Blue and Gold Days.
Department Head Antonios Zavaliangos recognized
several key alumni in attendance for their achievements
including:
• Harry Antes: Oldest Graduating Ph.D. Student
• Subash Khatri: Most Successful Alumnus in Business
• Mark Robinson: Service to the Department and
Professional Excellence in the Field of Materials
Science and Engineering
• Sharvan Kumar: First Ph.D. to Work in Academia
• Anthony Rollett: Excellence in Academia
• Eugene Shapiro: First Ph.D. Class
Present at the spring event were several former faculty
members including George Dieter, Richard Heckel, Howard
• Ranjan Dash: First Ph.D./M.B.A. Student
• Frederick Schmidt: Longest Time Between M.S. and Ph.D.
The following alumni were also recognized at a celebration at the Materials Science and Technology 2009 (MS&T)
conference in Pittsburgh in October:
• William Frazier: Service to the Department and
Professional Excellence in the Field Of Materials
Science and Engineering
• Sebastian Osswald: First Dual Ph.D. with a Foreign
University in Conjunction With an MBA
www.materials.drexel.edu
Alums William Frazier (left), Sebastian Osswald (2nd), and Mark
Robinson (right) accept their awards from Dr. Antonios Zavaliangos
9
Alumni mpact
Kuhn, and Robert Reynik. Former faculty member Sam Nash
was surprised with a cake celebrating his 90th birthday.
In honor of her service to the department and to the field
of materials science and engineering, Judy Trachtman, academic and financial coordinator, was surprised with an Alpha
Sigma Mu scarf from alumnus Fred Schmidt, Ph.D.
Additionally, Fred presented Professor Rick Knight as one
of two inaugural Fellows of Alpha Sigma Mu, the materials
science and engineering honors society. Rick received a
certificate, a pin, and a plaque to commemorate the honor.
For more information and photos from the events, visit
www.materials.drexel.edu/alumni/40yearsphd/
Jessica Schiffman Receives
Most Likely to Enhance Drexel’s
Reputation Doctoral Award
Graduating Ph.D. student Jessica Schiffman (advisor: Caroline Schauer) was selected as the doctoral student deemed
to have the most promise in enhancing Drexel’s reputation in
the future in the Mathematical Sciences and Engineering for
2009. This award for graduating Ph.D. students is given to
only one or two graduating students per category per year.
Jessica is pursuing her postdoctoral studies at Yale University
with Professor Menachem Elimelech, chair of the Department
of Chemical Engineering and
director of the Environmental
Engineering program.
This is the fourth year in a row
a graduating Ph.D. student from
the Department of Materials Science and Engineering was
selected to receive this award. Previous award winners
from MSE include Davide Matthia (2008), María Pía Rossi
(2007), and Ranjan Dash (2006), all advised by Professor Yury
Gogotsi.
Previous winners of the Best Dissertation Award include
Aiguo Zhou in 2008 (advisor: Michel Barsoum) and Thomas
Juliano in 2005 (advisor: Yury Gogotsi).
10
Michael Birnkrant Receives
NRC Research Associateship
Postdoctoral Fellowship
Recent Ph.D. graduate Michael Birnkrant (advisor: Christopher Li) is the recipient of
a National Research Council
(NRC) Research Associateship
Postdoctoral Fellowship in the
Air Force Research Laboratory/
Materials & Manufacturing Directorate at Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base in Ohio.
Birnkrant is pursuing research in reconfigurable polymeric hierarchical nanostructures with Dr. Timothy Bunning,
American Physical Society (APS) Fellow and the 2002 APS
John H. Dillion Polymer Prize recipient. The 12-month associateship, began in late July 2009, and consists of a stipend
of $59,000 per year and is renewable for an additional year.
Sebastian Osswald Receives
First Dual Ph.D. from
U.S. and Germany
Ph.D. graduate Sebastian Osswald (advisor: Yury Gogotsi)
is the first student from Drexel University to receive a dual
Ph.D. degree from Drexel and an international university.
Sebastian received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from both Drexel and Ilmenau University of Technology in Germany. Through his personal efforts, a permanent
procedure for future dual degree programs between Drexel
and international institutions was subsequently established.
In addition, a collaboration with Ilmenau University was solidified, laying the ground work for internships and exchange
programs between the two universities.
In the same time frame, Sebastian also completed an MBA
from the Drexel University LeBow College of Business. He is
currently a postdoctoral researcher at MIT.
for more alumni news, please visit
Drexel Revives Alpha
Sigma Mu Chapter and
Inducts New Members
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at
Drexel University has revived
its Alpha Sigma Mu Chapter,
known as Pennsylvania Alpha,
with the induction of five students in a ceremony at the
White Dog Café on June 9, 2009.
New inductees B.S./M.S. students Eric Brenner (advisor:
Caroline Schauer), Joan Burger (advisor: Jonathan Spanier),
Aldo Di Prato (advisor: Caroline Schauer), and Sean Miller
(advisor: Michel Barsoum) and Ph.D. student Amanda Levinson (advisor: Surya Kalidindi) were presented with certificates, pins, and cords at the ceremony. In attendance were
chapter faculty advisor Antonios Zavaliangos and fellow
Alpha Sigma Mu faculty members Surya Kalidindi, Richard
Knight, and Mitra Taheri.
Established in 1932, Alpha Sigma Mu is the international
and professional academic honors society for the field of
materials science and engineering. Students are selected
on the basis of academic merit and leadership.
Drexel’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering has a tradition of activity within Alpha Sigma Mu. Two
alumni/ae are current members of the Alpha Sigma Mu
board. Dr. Elizabeth Hoffman (B.S. 2002, Ph.D. 2007; advisor: Michel Barsoum) was elected to the board in 2008. Dr.
Frederick Schmidt (B.S. 1968, M.S. 1970, Ph.D. 1998) was
elected to the board in January 2007 and appointed to the
position of Vice President in April 2009, effective immediately. Schmidt will assume the role of President in 2011 for
a two-year term. Schmidt also serves as a Trustee on the
ASM International Education Foundation, a three-year appointment, which began in September 2007.
Alumnus Dr. Ranjan Dash is
Recognized as one of MIT
Technology Review’s TR35
MIT’s Technology Review magazine has recognized MSE
alumnus Dr. Ranjan Dash (Ph.D. 2006, advisor: Yury Gogotsi)
as one of its TR35 of 2009. This prestigious group of 35 in-
www.materials.drexel.edu/alumni/
novators under the age of 35
represent the cutting-edge in
science and technology.
Dash was recognized for his
role as co-founder of Y-Carbon,
Inc., a nanotechnology start-up
company whose “core mission
is to develop and promote an
innovative method of making
novel nanostructured carbon
materials with precisely defined
structure, porosity, and surface
chemistry.”
Recognized as the doctoral student deemed to have the
most promise in enhancing Drexel’s reputation in the future
in the Mathematical Sciences and Engineering upon graduation in 2006, Dash is the first Drexel student to complete a
Ph.D. and M.B.A. simultaneously.
MSE Alumnus Paul K. Whitcraft
Named Chair of 2009 ASTM
International
Board
MSE alumnus Paul K. Whitcraft
(B.S. 1973) has been selected
Chair of the 2009 ASTM International board of directors. Whitcraft is director of quality, safety
and engineering at Rolled Alloys Inc. in Temperance, Michigan and has been an active member of ASTM International
since 1975.
Upon receiving his B.S. degree in metallurgical engineering, as the department was known then, Whitcraft obtained
employment at Carpenter Technology and subsequently
moved to Rolled Alloys in 1991. In addition to his ASTM
International affiliation, Whitcraft maintains membership
in NACE International, ASM International, TAPPI, and SAE
International.
Established in 1898, ASTM International is one of the
largest international standards development and delivery
systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World
Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of
international standards: coherence, consensus, development
dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance
11
and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and
used in research and development, product testing,
quality systems and commercial transactions around
the globe.
Alumnus Vander Voort
Receives Distinguished
Life Member Award
Alumnus George F.
Vander Voort (BS, Metallurgical Engineering, CoE,
1967) was presented with
the 2008 Alpha Sigma Mu
Distinguished Life Member Award on October
6, 2008 at the Materials
Science & Technology
Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.
Alumnus Diran Apelian
Elected to National
Academy of Engineering
Alumnus Dr. Diran Apelian (B.S. 1968) has been
elected a member of the
National Academy of Engineering (NAE). He joins
65 new members and 9
foreign associates in being
honored this year.
Beyond Material Things:
Drexel MSE students and
alums employ their expertise
to lend a helping hand
Meeting challenges. Solving problems. These are tenets that
define engineers. Although “helping others” may not immediately come to mind, Drexel MSE students are familiar with this
important component of what it means to be an engineer. The
program is fortunate to have a cadre of current students and
alumni who have used their engineering skills to pursue careers
and projects in service.
Drexel’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has a tradition of leadership from MSE students. EWB is an international
humanitarian organization striving to help people help themselves by providing clean water and durable shelters to developing communities using appropriate and sustainable technology.
Current EWB president is B.S./Ph.D. student Prineha Narang
(advisor: Yury Gogotsi) and B.S./M.S. student Valarie Pelletier
(advisor: Yury Gogotsi) serves as PR Representative. B.S./M.S.
student Mike Sexton (advisor: Antonios Zavaliangos) served as
EWB president in 2007-08 and B.S./M.S. student Charles “CJ”
Spencer (advisor: Michel Barsoum) was EWB’s first Community
Outreach Chair.
Now Sexton is preparing to enter the Peace Corps in June. He
will serve as a science teacher in Africa; his exact location is as of
yet unknown. Sexton has several ideas for community develop-
12
“I hope to reduce the daily hardships of the
community I am placed in with my experiences and education,” says Sexton. Driven
by a desire to help others and an interest in
volunteerism, Sexton was motivated to pursue
EWB and ultimately the Peace Corps. He found
the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in
the classroom to real world experiences that
make a direct impact in a community to be profoundly meaningful. He has found inspiration
in the people he has met and the values and
experiences he has gained through his pursuit
of the MSE degree.
“I always have and always will speak very
highly of the MSE department at Drexel. Their
passion for materials science has motivated me
to pursue my passions and that is something for
which I will be eternally grateful,” says Sexton.
Currently employed with City Year, Spencer got involved
with volunteering through work with EWB on the Miramar Project Team, traveling to El Salvador to complete
an assessment of the community’s needs. As Community
Outreach Chair for EWB, he helped to coordinate service
projects for the organization within the Philadelphia community through Philly Cares and Drexel’s Center for Civic
Engagement. Like Sexton, he was eager to apply his engineering education to give back to the community.
“I want to show people majoring in engineering that
there are options beyond industry or academia after
graduation,” says Spencer. In relating his MSE degree to
community outreach, he believes that fundamentally the
development of materials, such as newer, more effective
water filters and cheaper building materials, is directly relevant to the betterment of society. Spencer also advises
that working with any type of service organization contributes to building leadership skills and hones the confidence
to confront challenging situations.
Dr. Apelian was honored
“for contributions to solidification processing and for
outstanding leadership in engineering education and
university-industry collaboration.” Election to the
NAE is one of the highest honors an engineer can
receive for his or her contributions to engineering.
He is past president of The Minerals, Metals &
Materials Society (TMS) and the Howmet Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of
the Metal Processing Institute (MPI) at Worcester
Polytechnic Institute. In addition to graduating from
Drexel in 1968, he served as a faculty member and in
several administrative positions at Drexel University
from 1976 until 1990.
ment projects for Engineers Without Borders
that would improve water supplies and distribution, health facilities, and transportation.
Valarie Pelletier with school children on a Drexel
Engineers Without Borders trip to Jamaica
visit us online at
Inspired by her involvement in volunteer opportunities,
Pelletier has also decided to pursue the Peace Corps. She
is currently in the midst of the application process and has
been nominated to teach secondary math in Africa in the
fall of 2010. The Peace Corps combines Pelletier’s love for
www.materials.drexel.edu
Mike Sexton performs water quality testing in a stream north
of a community in Miramar, El Salvador as part of his work with
Drexel Engineers Without Borders
travel with her interest in applying her skills and knowledge
to help others.
In the Peace Corps, “not only will I be helping other
people, but they will be teaching me about different cultures and giving me new insights and perspectives,” says
Pelletier. Her previous volunteer experiences include Alternative Spring Break trips and current work with EWB,
as well as work as a volunteer math tutor and mentor at a
local elementary school in West Philadelphia. Even if she
is assigned to teach math, she hopes to initiate an engineering project while a Peace Corps volunteer, possibly in
conjunction with EWB.
Pelletier hopes to make a difference in at least one person’s life and to apply the problem solving skills she has
gained while an MSE student in the Peace Corps. “Peace
Corps and life abroad can be very challenging, and I will
need to be innovative, creative, flexible, collaborative, and
know how to problem solve.”
Are you an alum currently working in community
service or a unique career? Please contact Dorilona
Rose at drose@coe.drexel.edu to share your story
and to be featured on our website.
13
Materials In Action
Drexel Nanotechnology Research Paves the
Way to Ever Smaller Electronic Devices
Professor Christopher Li and colleagues are one step closer to making personal electronic devices even smaller. Their pioneering research, “Alternating patterns on single-walled carbon nanotubes,” published in the April 26, 2009 online version of Nature
Nanotechnology and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), demonstrates that it is possible to manipulate a carbon
nanotube, the building block of nanotechnology applications, for
the future miniaturization of electronic devices, including computers, cell phones, and PDAs.
Carbon nanotubes, or CNTs—the diameter of only a few millionths of a human hair— are favored in nanotechnology research
and applications for their unusual properties. To be able to use
CNTs to create ever smaller electronic devices, a nanotube would
have to be furnished with multiple transistors. To achieve this goal,
one has to be able to fabricate uniform, large-scale, controllable
patterns on CNTs at a few tenths of a nanometer scale, a difficult
task which to date has not been successfully addressed.
Drexel researchers, led by Professor Li, have now demonstrated
that it is possible to create periodic, alternating patterns on carbon
nanotubes with a period of 12 nanometers by decorating carbon
The alternating pattern of PE-b-PEO formed on SWNTs with a 12nm
nanotubes with judiciously selected crystalline block copolymers
period imaged using transmission electron microscopy. The dark
(in this case polyethylene-block-poly(ethylene oxide)). Block copoand bright stripes represent the PEO and PE domains respectively.
lymers are comprised of two chemically different polymer chains
that are covalently linked together at one end. The trick is to select two blocks of the copolymer so that one has a strong tendency
to crystallize on the carbon nanotube surface and the other block can then be brought to the vicinity of the carbon nanotube.
The period of the pattern can be easily controlled to be ~10-100 nanometers by simply varying the molecular weight of the block
copolymers.
“The polymer and gold patterns on these nanotubes are exciting and raise intriguing possibilities for further research,” says Dr.
Andrew J. Lovinger, Polymers Program Director in the Division of Materials Research at NSF. “This is beautiful work by Professor Li
demonstrating the potential of polymeric materials in the nanoworld.”
From a technological standpoint, achieving an alternating pattern on an individual carbon nanotube at an ~10 nm scale is groundbreaking. By controlling the electrical conductivity of the areas occupied by each block, or domains, multiple transistors can be
fabricated along the length of the nanotubes. The small domain size allows the possibility for hundreds of transistors to be fabricated
on a 10-micrometer tube. Li has also demonstrated that even gold nanoparticles can be periodically immobilized along nanotubes,
replicating the ordered block copolymer structure. This provides an excellent structure for single electron devices, devices that
exploit the quantum effect of tunneling to control and measure the movement of single electrons.
“While there is a long road toward the commercialization of such technology,” says Professor Li. “We have clearly demonstrated
that we have the capability of controlling the pattern at approximately a 10-nanometer scale, with the precision and regularity on a
single nanotube that could lead to extreme device miniaturization in the future. Our method is also generic and should be applicable
to other one-dimensional nanostructures.”
Stronger, Lighter, Faster:
Professor Mitra Taheri’s
Dynamic Characterization
Group Pushes the Boundaries
of Materials Technology
Improving the way we live, whether it be for accessibility, convenience, or health and safety, is a primary goal of materials science and engineering research. Hoeganaes Assistant Professor of
Metallurgy Mitra Taheri and her Dynamic Characterization Research
Group (DCG) are exploring ways to advance technology key to our
daily lives. Taheri’s group is engaged in four primary areas of materials research: electromagnetic, multiferroic, structural, and nanoelectronic.
In an effort to make motors that power our appliances and transformers for our computers more efficient, cost effective, and less
wasteful, Taheri’s group are designing new soft magnetic composites
(SMCs). The goal of researching magnetic materials is to develop a
coating for metal powders that will efficiently electrically insulate
them from one another, yielding an SMC. An insulating coating material can greatly improve the magnetic properties of the SMC. SMCs
are thus a vast improvement over lamination steels because of their
ability to be coated with myriad insulating materials, pressed into
any desired shape, and to transfer magnetic flux isotropically. The
SMCs developed and characterized in Taheri’s group will play a key
role in future hybrid and electric vehicles.
Likewise, the desire for faster, more energy efficient computers
and greater memory capacity has led the group to investigate the
structural and electrical properties of bismuth ferrite (BFO), which
belongs to a unique class of materials known as multiferroics. Multiferroic materials can possess coupled ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties, allowing for control of ferroelectric domain structures
via applied electric fields. Multiferroics are a promising material for
incorporation into ferroelectric and magnetoresistive memories, as
well as spin valves and magnetic field sensors.
To improve the durability of structural materials, Taheri’s group is
investigating steels that contain a complex combination of alloying
elements, which provide increased strength and fracture toughness
coupled with a decreased production cost, as well as alloys that retain their strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures
and extreme conditions. A targeted application for these alloys is
the development of next generation of nuclear reactor materials
that can withstand increased operating temperatures and radiation
doses. Other applications for these alloys include landing gear and
wind turbine materials. The analysis capabilities of the Taheri group
allow for the direct observation of strengthening mechanisms, such
as interactions at grain boundaries and precipitates, which increases
the ability to improve macroscopic properties by tailoring microstructures.
Studying the microstructure-property
relationships of these
materials requires
the use of in situ
Transmission Electron
Microscopy (TEM),
a technique central
to Taheri’s research.
Taheri and her group
utilize various methods of in situ TEM, inTransmission Electron Micrograph of Ferrocluding annealing and
electric Domains in Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO3)
laser-induced transformations, electrical biasing of semi-conducting, phase-change, and
multiferroic materials, and in situ Environmental TEM (both gas and
liquid) for the study of heterogeneous catalysis, corrosion, surfactants and biomaterials. Despite the utility of in situ TEM, conventional in situ TEM imaging is limited in temporal resolution (30 frames
per second, or video frame-rate). Taheri’s group will extend their
current in situ TEM studies to the Dynamic TEM, or DTEM, which is
capable of nanometer resolution at nanosecond time scales. Taheri
was a member of the original DTEM development team at Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). At LLNL, Taheri studied in situ
nanowire growth and silicon crystallization for thin film transistor
devices, and has brought both of these projects to Drexel.
To efficiently develop electronic devices at the nanoscale, one has to
gain an understanding of nucleation and growth stages of the nanowires that form their foundation. The origin of texture, morphology, and
extended defects in nanostructures during nucleation and growth is
crucial to their future use in device fabrication. Taheri’s group is capable
of producing nanowires in situ using pulsed laser ablation with the drive
laser in the DTEM. These studies are currently being supplemented by
collaborative projects involving molecular dynamics (MD) simulations
of laser-induced nanowire growth. In the area of silicon crystallization,
polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) is heavily used in thin film transistors (TFT)
for flat panel displays in the rapidly growing areas of monitors, mobile
phones, and television. Since electrical properties are closely coupled
with microstructure and defect concentration, it is necessary to understand the origin and role of inter and intragranular defects to better
control the device properties. Dr. Taheri’s work presents a new method
of studying laser processing of a-Si films by in situ laser crystallization in
the TEM with lasers fed into the electron column.
At Drexel, Taheri and her group have not only continued work on
silicon processing using DTEM, but they also will extend the use of
DTEM to their other projects, including imaging domain switching in
multiferroics and microstructural changes in metals at much shorter
time scales. The DCG hopes that the use of this technique will provide a giant leap towards bridging the gap between experiment
and simulation in various aspects of microstructural and interface
dynamics in materials science.
For more information on the Dynamic Characterization Research Group, please visit http://dcg.materials.drexel.edu/
14
visit us online at
www.materials.drexel.edu
15
&
Awards Achievements
Gogotsi Elected AAAS Fellow
Yu r y
Gogotsi,
Trustee Chair Professor, has been elected
to the rank of Fellow
of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Each year,
since 1874, the AAAS Council elects members whose efforts
on behalf of the advancement of science are scientifically and
socially distinguished.
Gogotsi was honored for “Outstanding contributions to the
field of science and engineering of inorganic materials, for dissemination of knowledge as an editor, and for establishment of
innovative educational programs.” He received a certificate on
Saturday, February 14, 2009, during the AAAS Fellows Forum at
the Association’s annual meeting in Chicago.
Taheri and Colleagues Win
R&D 100 and Nanotech
Briefs Nano 50 Awards
Professor Mitra Taheri,
Hoeganaes Assistant Professor of Metallurgy, and
colleagues at the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in Livermore, CA
have garnered two prestigious awards for their work
in the development of the
Dynamic Transmission Electron Microscope (DTEM).
The laboratory responsible for the DTEM has won both an
R&D 100 Award and a Nanotech Briefs Nano 50 Award in the
Technology category.
The DTEM, which was developed at LLNL, provides the highest temporal resolution ever, using single shot electron beam
imaging of ultrafast processes with nanometer spatial resolution. The technology was developed in collaboration with JEOL
USA Inc., a Peabody, Mass.-based company. Recent papers
16
published on the DTEM by the group can be found in the journals Microscopy Research & Technique, Science, and Small.
The R&D 100 Awards are presented annually by R&D Magazine for the top 100 innovative products of the year. The 2008
awards were presented at the Grand Ballroom and Lakeview
Terrace at the Navy Pier in Chicago, IL on October 16, 2008.
The Nano 50 Awards, given out by the online news source
Nanotech Briefs, “recognize the top 50 technologies, products,
and innovators that have significantly impacted – or are expected to impact – the state of the art in nanotechnology.” The
award was presented at the NASA Tech Briefs National Nano
Engineering Conference in Boston, MA, November 12 and 13,
2008.
Kalidindi and Trachtman Honored
at Engineers Week Banquet
Professor Surya Kalidindi and
academic and financial coordinator
Judy Trachtman were honored at
this year’s Engineer of the Year banquet on Friday, February 20, 2009 at
the Rittenhouse Hotel.
The Outstanding Leadership
Award was bestowed upon Kalidindi for his role as Director of the
Centralized Research Facilities, as
well as his former role as Department Head in the Department of
Materials Science and Engineering.
Trachtman received the Lifetime
Achievement Award for her almost
40 years of service to the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Drexel University.
The Engineer of the Year banquet
culminated a weeklong celebration
at Drexel of 2009 National Engineers
Week. Along with faculty, staff, and
alumni honorees, Drexel alumnus and astronaut Christopher
Ferguson was honored as Drexel’s 2009 Engineer of the Year.
for a complete list of awards, visit
Marcolongo Elected to
Office Position in Society
for Biomaterials
Professor Michele Marcolongo, associate professor in the
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been
elected to the Member-at-Large
position in the Society for Biomaterials for 2009-2010.
This position is a member to
the Society Board and represents the membership in the
board leadership.
According to their website,
the Society for Biomaterials “is
a professional society which
promotes advances in biomedical materials research and development by encouragement of
cooperative educational programs, clinical applications, and
professional standards in the biomaterials field.”
Barsoum Selected for
ISI HighlyCited.com
Professor Michel Barsoum, A. W. Grosvenor Professor, has
been selected for inclusion in ISI HighlyCited.com, a database
highlighting the top 250 cited researchers in each of 21
subject areas of life sciences,
medicine, physical sciences,
engineering, and social sciences.
Researchers are selected
based on citations within
the period of 1981-1999 and
make up 0.5% of the published research community. Barsoum
is the first Drexel faculty member to be included.
Knight Nominated to ASM
International Board of Trustees
Professor Rick Knight has been nominated to the ASM International Board of Trustees. His nomination was confirmed
at the ASM Annual Business Meeting in October during the
Materials Science & Technology 2009 Conference & Exhibition
held in Pittsburgh, PA.
www.materials.drexel.edu/ar/awards
Rick is a Fellow of ASM International and Alpha Sigma
Mu and is a recent recipient
of the ASM International Thermal Spray Society (TSS) President’s Award. An active member of ASM International and
the Thermal Spray Society,
Rick was the 2007 recipient of
the Delaware Valley Materials
Person of the Year Award. He
served as the 2004-2006 TSS
President and is still an active
member of several TSS committees.
Gogotsi Receives University
Research/Scholarship Award
Professor Yury Gogotsi, Trustee Chair Professor, is one of two
recipients of the 2009 Drexel University Scholarship, Creativity,
and Research Award. This is the most prestigious scholarship
and research award bestowed by Drexel on a faculty member.
Gogotsi is the second MSE and CoE faculty member to receive the award, A. W. Grosvenor Professor Michel Barsoum
being one of the 2007 inaugural recipients.
This award is given to honor work that has significantly impacted the faculty member’s field in a way that has augmented
thinking, understanding, or trends among other practitioners
and scholars. Gogotsi is being honored for contributions to
the fundamental studies of the processing-structure-property
relations in Carbide-Derived Carbons and development of new
nanostructured carbon materials with tunable structure and
properties, which have advanced the area of electrochemical
capacitors and sorbents.
Since joining Drexel University in 2000, Gogotsi has served
as founder and director of the A. J. Drexel Nanotechnology
Institute, W.M. Keck Institute for Attofluidic Nanotube-based
Probes, and Associate Dean of the College of Engineering, establishing a world-class Centralized Research Facility and an
Industry Consortium, raising more than $10M in funding for
research and education. He received his M.S. (1984) and Ph.D.
(1986) degrees from Kiev Polytechnic and a D.Sc. degree from
the Ukrainian Academy of Science, in 1995.
The award was presented Wednesday, June 3rd at 5:30 PM
at the Faculty Recognition Dinner.
17
Senior Design Team Wins
$75,000 Phase II EPA Funding
The senior
design team of
Eric Eisele, Sarah Byrnes, Dan
Pugh, Courtney Reid, and
Charlie Woods
(from left) was
awarded
a
Phase II People,
Prosperity, and
Planet Award
from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Competing
against 43 university teams, the Drexel University Department
of Materials Science and Engineering team received one of six
Phase II awards on Monday, April 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C.
at the National Sustainable Design Expo.
The award-winning senior design project, “Cool Roof Coatings Utilizing Glass Hollow Microspheres for Improved Solar
Reflectance,” increases the reflectance of cool roof coatings
while cutting raw material costs. Cool roof coatings save energy
and mitigate the urban heat island effect.
Previously, the team received a Phase I award in the amount
of $10,000. The Phase II awards provide $75,000 of funding for
two years and will be used to develop the coating further and
field test the technology by reaching out to the neighborhoods
surrounding Drexel. The team will work in conjunction with the
Drexel Smart House initiative.
Professor Michel Barsoum, A. W. Grosvenor Professor, along
with Dr. James Hagarman of the Goodwin College of Professional Studies, advises the team. Industry partners include
Chris Smith from Potter’s Beads and Matthew Lendzinski from
Rohm and Haas.
Andrew DeVillier
Awarded SMART
Scholarship
Andrew DeVillier (advisor: Michel
Barsoum), junior in the Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, has been awarded a Science,
Mathematics, and Research for
Transformation (SMART) Scholar-
18
ship, sponsored by the National Defense Education Program of
the Department of Defense.
The scholarship supports undergraduate and graduate students in pursuit of a degree in the STEM (science, technology,
engineering, mathematics) disciplines. The scholarship provides between $25k and $41k to awardees in stipend, as well
as full tuition for one year and job placement after graduation.
Prineha Narang Awarded DAADRISE Research Internship
B.S./Ph.D. student Prineha Narang has been awarded a
scholarship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austausch-Dienst (DAAD) Research Internships
for Science & Engineering (RISE)
program.
Prineha spent approximately
six weeks this summer at the
Fraunhofer Institut in Bremen,
Germany, working on a project
to tailor carbon nanotube surfaces using plasma technology.
This project has allowed Prineha
to build upon the research experience she has had at Drexel,
supervised by Professor Yury Gogotsi, and in close collaboration with the Drexel Plasma Institute. The goal of her project
is to optimize nanoscale corona discharge in liquids to enable
plasma modification of carbon nanotubes and create unique
nanostructures.
William Frazier Awarded NASA
Aeronautics Scholarship
B.S. student William Frazier (advisor: Surya Kalidindi) is a
recipient of the NASA Aeronautics Scholarship.
The two-year scholarship for undergraduate students will provide
$15,000 per year of educational
related funding to Drexel University
as well as $10,000 per year of stipend support to William for a summer internship at a NASA Research
Center.
Special Highlights
Taheri and Colleagues are Guest Editors
for Microscopy and Micronanalysis
Professor Mitra Taheri, Hoeganaes Assistant Professor of Metallurgy, and colleagues Nigel D.
Browning of the University California-Davis and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and
John Lewellen of the Naval Postgraduate School/Advanced Photon Source, are guest editors of
a special section on ultrafast electron microscopy in the August 2009 (Volume 15, Number 4)
edition of Microscopy and Microanalysis.
The section contains six papers from the 2008 Microscopy and Micronalyasis (M&M) Annual
Meeting held in August 2008 in Albuquerque, NM.
Li and Colleagues Publish Polymer Cover Article
Professor Christopher Li, Ph.D. alumnus Lingyu Li (2006), and
Ph.D. candidates Bing Li and Matthew Hood have had their research and images published as the cover article in the Volume
50, Number 4, February 9, 2009 issue of Polymer.
The article, entitled “Carbon nanotube induced polymer crystallization: The formation of nanohybrid shish–kebabs” details the
research group’s newly discovered “nano hybrid shish kebabs,”
where the carbon nanotubes (CNT) serve as the “shish” and polymer crystals are the “kebabs.”
The polymer crystals bring in numerous functionalities to the otherwise inert CNTs. These
“nano shish kebabs” also represent a new type of nano architecture. A variety of possible applications, including
catalyst supports and composites, are envisioned.
According to their website, Polymer, an international journal for the science and technology of polymers published by
Elsevier, publishes articles in all areas of polymer science and technology, with an emphasis on molecular or meso-scale
interpretation of data.
Chmiola and Gogotsi’s Work on Supercapacitors
Featured as an NSF Discovery
The groundbreaking work on supercapacitors by MSE alumnus John Chmiola (B.S. 2004,
M.S. 2008, Ph.D. 2009, at right) and MSE Professor Yury Gogotsi has been featured in the
“Discoveries” section of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Web site.
The article details the energy saving importance of supercapacitors and the novel applications Chmiola and Gogotsi have proposed in their research.
Of the approximately 300 people
who applied, William was one of 20 students to receive the
scholarship.
visit us online at
The Discoveries section of the NSF Web site features recent innovations and breakthroughs in science, engineering, technology, and education research currently or formerly
funded by the NSF.
www.materials.drexel.edu
19
Special Highlights
Dual Beam Focused Ion Beam – Scanning
Electron Microscope (FEI Strata DB235)
Gogotsi Receives Grant for
Partnership with France
Researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering are fortunate to
have access to a dual beam focused ion beam and field-emission scanning electron microscope, or FIB SEM, located in Drexel’s Centralized Research Facility (CRF). The FEI
DB235 interfaces with local scanning optical probes and is used for a variety of applications including electrical “wiring” of nanoscale materials, preparation of cross-sectional
transition electron microscope (TEM) samples of nanowires, and fabrication of nanopores
in thin membranes.
Dr. Yury Gogotsi, Trustee Chair Professor, has received
a $240,000, three-year grant “New Materials Synthesis
and Processes for Energy Storage Microdevices” from the
Partner University Fund of the French American Cultural
Exchange.
30 μm wide Drexel logo etched
onto the head of a brass screw using the FEI Strata DB235 FIB SEM
Commonly used for site specific precision ion milling and metal deposition for 3D
nanomachining, materials characterization, nanopatterning, and nanofabrication, the FIB
SEM features a high-brightness gallium ion beam, gas injection systems for platinum and
insulator deposition, secondary electron and secondary ion imaging, high-resolution in-lens secondary electron detector,
omniprobe in-situ micromanipulator for preparation and manipulation
(lift-out) of TEM samples, integrated X-ray fluorescence analyzer with a
separate X-ray source providing high sensitivity for trace analysis of elemental composition (IXRF), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) with
e-beam, and combined XRF-EDS spectral and mapping capabilities.
The instrument was purchased on a National Science Foundation-sponsored Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-MRI) grant awarded to PI
Professor Jonathan Spanier (MSE) and Co-PIs Professor Caroline Schauer
(MSE), Professor Yury Gogotsi (MSE), Assistant Professor Elizabeth Papazoglou (BIOMED), and Senior Investigator Dr. Zhorro Nikolov (CRF).
Marcolongo and Colleagues Publish
in Journal of Magnetic Resonance
Dr. Marco Cannella, assistant professor of rehabilitation sciences (formerly a research assistant professor of materials science and engineering), Dr. Michele Marcolongo, and colleagues from the University of Delaware have published a paper
“23Na TQF NMR imaging for the study of spinal disc tissue” in the Journal of Magnetic
Resonance. The paper describes a new imaging technique that was used to effectively
analyze two human spinal disc samples. One of the resulting images was featured on
the cover of the journal.
The image shows PITQF tau-maps of two samples of human disc tissue with degenerative grades 2 and 3 (tPI = 1.5 ms). The samples are cores taken from the side of the
discs. The top of the sample is from the nucleus pulposus while the bottom is from
the annulus fibrosus. The pictures of the tissue are aligned with the y axis of the plots.
20
Major Research
for a complete list of grants visit
Grants provided by the Partner University Fund support
research and graduate education partnerships between
French and American Universities with emphasis placed
on novel, innovative and, when relevant, interdisciplinary
approaches
that involve exchanges across
national and
disciplinary
boundaries.
G o go t s i ’s
project, in colBuilding a supercapacitor on a chip: silicon carlaboration with
bide (SiC) wafer surface patterned with carbon
the Universite
nanotubes (CNT) and graphite/graphene film
Paul Sabatier
and the Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems
of the French National Center for Scientific Research (LAASCNRS), will build on the success of graduate programs in the
U.S. and France, namely, the NSF-IGERT Ph.D. traineeship in
Nanoscale Science & Engineering at Drexel University and
the University of Pennsylvania, and the Erasmus Mundus
“Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion” master’s
degree program of the European Union.
The research focus of the Partner University Fund grant
will be the development of high-capacitance, high energy
density micro-supercapacitors incorporated into silicon or
silicon carbide wafers. These energy storage devices will be
especially suitable for use in mobile electronic equipment,
wireless sensor networks, and micro-electro-mechanical
(MEMS) devices.
The grant will fund the exchange of students, post-doctoral researchers, and faculty from Drexel University to visit
French partners, and vice versa.
www.materials.drexel.edu/ar/grants
Initiatives
& Activities
Barsoum and Colleagues
Receive DOE Nuclear Energy
University Program Funding
Professor Michel Barsoum, A. W. Grosvenor Professor,
has received $664,359 in funding for a two-year
grant from the Department of Energy
(DOE) entitled, “Neutron Damage
and MAX Phase Ternary Compounds.”
This project, a collaboration
with Dr. Elizabeth Hoffman,
Ph.D. MSE alumna, and Dr. Robert Sindelar of Savannah River
National Laboratory (SRNL), and Dr.
Gordon Kohse of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), is part of the
Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) and will receive
funding under the category of Investigator-Initiated Research (IIR). The team will investigate how a new class of
materials, the MAX Phases, withstand neutron radiation at
high temperature for possible use in the next generation of
nuclear reactors.
Gogotsi Awarded DOE
EFRC with Lead Institution
Oak Ridge National
Laboratory and Partners
Trustee Chair Professor Yury Gogotsi is a member of the
team awarded a $3,800,000
per year five-year Energy
Frontier Research Center
Award (EFRC) by the Department of Energy in partnership
with lead institution Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and partner institutions Argonne National Laboratory, Northwestern University, University of Tennessee, University of North Carolina,
and University of Virginia. Drexel University expects to
receive more than $700,000 in funding from this grant.
21
The project, “Fluid Interface Reactions, Structures and
Transport (FIRST) Center” will explore ways to provide a
basic scientific understanding of phenomena that occur
at the interfaces of electrical energy storage, conversion
of sunlight into fuels, geological sequestration of carbon
dioxide, and other advanced energy systems.
Li Receives NSF
Nanomanufacturing Grant
Professor Christopher Li
has received a three-year
$346,508 grant from the
National Science Foundation (NSF).
“Multifunctional Hierarchical Structures Via
Holographic Lithography
and Block Copolymer Self
Assembly” aims to fabricate hierarchically ordered nanostructures (from a few
nanometers to the micron scale) by combining interference lithography (top-down technique) and self assembly
(bottom-up method).
The proposed project has the potential to lead to a new
method to achieve hierarchical nanostructures for a variety of technological applications including multifunctional
sensing, optical beam steering, and three-dimensional
electronics.
NSF-REU Site SENSORS
Receives Renewal Funding
Funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (ARRA), the
NSF-Research Experience
for Undergraduates (REU)
Site SENSORS: From Design
to Implementation has
been renewed for another
three years.
The program, directed
by MSE assistant professor Caroline Schauer (PI,
pictured) and Civil Architec-
tural and Environmental
Engineering
(CAEE) assistant professor Jin Wen (Co-PI), will receive funding in the
amount of $300,000.
SENSORS is a 10-week hands-on summer research program for undergraduate students from around the country
focusing on the area of sensor research from science to application. One of three REU programs in Drexel’s College of
Engineering and one of two in the Department of Materials
Science and Engineering, the program has been in existence
since 2006.
Wegst, Schauer, and Lelkes
Receive NSF Grant
Dr. Ulrike Wegst (PI, pictured) and Dr. Caroline Schauer
(co-PI) of the Department
of Materials Science and
Engineering and Dr. Peter
Lelkes (co-PI) of the School
of Biomedical Engineering,
Science and Health Systems have received an NSF
grant entitled, “Mineralized Electrospun Chitosan
Nanofibers as Bone Scaffolds.”
The aim of the project is
to test the hypothesis that,
by mineralizing chitosan fibers, a ceramic-based bone substitute material can be created for low and medium load-bearing applications that combines the strength and stiffness of
the ceramic phase with an increased toughness through fiber reinforcement. The long-term goal is to provide materials for optimal repair of craniofacial and orthopedic skeletal
defects, which
would otherwise require
a bone graft
from a second
surgical site.
The budget
for this twoyear project is
$315,297.
Electrospun one-step epichlorohydrin
Spanier and Colleagues
Receive NSF-GOALI
Zavaliangos Receives
NSF-GOALI
Professor Jonathan Spanier, associate professor,
and co-PIs Dr. Gary Tompa
of Structured Materials
Industries, Inc. (SMI), Professor Bahram Nabet, professor in the Department
of Electrical and Computer
Engineering, and Dr. Nick
Sbrockey of SMI have received a $468,149 National
Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant Opportunities for
Academic Liaison with Industry, “GOALI: Low-Dimensional
Plasmonic Semiconductor Materials” from the Division of
Materials Research (DMR).
Dr. Antonios Zavaliangos, professor and department
head, has received an NSF-GOALI totaling $340,000 over
three years for the
project “GOALI: Processing and Optimization of Multilayered
Pharmaceutical Tablets.”
Professor Michele Marcolongo
Receives NSF Biomedical
Engineering Grant
The National Science Foundation’s division of Biomedical Engineering
has awarded Dr. Michele Marcolongo (PI) and colleagues a
$309,000 grant titled “Modeling L-selectin mediated
attachment strength during
embryo implantation.” The
grant is aimed at quantifying
the primary and secondary
biomechanical interactions of a
model blastocyst with the uterine
endometrial epithelium to better understand conditions necessary for implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus.
This work will be performed entirely at Drexel University
through a collaboration with Ken Barbee, Ph.D., Biomedical
Engineering and Noreen Robertson, D.D.S., Monika Jost,
Ph.D., and Karen Berkowitz, M.D. from the Drexel College
of Medicine. The collaboration was begun under a Women’s
Leadership Grant and continued with a grant from the State
of PA through the medical school.
This project will focus on the elimination
of mechanical defects
in multilayer tablets,
which are becoming
a key drug delivery
Bilayer tablet splitting upon ejection
method for coexisting
medical conditions and multidrug therapies. The industrial
partner is Merck & Co., Inc. who will make their research
facilities available to Drexel faculty and students for this
project at no cost.
Shih and Colleagues Receive
DOD Cancer Research Grant
Professor Wei-Heng Shih and
co-PIs Professor Wan Y. Shih
of the School of Biomedical
Engineering, Science and
Health Systems (BIOMED),
and Professors Ari Brooks and
Vanlila Swami of the Drexel
University College of Medicine
have received funding for a oneyear grant from the 2008
Department of Defense
Breast Cancer Research
Program (BCRP) of the Office of the Congressionally
Directed Medical Research
Programs (CDMRP).
“Near-Infrared Quantum
Dots for Clear Margin Determination during Breast
Cancer Surgery” will be
funded for $112,500.
crosslinked chitosan fibers
22
visit us online at
www.materials.drexel.edu
23
New Members
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2
1
4
of the Drexel Materials Family!
There are some new additions to our growing materials
family. These budding engineers are keeping their parents and grandparents on their toes with new discoveries
daily! We congratulate our faculty, staff, alumni/ae, and
students on these recent additions to their families.
• Shahram Amini (Ph.D. 2009) and wife Sara are pleased
to announce the birth of Hannah Amini, born November 14, 2009. (5)
• Sayan Bhattacharyya, postdoctoral associate with Professor Yury Gogotsi, and wife Satarupa are delighted
to announce the birth of Shaurya Bhattacharyya, born
July 15, 2009. (6)
• Saibal Chakraborty (M.S. 1998) and Debolina Chakravarty are pleased to announce the birth of Shourya
Chakraborty, born July 26, 2009. (1)
• Russell Gorga (B.S. 1994) and Colleen Boudreau are
delighted to announce the birth of Leonardo Tomas
Gorga, born September 5, 2008. (4)
• Min Heon, Ph.D. student with Professor Yury Gogotsi,
and Soheon Kim are delighted to announce the birth of
Aaron J. Heon, born on July 4, 2009 while watching the
fireworks! Aaron is baby brother to 5-year-old Joon.
(17)
• Tom Juliano (Ph.D. 2004) and wife Smitha are pleased
to announce the birth of Shreya Mira Juliano, born
October 13, 2008. (15)
• Marko Knezevic (Ph.D. 2008) and Ana Mihajlovic Knezevic are delighted to announce the birth of Bogdan
Knezevic, born November 17, 2009. (3)
• New assistant professor Steve May and wife Jen are
thrilled to announce the birth of Julia Laurel May, born
November 9, 2009. (10)
• Jamie Ostroha (B.S./M.S. 2001, Ph.D. 2006) is delighted
to announce the birth of Myla Merrin Ostroha, born
August 26, 2009. (16)
• Adam Procopio (B.S./M.S. 1999, Ph.D. 2006) and wife
Dana are pleased to announce the birth of Sophie Marie Procopio, born April 11, 2009, baby sister to fiveyear-old Logan and three-year-old Marley. (13)
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• Dorilona Rose, Operations Manager, and Michael S.
Kay are pleased to announce the birth of Imara Rose
Kay, born September 30, 2008. (14)
• Eva Jud Sierra, former postdoctoral associate working
with Professor Michel Barsoum, and Raimundo Sierra
are delighted to announce the birth of Nicolas Alexander Sierra, born February 15, 2009, baby brother to
Rafael Sierra born May 20, 2004. (11)
6
• Dejan Stojakovic (Ph.D. 2008) and wife Angelina are
pleased to announce the birth of Luka Stojakovic, born
August 13, 2009, little brother to big brother Filip, born
January 28, 2008. (8 & 9)
• Judy Trachtman, Academic and Financial Coordinator
and department matriarch, and husband Lou are the
proud grandparents of Chava Trachtman, born January 9, 2007 and Mikayla Trachtman, born July 7, 2009,
both daughters of Marc and Tracey Trachtman. Marc
himself was the product of the first “official” maternity
leave at Drexel in 1971. (12)
8&9
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• George Vander Voort (B.S. 1967) and Dr. Elena P. (Manilova) Vander Voort are the proud grandparents of
Arsenij, born in 2007. (7)
• Mark Wolverton (B.S., 1977) and wife Janet are the
proud grandparents of Victoria (3 ½) and Gabriella (1
½).
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• Aiguo Zhou (Ph.D. 2008) and Xiumei Wan are delighted
to announce the birth of Betty Zhou, born August 11,
2007. (2)
• Qing Zhu (Ph.D. 2009) and Dan Li are pleased to announce the birth of Ray Zhu, born July 5, 2009, little
brother to big sister Lyria Zhu, born October 27, 2006.
(18)
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visit us online at
www.materials.drexel.edu
17
25
Supporting MSE
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering gratefully acknowledges its donors. Your generosity
will benefit both current and future MSE students and faculty, reaching well beyond the classroom and lab.
If you are interested in making a financial or non-financial contribution to the department, please visit:
www.materials.drexel.edu/support
When you send a financial contribution to Drexel, please be sure to designate your contribution to “Materials
Science and Engineering.” Possible venues for contribution
include:
• Department of Materials Science and Engineering Endowment Fund (supporting undergraduate and graduate student
fellowships and faculty development)
• Undergraduate scholarships (A. W. Grosvenor and Koczak
Scholarship Funds)
The Anne L. Stevens Endowed Scholarship Fund provides
financial support to female students in the Department of
Materials Science and Engineering who demonstrate academic merit and financial need.
The scholarship was established in 2007 with a generous gift from Stevens (’80) and the Lockheed Martin
Corporation Directors Charitable Award Fund.
The 2008-09 class of Stevens Scholars are (top row, from left) Joan Burger, Zakiya Carter, Thao Vi Le, Caroline
McCormick, (bottom row, from left) Valarie Pelletier, Ebony Thompson, Carly Snyder, and Barbara Robinson.
Reconnect with MSE!
Connect with us on Facebook
and LinkedIn to get access to
special alumni-only content
such as seminar videos, job
listings, and more!
Links to both can be found at
www.materials.drexel.edu/alumni
A Special Thanks to All MSE Donors!
Dr. Sabit Ali
Harry W. Antes, Ph.D.
Mr. David A. Armbruster
Sanjay R. Bagade, Esq.
Charles D. Barksdale, Jr., P.E.
Sandip Basu, Ph.D.
Mr. Lee A. Bender
Mr. Howard M. Benson
Thomas H. Bieniosek, Ph.D.
Mr. Dmitri A. Bohn
Mr. Ronald A. Bonina
Mr. Peter R. Boyles, Jr.
Mr. Robin P. Brobst
Mr. Melvin Brody
Mr. Bruce C. Bucari
Mr. David V. Bucci
Mr. Donald F. Byrnes
Mr. James B. Camlin
Mr. Joseph R. Cauvin
Mr. Joseph L. Cavallaro
Mr. Frank Cebular
Mr. Lawrence J. Choman
Mr. Robert Edward Clark
Mr. Roland C. Cochran
Mr. John F. Conrad
Mr. and Mrs. John P. Cook
Mr. Kyle E. Cope
Mr. John F. Copeland
Mr. Benjamin H. Cranston
Mr. William Crawford
Mr. Joseph F. D’Andrea
Mr. Kenneth J. Dabundo
Mr. Stephen A. Danilak
Mr. Luciano DelGaone
Dr. George E. Dieter, Jr.
Mr. Michael S. DiPietro
Dr. Roger D. Doherty
Dr. Marilyn Joan Dombroski
Mr. Fred W. Donecker
Mr. George H. Drayton
Mr. William J. Durako
Mr. W. Eugene Eckhart, Jr.
Dr. Turgay Erturk
Dr. John P. Foster
Mr. Thomas Alan Frederick
Mr. Andrew Scott Geisler
Mr. Allan S. Gelb
Mr. Michael S. Gennaro, Jr.
Dr. Yury Gogotsi
Mr. Robert J. Gordon
Mr. Edwin H. Gray III
Mr. Francis G. Hanejko
Dr. J. Walter Harrington III
Mr. Scott F. Harting
Mr. Dru D. Hartranft
Mrs. Donna Haining Hill
Dr. and Mrs. Arnold H. Holtzman
Mr. Craig A. Hoogstraten
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce D. Horn
Mr. & Mrs. Paul R. Howard
Dr. Natraj C. Iyer
Ms. Eva Jud-Sierra
Mr. Joseph J. Junod
Mr. Daniel J. Kahan
Melvin R. Kantz, Ph.D.
Mr. Milind B. Kasbekar
Mr. Andrew J. Kegel, Jr.
Mr. Ajmal Khan
Dr. Subhash Chandra Khatri
Dr. Richard Knight
Miss Pauline M. Kline
Mr. and Mrs. Chester H. Knapp
Ms. Susan DeRosa Kohlman
Dr. Peter J. Koros
Mr. Howard A. Kuhn
Mr. K. Sharvan Kumar
Hoa L. Lam, Ph.D.
Dr. Richard D. Lanam
Dr. David E. Laughlin
Dr. Alan Lawley
Ms. Susan L. Leandri
Anthony M. Leofsky, P.E.
Mr. Ronald H. Leopold
Mr. Michael S. Letts, Sr.
Mr. Richard C. Lewis
Mr. Joseph C. Lucas
Mr. Donald R. Lundy
Mr. James D. Maguire, Jr.
Mr. Anthony C. Manilla
Mr. Edward J. Mannion
Mr. Jay M. Marku
Mr. John N. Marshall
Mr. Francis P. McAleer
Mr. Michael J. McDonough
Mr. and Mrs. John C. McGraw
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. McIntyre
Dr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Michalak
Mr. Michael J. Micklus
Dr. Mahesh Mohanty
Col. John E. Moore
Prof. Eugene P. Munday III
Mr. Edward J. Murphy, Jr.
Mr. Charles I. Myers
Mr. Michael Myers
Dr. and Mrs. Samuel K. Nash
Mr. Richard A. Nebiolo
Dr. Burke E. Nelson
Mr. Michael W. Nichols
Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Norkiewicz
Mr. Leonard F. O’Neill, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Oliveto
Mr. Masaaki Ooka
Mr. Krishnakant B. Patel
Mrs. Ruth A. Pavone
Mr. Charles C. Pease
Mr. Michael J. Pechulis
Mr. Bruce F. Plotnick
Mr. Christopher S. Rapseik
Mr. Donald N. Reed
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Ricketts, Jr.
Mr. Neil B. Ridgeway
Steven J. Rocci, Esq.
Dr. Anthony D. Rollett
Dr. Robert Rosenberg
Mr. Robert T. Ross, Jr.
Mr. Edward J. Ruzauskas
Frederick E. Schmidt, Jr., Ph.D.
Mr. Ernest L. Schwenk
Mr. and Mrs. James A. Scott
Mr. Jay R. Shaner
Eugene Shapiro, Ph.D.
Dr. Victoriya Shtessel-Nemzer
Mr. Joseph W. Slusser
Dr. and Mrs. Ronald W. Smith
Mr. Richard H. Snyder
Mr. Charles E. Sohl III
Mr. Daniel E. Sonon
Mrs. Mary B. Sordi
Jonathan E. Spanier, Ph.D.
Mrs. Susan P. Spurgeon
Mr. John W. Staudt
Mr. Lewis H. Stivitts, Jr.
Mitra Taheri, Ph.D.
Dr. Richard A. Tanzilli
Mrs. Anne A. Thomas
Ms. Kelly C. Thornton
Mrs. Judith L. Trachtman
Mr. George F. Vander Voort
Mr. Ralph G. Verdieck, Jr.
Mr. William E. Voss
Mr. Glenn E. Watson
Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Wehr
Hsiu Hsien Wei
Mr. James R. Whetstone, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald B. Willbrant
Mr. William W. Wilson III
Dr. Walter L. Winterbottom
Mr William E Yackabonis
Mr. Edward C. Young, Jr.
Mr. Walter T. Young
Mr. J. Richard Yourtee
Mrs. Carmella Zalcmann
Antonios Zavaliangos, Ph.D.
Jing Zhang, Ph.D.
And to our corporate partners:
ACE Motor Sales, Inc.
Arkema, Inc.
Boeing Philadelphia
Carpenter Technology Corporation
Center for Powder Met. Technology
GKN Foundation
GUROK Turizm ve Madencilik A.S.
Hoeganaes Corporation
Nucor Plate Mill
Woodcock Washburn LLP
If you have donated to MSE in FY 2009 and are not listed here, we apologize for the oversight.
Please contact us if you wish to be recognized in future publications.
26
to support MSE visit
www.materials.drexel.edu/support/
27
Drexel University
Department of
Materials Science and Engineering
2008-2009 Annual Report
News Editor
Dorilona Rose
Contributing Writer
Holly Burnside
Layout and Design
Andrew Marx
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3
5
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Cover Image Credits
1: S. Pathak (MMG)
2: J. Schiffman (NPP)
3: P. Reddington (NMG)
4: D. Satko (MMG)
5: A. Sakulich (MAX)
6: P. Reddington (NMG)
7: P. Hunger (BDG)
8: D. Phelan Rothstein (BIO)
9: J. Schiffman (NPP)
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