Chemical Engineering M.Eng, Ch.E., and Ph.D.
Nano, Polymer, Biochemical, and Materials Engineering
The Chemical Engineering graduate program at Stevens allows you to tailor your study to fit your needs and interests. Courses are offered in Chemical, Biochemical, Biomedical, Polymer, and Materials Engineering. Concentrations are available in Chemical Engineering and Polymer Engineering. A focused interdisciplinary concentration in Nanotechnology supports multi-scale research in Chemical Engineering.
Research in Focus
Alternative Energy Through Nanoengineering
Professor Ronald Besser is currently pursuing micro- and nano-technology based solutions for improving efficiency of electrical power generation at various scales. He has funded projects in reforming hydrocarbons for compact fuel cells, safely and efficiently producing oxygen for fuel cells in oxygen-deficient environments, and improving photovoltaic efficiency through nanomaterials for anti-reflection and photon downconversion. Other projects include nanoengineering 3D interfaces for improved fuel cell performance, increasing reactivity of the hydrogen-oxygen interaction and improving nanomanufacturing of thin-film solar modules.
High-Tech Biofuels and Microreactors
Stevens is enabling distributed production of biofuel from various forms of biomass waste through the work of Professor Adeniyi Lawal and his graduate student researchers. By pioneering a two-step process, beginning with the thermochemical conversion of biomass by fast pyrolysis to pyrolysis oil, (PO), followed by upgrading the PO to biofuel, Dr. Lawal is making green fuel production accessible to a wider global community. Another benefit of this process involves the flexibility of converting biomass of different compositions derived from multiple sources to PO and syngas, and using this syngas to produce any transportation fuel: ethanol, gasoline, or diesel. His research on microreactor technology development focuses on the demonstration of the enhanced heat and mass transfer performance provided by microreactor in comparison to conventional-size reactors. Mass transfer enhancement of two to three orders of magnitude have been obtained for multiphase reactions carried out in single channel microreactors at low processing flow rates. Learn more at his laboratory site: New Jersey Center for MicroChemical Systems.
Self-Healing Materials Through Nanotechnology
Dr. Pinar Akcora is using her NSF Career Award to develop self-healing materials through nanotechnology. Her lab is fabricating particles that have multi-functional assembly, are conductive and therefore potentially magnetic, and are mechanically strong. These characteristics make materials resistant to wear, useful in rough conditions such as the coating on a car or airplane, and applicable for electrical membranes or sensors. Dr. Akcora's research fits into Stevens multi-disciplinary Nanotechnology Graduate Program, which brings together faculty and graduate students from six Departments to conduct research and technology development at the atomic, molecular, or macromolecular levels.
Reaction Mechanism Studies
Professor Simon Podkolzin studies reaction mechanisms on surfaces of solid catalysts for petroleum refining and chemical industries. The scale gap between observable reaction rates and catalytic surface reactions on the nanoscale is bridged through iterative cycles of experimental catalyst characterization and testing in combination with DFT calculations. Experimental information establishes the basis for the selection of models and the level of theory for DFT calculations and then, in turn, results of the DFT calculations help to deconvolute and better interpret experimental data. As opposed to traditional catalyst models that assume a static surface, Dr. Podkolzin's approach of combining kinetic studies, IR and Raman spectroscopic measurements and DFT calculations with vibrational analyses allows for development of new methodologies for describing dynamic catalytic surface changes under reaction conditions and, consequently, for a transformational improvement in the description, control and further development of catalytic processes.
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