Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

Stevens Researchers Advance Innovative Lab-in-a-Fiber Research Frontier

May 21, 2012

Dr. Du and Dr. Sukhishvili’s collaboration wins grant from the National Science Foundation Many vital chemical and biological processes in modern technology take place in microscopic, tightly constrained environments, where experimentation at macroscopic scale is no longer adequate to understand and exploit molecular behavior. Dr. Henry Du and Dr. Svetlana Sukhishvili of Stevens Institute of Technology have recently been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to address this challenge with a project titled Lab-in-a-Fiber Optofluidic Platform: In-Situ Assembly and Response of Layer-by-Layer Polyelectrolyte Films in Confined Geometry. “We applaud the efforts of Profs. Sukhishvili and Du," says Dr. Michael Bruno, Dean of [Read more...]

Dr. Podkolzin's International Green Chemistry Collaboration Wins NSF Grant

April 10, 2012

Nanoparticle catalysts for industrial chemical reactions use oxygen with only water as a byproduct Dr. Simon Podkolzin Environmental considerations can be costly, but they are not a luxury in an ecologically aware world; researchers must work urgently to devise new eco-friendly and economical practices for industrial applications. Dr. Simon Podkolzin and Dr. Henry Du of the Chemical Engineering & Materials Science Department at Stevens Institute of Technology have been awarded an NSF grant to establish a new collaboration with Eindhoven University in the Netherlands for studying gold and silver catalytic nanoparticles for green chemistry [Read more...]

Dr. Henry Du Elected SPIE Fellow

March 23, 2012

Professor Du's interdisciplinary fiber-optic sensing research advances applications in environmental monitoring, medical diagnosis and energy production Dr. Henry Du, Professor and Director of the Chemical Engineering & Materials Science department at Stevens Institute of Technology is a leading expert in nanotechnology-enabled fiber-optic sensing, particularly using photonic crystal fiber (PCF) as the sensing platform. In recognition of the important contributions of his work, SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, has elected Dr. Du as a fellow of the society. The fellowship acknowledges Dr. Du’s significant scientific and technical contributions in the multidisciplinary fields of optics, photonics, and imaging. It honors his service [Read more...]

Arthritis and Bacterial Infection Research Nabs Win for Stevens Student

January 17, 2012

Nearly one-quarter of all adults experience some form of arthritis, leading to over $100 billion annually in medical costs and earnings losses. A Chemical Engineering student from Stevens Institute of Technology, David Monteiro, has conducted fundamental research that deepens our understanding of certain types of arthritis and brings medical science closer to effective treatments. David's research presentation recently took second place in an American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) conference. Some crippling forms of arthritis are caused by bacterial infection in the joints, triggering inflammation, swelling, and pain. David's study used synovial fluid, a viscous liquid found within joints that provides [Read more...]

Dr. Woo Lee Makes Graphene-Based Inkjet-Printed Electronics

December 7, 2011

Wins Academic R&D Award from Printed Electronics Conference and Tradeshow Paper-thin cell phones, e-readers, and batteries are just over the horizon for consumers, thanks to a revolutionary, disruptive technology known as printed electronics. A combination of novel materials and cutting edge fabrication processes, printed electronics are revolutionizing the look, feel, and use of computerized devices and are emerging as an estimated $300 billion market. Dr. Woo Lee, partners in the Army, and other researchers at Stevens Institute of Technology are advancing printed electronics through their recent demonstration of a method to inkjet print electrical energy storage devices using graphene. Made of carbon [Read more...]

Nanotechnology for Better Natural Gas Utilization

September 13, 2011

Advances in understanding molybdenum nanostructures and molecular mechanisms of catalytic reactions to provide improved natural gas processing technologies. Natural gas is an abundant resource that is tremendously underutilized due to a lack of efficient technologies that enable its conversion into shippable products. To address this problem, Dr. Simon G. Podkolzin of Stevens Institute of Technology and Dr. Israel E. Wachs of Lehigh University are studying the fundamentals of a new catalytic process for converting natural gas into benzene and other easily shippable liquid hydrocarbons over supported molybdenum nanoparticles. Their joint research has recently been awarded a research grant from the National [Read more...]

Stevens Researchers Pioneer Novel Technique to Make Plasmonic Nanogap Arrays

September 6, 2011

In the quest to exploit unique properties at the nanoscale, scientists at Stevens Institute of Technology have developed a novel technique for creating uniform arrays of metallic nanostructures. A team of faculty and students in the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, led by Dr. Stefan Strauf, appropriated methods from holographic lithography to demonstrate a new approach for scaling up the fabrication of plasmonic nanogap arrays while simultaneously reducing costs and infrastructure. A paper on the technique recently appeared in Nano Letters 11, 2715 (2011). "Prof. Strauf is doing research at the forefront of physics," says Dr. Rainer Martini, Department Director [Read more...]

ONR Funds Dr. Chang-Hwan Choi to Study Nanoscale Wetting Dynamics of Superhydrophobic Surfaces

August 30, 2011

This DURIP grant supports development of innovative anti-corrosion materials With a fleet of ships and aircraft that work as hard as the sailors, pilots, and crew that operate them, the US Navy spends approximately $10-12 billion every year to fight corrosion on the hulls and bodies of these important vehicles. To support Office of Naval Research (ONR) development of hydrodynamically efficient and environmentally non-toxic anti-corrosion materials, Dr. Chang-Hwan Choi, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, researches nanotechnology with multifunctional superhydrophobic properties that repel water and prevent corrosion in robust and durable ways. Dr. Choi's work has recently [Read more...]

Stevens Hosted Biomaterials Research Conference

July 7, 2011

On June 9-10, 2011, a select group of 85 researchers from across the country and around world gathered at Stevens Institute of Technology to share their latest advances in the area of infection-resistant biomaterials at the Stevens Conference on Bacteria-Material Interactions. The University played host to participants from the public, private, and academic spheres to discuss clinical needs, laboratory research, and future-oriented strategies critical to developing safer, more effective biomaterials that promote healing while minimizing the risk of infection. "The research discussed at the conference couples an exciting combination of fundamental scientific questions with compelling societal relevance," says Dr. Matthew Libera, [Read more...]

Associate Professor Frank Fisher Selected for Fulbright Specialist Roster

June 9, 2011

Dr. Frank Fisher, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, has recently been added to the Fulbright Specialist Roster as a candidate for grants to cooperate internationally on academic development. Funded by the US Department of State, the Fulbright Specialist Program places leaders from higher education and industry in global collaborations that strengthen the positions of US institutions. "Dr. Fisher was selected for this distinguished honor in recognition of his academic leadership as well as his forward-thinking nanotechnology research," says Dr. Constantin Chassapis, Deputy Dean of the Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science and Department [Read more...]