RESEARCH FOCUS
CEMS offers an environment that equips students to meet the challenges of modern engineering. Our research major research thrusts are:

• MicroChemical Systems - The concept is to design, manipulate, and control chemical reaction and separation processes that occur in micro-volume environments for specific device or process functions from a systems point of view. This research area covers a wide range of new and emerging technologies such as microfluidic biochips for proteomics, combinatorial catalyst evaluation, micro-reactor systems for on-demand chemical production, portable fuel cell systems, etc.
  
  
• Highly Filled Materials Institute - integrated modeling, experimental studies using industrial-scale processing equipment and characterization of microstructural distributions and properties over the spectrum of highly filled materials.

AREAS OF RESEARCH
The Materials Science Program prides itself in its research strength in areas related to surface-, film/coating-, and interface-related studies relevant to a wide range of technological applications. These areas range from biopolymers for issue engineering, thermal/environmental barrier coatings for advanced turbines, engineered nanoporous and micro-channel structures for sensors and microchemical systems, and thin films for microelectronics and photonics applications. We maintain various processing and synthesis capabilities as well as state-of-the-art materials measurement and characterization facilities.

Active research in the Chemical Engineering Program include micro-chemical systems, reaction engineering and catalysis, polymer processing and characterization, biochemical engineering, reactor-technology for stereo selective enzymatic reactions, crystallization from solution and mathematical modeling of transport processes. The department also houses the Highly Filled Materials Institute (HFMI). HFMI investigates the behavior, goodness of mixing, processibility and ultimate properties of highly filled materials including suspensions and dispersions.

Many research projects are pursued in collaboration with industrial laboratories, which permit a unique learning and training experience for students in both an academic and an industrial environment.

FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS

Ronald S. Besser: His current focus is on understanding the critical limitations of MCS in a variety of applications. Current projects involve pharmaceutical compound synthesis, process control in the context of MCS, processing of liquid hydrocarbon fuels into hydrogen for fuel cells, and generation of oxygen for compact, air-independent fuel cell systems.

George B. DeLancey: Nonisothermal mass transfer with chemical reaction: gas-liquid reactions, engineering aspects of catalysis, yeast mediated bioreductions.

Henry Du: Surface modification and oxidation of ceramics; nano-scale control of the structure and properties of microelectronic and photonic materials.

Traugott Fischer (Professor Emeritus): Tribology and tribochemistry of nano- and micro-structured materials.

Bernard Gallois: Chemical Vapor Disposition.

Dilhan M. Kalyon: integrated modeling, experimental studies using industrial-scale processing equipment and characterization of microstructural distributions and properties over the spectrum of highly filled materials.

Suphan Kovenklioglu: Chemical reaction engineering, catalysis and crystallization.

Adeniyi Lawal: Mathematical modeling of transport processes, polymer processing, polymer rheology, and micro-chemical systems.

Woo Lee: Microfluidics Self-Assembly, Biomaterials.

Matthew Libera: Biologically active materials; polymer interfaces; electron microscopy.

Gerald Rothberg: Surface electronic and magnetic properties.

Keith Sheppard: Materials aspects of electrochemically enabled processes such as electrodeposition and corrosion.