Research Interests
Current:
Within the realm of Applied Physics and Materials Science I am interested in studying ceramics which could be used for thermoelectrics and thermal barrier coatings. An emphasis is placed on identifying new oxide materials with low thermal conductivity and high thermopower made in bulk via SPS sintering.
Families of materials currently being researched are layered compounds such as Ruddlesden-Poppers, Aurivillius, Dion Jacobsen phases and layered cobaltites which exhibit, in addition to low thermal conductivity, anisotropy in thermal properties due to their crystallographic structure. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation as part of the World Materials Network in conjunction with faculty at Imperial College in London, Tsinghua University in Beijing, University of Florida and Harvard.
Past:
The bulk of my internship at Ceramatec, Inc. focused on the development of high-strengh, low cost aluminum-phosphate based refractory ceramics (CERCANAM®). Research included bulk shape forming, strengthening, characterization, processing and testing for refractory applications such as steel melting, gas filtration, paper and coating industries.
Low temperature formation of advanced ceramics and composites concrete. I was also exposed to his work as well while working as an intern at Ceramatec, Inc. The project allowed me to work on innovative new approaches for using fly-ash, a landfill material given off as a by-product of the coal burning industry, to replace Portland Cement® in concrete. In particular the prospect of developing green building materials was appealing to me.
Lastly, at Ceramatec Inc. I worked on biocompatible ceramics and biomimetic processes as engineering materials for the health industry. Particularly in antiseptic dissolvable post-surgery ceramic inserts and precision porosity size and distribution control in tape-cast hydroxy-apatite to allow bone ingrowth into ceramic scaffolding.
