Nanostructured Materials Analytical - Physical Chemist Consultant

Expertise

laboratories and production environments.

• Assess, diagnose, design and teach novel preparation, run, and mechanics of the following instrumentation and tools: Scanning Probe.
• Analytical and physical chemistry laboratory and production processes.
• Synthesis and characterization of hierarchically-nanostructured second generation carbon matrix composite materials.
• Electronic and photonic measurement at the macroscale, through the microscale, and into the sub-nanoscale.
• Nanoscale catalyst deposition and design expertise for templated nanoarchitecture.

Experience

Undisclosed Company, Vice President, Nanomaterial Research and Development, 2013 - 2016

• Combining nanostructured materials with classic composites to form advanced, hierarchically designed materials, components and products that work in myriad real world situations and reduce long term costs.
• Hired and trained professional staff and laboratory technicians and mentored college interns through the use of hands on learning and punch line expression of critical thought to guide creative, data driven solutions to chemical, physical, engineering, and production challenges.
• Go-to company problem solver for mechanical issues, design of experiments and scientific counsel.
• Invented, tested and worked directly with customers on development of thermal interface material. The project is now in production.
• Invented, developed and set production for moldable, grindable high-temperature carbon nanotube-based ultra-low heat capacity rigid materials that can withstand a 2200℃ burn in air. Thermal dissipation from HT to RT is achieved seconds after heat source removal.
• Invented, tested and produced a metallized vertically-aligned carbon nanotube-based heat sink. (Provisional Patent Filed: "System and Method for Metallizing Vertically-Aligned Carbon Nanotube Array").
• Invented, tested and produced Hyperconductive Wire.
• Invented and developed reel-to-reel process for nanomaterial coating of transition metal wire for high conductivity (Hyperconductive Wire).
• Developed, tested and proved process and methodology for graphene growth on transition metals 300℃ below literature values, and from gaseous and solid carbon sources, for low cost graphene production.
• Developed numerous methods to make classical and non-classical measurements using non-traditional tools.

AlphaGen, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, 2012

• Developed the theory and designed the process from gas collection through final product packaging.
• Secured $9 million start-up funding for company based on the continuous production of carbon nanotubes.
• Green conversion process (in addition to generation of CO2 credits).

Solid Carbon Products LLC, Chief Chemist - Director of Laboratory Operations, 2011 - 2013

• Designed apparatuses and process flow for CVD and fluidized bed CNT reactors.
• Evaluated CNT manufacture by developing thermodynamic and kinetic models of growth.
• Built a state of the art CNT materials characterization laboratory ($1 million budget) from the ground up for the purpose of characterizing bulk CNT samples and materials.
• Developed unique methodologies for the preparation and analyses of CNT and CNT materials using TGA(TPO), HP-TGA, MS, UV-Vis-NIR, Pycnometry, BET surface area, micropore analysis, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, unique to SCP's multi-modal CNT product types, and based on standard SW and MWCNT samples and literature.
• Managed and directed the Laboratory Manager and staff and our parent company's research and development.
• Principal scientist working directly with customers and their science and engineering teams to design and create CNT-based materials, blends and matrices.
• Designed and correlated CNT production set points and lab analyses using DOE and Response Surface mapping (using MiniTab16) for the purpose of optimizing CNT grades and identifying/targeting unique CNT types.
• Installed and calibrated all analytical instrumentation such as MFC, MFM, HPTGA, GC, and the above mentioned instrumentation, at both production and research sites.
• Set the measurement standards for EPA compliance for SWCNTs.

Montana State University, Molecular Beam Facility, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2010 - 2011

• Studied the high-vacuum analog of the Haber-Bosch D2 and 15N2 pyrite catalysis through molecular beam-pyrite interaction followed by multi-angle TOF-MS spectrometry.
• Designed, built, installed and tested a load-lock/sample mount system for HV entry of air-sensitive samples, including precise angular and thermal control.
• Analyzed reaction extent of hyperthermal oxygen (3P) -exposed surfaces via AFM, SEM and XPS.

University of California, Davis, Ph.D. Research, 2004 - 2010

Experimental Expertise

• Microscopy: Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (in 3 pubs.), Atomic Force Microscopy (in 3 pubs), Scanning Laser Confocal Microscopy, Raman Microscopy, Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy.
• Spectroscopy and Spectrometry: Raman Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, Scanning Tunneling Single Molecule Spectroscopy, and UV-visible Spectroscopy.
• Substrate Growth and Preparation: High Vacuum Thermal Evaporation, Ultra-High Vacuum STM and plasma generation, organic thin film preparation, Electrochemical Etching.

Teaching Experience

• Montana State University: Developed and taught a Physical Chemistry Atomic Force Microscopy Laboratory based on instrument and local substrate background, instrument introduction, and hands-on demonstration.

Lecturer

• Teaching Assistant, CHE 125, Analytical Chemistry, Head TA and TA, CHE 115, General Chemistry Series, Head TA and TA, CHE 2A, 2B, and 2C.

Honors & Publications

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• American Chemical Society

Honors

• Induction into Golden Key International Honor Society
• Nominated for U.C. Davis Outstanding TA (General Chemistry)
• Bradford Borge Academic Fellowship

Publications

• Author of numerous publications in peer reviewed chemistry, pharmaceutical, nanostructures journals, and Technical Forums (posters-presentations)

Education

• Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA
• B.S. Chemistry, Sonoma State, Rohnert Park, CA