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www.ampac.ucf.edu www.nanoscience.ucf.edu Nano Materials News Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center | NanoScience Technology Center UNiverSiTy of CeNTrAl floridA vol. 2, issue 2 Autumn 2009 DR. SUDIPTA SEAL APPOINTED AS THE NSTC & AMPAC DIRECTOR It gives me great pleasure to be writing in the Director’s corner for the very first time. The year 2009 has brought many changes and challenges. The most notable change has been the great honor bestowed upon me to serve as Director of NSTC and AMPAC. For this, I would first like to thank some key individuals for their support and encouragement. Firstly, I must thank Dr. Debra Reinhart and Dr. Louis Chow for the support they have each given me every step of the way for stepping into their shoes. I must honor the previ- ous directors of AMPAC and NSTC. Dr. Vimal Desai, Dr. James Pearson and Dr. James Hickman have been important for the successful evolution of both centers. The service and dedication they have shown has truly been praiseworthy. I must also specially mention two people, without whom I would be truly at a disadvantage. Kari and Raji have been crucial in my transition into this position. My heartfelt thanks to them and I look forward to working with them. I also must thank my colleagues, friends, staff and students for the support they have shown, not to mention all your hard work and dedication as always. On a much different note, I definitely would like to high- light some of the main topics that have impacted us as a center. I say CENTER since that is the direction we will be heading. NSTC and AMPAC are on a track to be dynami- cally united as one center. Hence the move for one Director. This framework can bring wonderful research opportuni- ties not to mention a strong foundation for an internation- ally recognized Nano and Materials Unit one day. However to get there, there has to be some ground breaking research initiatives and funding needs to be brought in. For example, kudos to our faculty who are involved in ground breaking energy related research that has been highlighted in the Orlando Sentinel. Certainly our research will create a signif- icant economic development in the Central Florida region. I am proud of all the hard work that has already been done. I know we will reach our goals in due time. It is my hope that AMPAC/NSTC will provide you with many oppor- tunities to help you grow professionally and to channel your talents to the benefit of our scientific community and profession. As we move forward, I intend to build on our strength and encourage the center faculty and staff to pursue excellence in everything we do. As a team, our collective mission is to cross new frontiers in academics and research and to achieve long-lasting working partnerships across the public and private platform. We endeavor to accomplish our vision both at the national and international level. This brings me to the challenges I mentioned earlier. Definitely, economics has been a challenge for us, especially this year. This is why the need for great research and teach- ing will turn the page for us. I have every confidence we will succeed in our endeavors. I would like to once again inform all of you that I have an open door policy. Please feel free to stop by. I would be happy to help or advise you and look forward to your engagement to support our common goals. Lastly, I would like to wish you and your family a safe and wonderful Christmas and a New Year filled with prosperity and joy (and funding!!). When science and opportunity converge, the frontier of nano and materials technology is our destination. . . In ThIs Issue Inside Story: Director’s Note 1 Messages from Interim Directors 2 Nano Florida 2009 2 A Fond Farewell 3 Faculty Profile 3-4 Faculty News 5 Fellowships 6 Student News 7 Staff News 8

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Page 1: Nano Materials News · The growth mechanism of boron nitride nanotubes has been studied extensively with TEM. Two different growth mechanisms were identified by TEM which both lead

www.ampac.ucf.edu www.nanoscience.ucf.edu

Nano Materials NewsAdvanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center | NanoScience Technology Center

U N i v e r S i T y o f C e N T r A l f l o r i d A

vol. 2, issue 2

Autumn 2009

DR. SUDIPTA SEAL APPOINTED AS THE NSTC & AMPAC DIRECTOR

It gives me great pleasure to be writing in the Director’s corner for the very first time. The year 2009 has brought many changes and challenges. The most notable change has been the great honor bestowed upon me to serve as Director of NSTC and AMPAC. For this, I would first like to thank some key individuals for their support and encouragement.

Firstly, I must thank Dr. Debra Reinhart and Dr. Louis Chow for the support they have each given me every step of the way for stepping into their shoes. I must honor the previ-ous directors of AMPAC and NSTC. Dr. Vimal Desai, Dr. James Pearson and Dr. James Hickman have been important for the successful evolution of both centers. The service and dedication they have shown has truly been praiseworthy. I must also specially mention two people, without whom I would be truly at a disadvantage. Kari and Raji have been crucial in my transition into this position. My heartfelt thanks to them and I look forward to working with them. I also must thank my colleagues, friends, staff and students for the support they have shown, not to mention all your hard work and dedication as always.

On a much different note, I definitely would like to high-light some of the main topics that have impacted us as a center. I say CENTER since that is the direction we will be heading. NSTC and AMPAC are on a track to be dynami-cally united as one center. Hence the move for one Director. This framework can bring wonderful research opportuni-ties not to mention a strong foundation for an internation-ally recognized Nano and Materials Unit one day. However to get there, there has to be some ground breaking research initiatives and funding needs to be brought in. For example, kudos to our faculty who are involved in ground breaking energy related research that has been highlighted in the Orlando Sentinel. Certainly our research will create a signif-icant economic development in the Central Florida region. I am proud of all the hard work that has already been done.

I know we will reach our goals in due time. It is my hope that AMPAC/NSTC will provide you with many oppor-tunities to help you grow professionally and to channel your talents to the benefit of our scientific community and profession. As we move forward, I intend to build on our strength and encourage the center faculty and staff to pursue excellence in everything we do. As a team, our collective mission is to cross new frontiers in academics and research and to achieve long-lasting working partnerships across the public and private platform. We endeavor to accomplish our vision both at the national and international level.

This brings me to the challenges I mentioned earlier. Definitely, economics has been a challenge for us, especially this year. This is why the need for great research and teach-ing will turn the page for us. I have every confidence we will succeed in our endeavors. I would like to once again inform all of you that I have an open door policy. Please feel free to stop by. I would be happy to help or advise you and look forward to your engagement to support our common goals. Lastly, I would like to wish you and your family a safe and wonderful Christmas and a New Year filled with prosperity and joy (and funding!!).

When science and opportunity converge, the frontier of nano and materials technology is our destination. . .

In ThIs Issue

Inside Story: Director’s Note 1 Messages from Interim Directors 2 Nano Florida 2009 2 A Fond Farewell 3 Faculty Profile 3-4 Faculty News 5 Fellowships 6 Student News 7 Staff News 8

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Nano Materials News Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center NanoScience Technology Center

Message from Prof. Debra ReinhartI want to thank the NSTC faculty, staff and students for the privi-lege of serving as their interim director. I learned a tremendous amount during my tenure. What an amazing and talented group

of individuals. I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts as your hard work and innovation brings more and more success to the centers. I am confident that I leave you in the best of hands. Dr. Sudipta Seal is uniquely qualified to lead AMPAC and NSTC, given his research and academic success, not to mention his former position as the UCF Nano-Initiative Coordinator. I also want to thank Dr. J Hickman for the guidance and strong support he gave me during my time at NSTC. I look forward to continuing to serve you all in my new position as Assistant VP for Research & Commercializa-tion. Let me know how I can help!

Message from Prof. Louis Chow It was a very enjoyable experi-ence for me to serve as interim director for AMPAC for about 18 months. The experience has benefited me a lot because I gained first-hand knowledge of the tremendous research, educational

and professional activities of the faculty. The graduate students involved in materials science and engineering research were impressive; so were the research staff at the Materials Characterization Facility and Advanced Micro fabrication Facility. I had the good fortune of working with extremely capable and dedicated adminis-trative staff who made my job easy. I greatly appreciate the help and advice of AMPAC former director, James Pearson. I am so pleased that AMPAC finally has found a truly outstanding individual, Sudipta Seal, to lead as director. I am looking forward to hearing great accom-plishments from the faculty and students in the future.

NanoFlorida 2009 (www.nanoflorida.org) was a great success for the second time. This conference was inau-gurated in 2008 and, due to its tremendous success and great reception amongst student and faculty participants, was organized by the NSTC Student Body under the able leadership of Dr. Swadeshmukul Santra again this year. There were over 200 participants and many of them came from varied universities all over Florida. Approximately 100 talks and posters were presented. This year we covered six exciting Nanoscience and Nano-technology based topics: (i) Designer Nanostructures, (ii) Nanomaterials for Energy, (iii) Nano-biotechnology and Nanomedicine, (iv) Nanophotonics and Nanoelectronics, (v) Nanomodeling and (vi) NanoEducation. The event

was quite engaging with a plenary talk delivered by Dr. Dennis Hess from the Georgia Tech and a keynote talk delivered by Prof. Bill Appleton from the University of Florida, about fifteen faculty invited talks and more than 100 oral and poster presentations. This event promoted and facilitated scientific exchange among students, post-doctoral candidates, faculty members and some industry folks across the State of Florida. We are truly thankful to our sponsors for their gen-erous support. We are also thankful to all faculty and staff members who pitched in as judges and organizers and enabled to make this event a grand success. Last but not the least, we acknowledge the NSTC Student Body members for their tireless effort towards coordinating this event. We hope you had an enjoyable visit to Central Florida and we look forward to NanoFlorida 2010!

MESSAgE fROM fORMER INTERIM DIRECTORS

NANOfLORIDA 2009: A SUCCESS STORy

Prof. Dennis Hess (pictured left) & Prof. Swadeshmukul Santra organizer of Nano Florida at the conference

Volunteers at the NanoFlorida 2009 registration desk. See NSTC online multimedia gallery for images from the event.

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Dr. Helge Heinrich is an Assistant Professor with the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC) and Department of Physics.Key ReSeaRcH FocuS aReaS:Structures and chemistries of nanoparticles, nanorods, nanowires, and nanotubes:Nanorods of ZnO are interesting

candidates for gas sensors and for UV sensing. Transmis-sion electron microscopy was used to identify the growth of ZnO nanorods perpendicular to zincwoodwardite plates. The columnar ZnO grains growth preferentially parallel to the [0001] direction of the wurtzite structure and form the nanorods. Each nanorod contains several columnar ZnO grains, which have the [0001] direction in common. Electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy show a unique orientation relationship between neighboring ZnO grains with a S7 grain bound-ary and a rotation of 38.21º between the crystal lattices. The growth mechanism of boron nitride nanotubes has been studied extensively with TEM. Two different growth mechanisms were identified by TEM which both lead to bamboo-like structures: hollow nano-tubes form through a base-growth mechanism, while a tip growth mechanism involves Fe nanoparticles, which are enclosed within the nanobamboo structure. Energy-filtered TEM shows that these Fe nanoparticles are not oxidized, but maintain a f.c.c. structure.

Metastable precipitates in alloys:Nanoparticles embedded in other materials have wide-ranging applications ranging from optical laser applica-tions to dye sensitized solar cells and to strengthening components for the mechanical stability of structural materials. The crystallization of Er-bium-doped and Si-rich SiO2 has been studied by TEM. Only for heat treat-ments above 600°C only compositional variations are observed in the SiO2 matrix. At 1200°C crystal-line Si precipitates within the SiO2 matrix. The TEM data were used to explain several observations in the literature. A maximum concentration of indirectly ex-citable Er3+ can be found at the lowest annealing tem-perature of 600°C, suggesting that Er-doped optical am-plification media in Si-sensitized SiO2 hosts will exhibit maximum gain for processing temperatures well below those required for the onset of nanocrystal formation. Nanocomposites can be used for structural applica-tions. Mechanical alloying of aluminum surfaces with alumina nanoparticles results in significantly improved wear resistance. High dislocation densities were found in TEM studies for aluminum grains in the composites with low friction coefficient and high wear resistance, indicating that dislocation hardening is responsible for the improved mechanical properties of these materials.Defects in Thin-Film Materials, especially in Thin-Film Solar cells: Dr. Heinrich’s group has studied thin-film solar cells in several projects in collaboration between the Thin-film physics group at the Laboratory for Solid State Physics and the Institute of Applied Physics and in a current re-search project with the Florida Solar Energy Center.

fACULTy PROfILE : HELgE HEINRICH

Dr. Seal organized a surprise joint farewell luncheon for Dr. Reinhart and Dr. Chow at Olive Garden. This luncheon was well attended by faculty and staff wishing to show their appreciation and gratitude from both the centers. Notably, the VP of Research Dr. Soileau delivered a well-received speech thanking the former director, Dr. Hickman and the two interim directors Dr. Reinhart and Dr. Chow for their esteemed service towards NSTC and AMPAC. He also welcomed Dr. Seal aboard as the new Director of NSTC and AMPAC and wished him success towards the new undertaking. Drs. Reinhart and Chow thanked the faculty and staff for their support during their tenure as Interim Directors.

NSTC Administrative Officers with Dr.Debra Reinhart at the good bye lunch. LtoR: Caxton Haughton, Diane Maldonado, Ushaben Lal, Raji Natarajan, Debra Reinhart, Michelle Shirzad, Ted Molina.

A fOND fAREwELL

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Nano Materials News Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center NanoScience Technology Center

Dr. andre J. Gesquiere leads the Laboratory for Nanoscale Imaging and Spectroscopy at UCF’s NSTC. His group has developed novel com-posite organic nanoparticles that have enabled a detailed investiga-tion of the structure-property relationships of blended func-tional organic material systems

at the molecular- and nanoscale, with a specific focus on conducting polymer/fullerene composite nanoparticles. This material system, developed under support of an NSF CAREER award, is of great importance for its potential application in Organic Photovoltaic Devices (OPVs). Fluorescence studies on individual composite conducting polymer/fullerene nanoparticles have led to compelling observations regarding the effect of fullerene loading on

the morphology of single polymer chains, polymer chain aggregation, extended conjugation, exciton transport and phase separation. This work is featured on the cover of ChemPhysChem. At LNIS, research on new device designs for OPVs is also in progress. A collaborative project with Dr. Saiful Khondaker and supported by an NSF EPDT award aims to develop planar gated OPVs, which will have the advan-tage of independent control of the active layer thickness and electrode separation, and elimination of the need for transparent conducting substrates. A new project that was just awarded by PSI, and is led by Dr. Winston Schoen-feld at UCF’s College of Optics and Photonics, is focused on the development of Advanced Hybrid Organic Photo-voltaic Structures. This project also involves a close col-laboration with Dr. Lei Zhai at UCF’s NSTC to develop new materials for application in OPVs.

Above: Illustration summarizing current research directions at LNIS. The composite nanoparticle model systems are individually addressed with a laser beam to study their properties and function, including in functioning OPV devices (right hand side images). Various composite nanoparticle systems, including for broadband light absorption and con-taining different conjugated polymers are under investigation (lower middle image). The image on the top left is a fluorescence image of hippocampal neurons studied in collaboration with Dr. Peter Molnar and Dr. James Hickman’s Hybrid Systems Research Group at UCF’s NSTC.

fACULTy PROfILE : ANDRE gESqUIERE

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cover Page article by Dr. Gesquiere’s Group Dr. Daeri Tenery and Dr. andre J. Gesquiere at the NSTC’s Laboratory for Nano-scale Imag-

ing and Spectroscopy have a paper selected as the cover for the journal ChemPhysChem (Vol-ume 10, Issue 14) titled “Effect of PCBM Concentration on Photoluminescence Properties of Composite MEH-PPV/PCBM Nanoparticles Investigated by a Franck-Condon analysis of Single Particle Emission Spectra.”

This paper presents spectroscopic information obtained on polymer (MEH-PPV)/fullerene (PCBM) nanoparticles at the single nanoparticle level as a function of PCBM doping. Effects of material morphology and phase separation on exciton de-localization and collapse (trapping) in these composite conjugated polymer/fullerene nanoparticles are discussed based on a detailed

Franck-Condon analysis of single particle emission spectra. This is an important area in organic electronics and opto-electronic materials, and this cover article furthers the understanding of PCBM-conjugated polymer interactions on a nanoscopic scale such that better devices can be made.

Message from (Treen), Qun Huo, Ph.D., associate Professor, NanoScience Technology center, Department of chemistry and Department of Mechanical, Material, and aerospace engineering Please review the new issue of JACS Select online: http://pubs.acs.org/JACSbeta/jvi/issue5.html. This issue’s special topic is Chemistry at Nano-Bio Interface. We have a JACS article featured here. The issue contains many other interesting articles in the Nano-Bio field. In addition, you can click the link to listen the interview with JACS editor, Dr. Thomas Mallouk. You can also access other four issues of JACS select as well as the interviews with other editors. It is very interesting to listen to the editors’ most updated views on important topics.

awards for Linan anDr. Linan an, Associate Professor, Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC) and Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, has received the following awards:

• Changjiang Endowed Chair Professorship, Ministry of Education, China • Wang Kuan-Cheng foundation award, Wang Kuan-Cheng Foundation, Hong Kong

ucF scientists win research grant to develop power-plant sensorBy Kevin SpearOrlando Sentinel Staff WriterSeptember 1, 2009 A trio of UCF scientists has been awarded $811,186 by the U.S. Department of Energy to invent a tiny-but-tough device for use in power plants that run on natural gas to generate electricity. “Right now there are no sensors able to work in a combustion chamber, to be honest,” Xun Gong, UCF electrical engineer, said. “There are materials that could survive, but the trick is finding one that will function as a sensor.” “Along with that conservatism comes a backing down, a lowering of a rate, an adding of safety factors, and all that stacks up,” said Paul Zombo, a Siemens Energy service support engineering manager in Orlando. “In our space, measurements that are a fraction of a percent in terms of efficiency mean millions of dollars.” In a sense, the UCF scientists are trying to make something akin to a better speedometer that would enable power-plant operators to push their machines closer to the most efficient speed—or temperature in this case. The reward is not just in dollars. “For every percentage-point improvement in a gas-turbine engine, you’re talking about reducing CO2 [climate-changing carbon dioxide] emissions thousands of tons,” said Vinod Philip, a Siemens Energy materials-and-technolo-gy director in Orlando. “That is a clear environmental reason to push this technology to the limit.” The sensor design calls for a heat-resistant ceramic being perfected by UCF materials scientist Linan an. The ceramic will be machined into a device less than a quarter inch wide by UCF mechanical engineering professor chengying Xu.

fACULTy NEwS

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Nano Materials News Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center NanoScience Technology Center

Bonnie Berry is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Scienc-es & conducting research in Dr. James Hickman’s Hybrid Systems Lab at the NanoSci-ence Technology Center at the University of Central Florida. She is a two-time alumni of UCF. She received a Bachelor of Science - Biology with Uni-

versity Honors in 2005 and a Master of Science - Biology in 2008. Her master’s research on the growth and surviv-al of bacteria in simulated martian conditions was con-ducted at the Space Life Sciences Lab at Kennedy Space Center funded by a fellowship from the Florida Space Grant Consortium and a research grant from the Depart-

ment of Biology. Most recently, she was awarded the NanoScience Technology Center Graduate Fellowship. She is currently working on culturing embryonic rat hippocampal neurons for studies in neuronal migration on patterned surfaces for high-throughput drug research in Dr. Hickman’s lab. Bonnie grew up in Southwest Ranches, Florida, a rural area of west Ft. Lauderdale, with her parents and two older brothers. Bonnie’s thoughts on her involvement on campus: “As an undergraduate, I took on jobs as a lecture assis-tant, peer tutor, supplemental instructor, academic ad-visor, and research mentor. I was a finalist in the poster competition for at the Astrobiology Science Conference in 2006. There were well over a hundred posters there.”

Mainul Hossain’s motivation for pursuing a career in research reached its peak when he attended the 58th Meeting of Nobel Prize Winners in Physics, held from June 29 to July 4, 2008, in Lindau, Germany, as one of the three participants from Bangladesh. This was indeed an experience of a lifetime as he had the opportunity to not only meet but

also be involved in interactive discussions with 25 Nobel Laureates and over 500 talented young researchers from all over the world. Learning about research from the likes of Drs. Giaever, von Klitzing, Glauber, Hänsch, Hall and Grünberg was more than a dream come true. Mainul’s purpose of applying to the Ph.D. program in Electrical Engineering in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, at the University of Central Florida, stemmed from the fact that the state-of-the-art research done at UCF on nanoscience and nano-technology, especially on nanoelectronics and nanomate-rials, are perfectly aligned with his research interests and some of his research experiences. He intends to become a professional researcher and educator in these fields. The research work being carried out at UCF’s NanoSci-ence Technology Center is of particular interest to him. He feels that he needs academic preparation beyond his

undergraduate education in order to make the meaning-ful technical contributions to society in his career. The presence of numerous outstanding faculty members, with the same research interests as Mainul, coupled with the most advanced research facilities, helped him choose UCF and NSTC for his graduate studies. Mainul has pub-lished a couple of papers in the area of Quantum Dot and Quantum Wire Devices and GaN communication devices and GaN optoelectronic devices. He presented his works as posters at the 8th Interna-tional Conference on Optoelectronics, Fiber Optics and Photonics, held in India, in 2006. His first exposure to world-class research was when he visited the department of Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, in Mumbai, In-dia during the 3rd year of his undergraduate studies. This gave him the first-hand opportunity to explore the setup for MOVPE, RIE, clean room etc. Apart from research and studies, he is also inter-ested in music, photography and traveling. He likes to visit new places and make new friends. Years from now, he envisages himself as a full-fledged research profes-sional in an organization, or a faculty member at one of the leading universities. He firmly believes that graduate study at UCF, with its strength in research at NSTC, will give him the perfect opportunity to advance towards his career goal.

NSTC AwARDS TwO fELLOwSHIPS IN 2009

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Biao yuan, Ph.D. Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering, was born and raised in Nanchang, Jiangxi, P.R. China. He received his Bachelor of Engineering in Inorganic Materials Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, P.R. China. He received his Masters of Engineering in Inorganic Nonmetallic Materials Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University. He was a faculty member in the Department of Materials Science and Engi-neering at Zhejiang University. He was a Ph.D. Candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. He also received a Masters of Computer and Information Science from Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio. He is now working

for Professor Helge Heinrich. Biao Yuan’s dissertation research is Experimental and Computational Atomic Number Contrast Quantitative Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy in Nano Materials.

oak Ridge Institute for Science and education Research Participation ProgramDuring the 2009 summer, Travis J. Patterson was selected to conduct research in the areas of metal matrix composite (MMC) processing and characterization at the Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland. This opportunity to work as a junior engineer was provided by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Research Par-ticipation Program. Travis was able to use his practical and technical knowledge gained at UCF to help ARL engineers set up a cryomill-processing laboratory for the development of advanced MMCs for armor applications. These MMCs will not only help protect American

soldiers but also provide substantial cost savings related to fuel consumption by Army vehicles. Because of his training at UCF, he was also given the opportunity to use high-tech analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to characterize the microstructure of billet, forged, and ballistic-tested MMCs. The knowledge and expertise Travis gained through the ORISE program will allow him to enhance the quality of his research towards a doctoral degree in materials science. His UCF faculty advisor is Dr. Yongho Sohn, Associate Professor, AMPAC.

Idaho National Laboratory Summer Internship ashley ewh traveled to Idaho Falls for a ten-week summer internship at the Idaho National Laboratory, one of the laboratories of the U.S. Department of Energy. The main focus of INL is to lead the way in nuclear technology. As an intern she worked with her mentor, Dr. Dennis D. Keiser, Jr., in the Materials and Fuels Complex as a member of the Fuel Design and Perfor-mance group. This group is working on developing metallic nuclear fuels that will increase the efficiency of power generation, minimize waste product and eliminate potential for production of dirty-bombs (out of spent fuel). One of the challenges that this team has been facing is an ad-versary diffusional interaction that occurs between the metallic Uranium fuels and the aluminum cladding alloys. This interaction can severely reduce the fuel efficiency and lifetime. Attempting to mitigate this interaction, they fabricated several different fuel plates and irradiated them in the Advanced Test Reac-tor at INL. Part of her job was to conduct quantitative analysis on optical and scanning electron micrographs, examine the amount of interaction layer produced, and determine which fuel plates performed the best. The internship was overall a great experience, and it gave Ashley the opportunity to submerge herself in the nuclear world and network with many scientists in the field. Ashley’s UCF faculty advisor is Dr. Yongho Sohn, Associate Professor, AMPAC.

congratulations to our new graduates!Xiong Liu and atul asati graduated and achieved Ph.D. degree from the Department of Chemistry while John

Rumsey obtained his Ph.D. in Biomolecular Sciences. Zeyu Ma and chetak Patel achieved a Master’s degree in Chemistry in Fall 2009.

STUDENT NEwS

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Nano Materials News

U N i v e r S i T y o f C e N T r A l f l o r i d A

Advanced Materials Processing & Analysis Center NanoScience Technology Center

Karen Glidewell is the Facilities Scheduler for AMPAC’s Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) located in the Research Park. Prior to joining AMPAC in 2001, Karen was a staff member at Florida’s Division of Blind Services in Orlando.

As the facility scheduler, Karen is the initial point of contact for all MCF customers. Her respon-sibilities include scheduling equipment for users, maintaining usage records and coordinating all purchases for the facility.

“My position at MCF gives me the opportunity to interact with faculty and students from across the campus as well as other academic institutions and companies in Florida and throughout the country. With our top-notch technical staff, our goal is to provide a productive and rewarding experience for all MCF customers.” For more information on the MCF, please contact us via email at [email protected] or phone at (407) 882-1500.

Debbie Fry received a recognition of service award for 10 years of contribution to UCF. During the term she has worked with the Office of Research and Commercialization for 7 years in the Accounting department and 3 years jointly with ORC and NSTC.

Debbie likes the challenge of working in a department with direct contact with students and fac-ulty. Her duties include facilitating purchases of large equipment, specialty orders requiring liaison with general counsel etc. In addition, she serves as NSTC’s Compliance Coordinator ensuring that the department complies with federal requirements for effort certification. She also manages project

deliverables and keeps track of expenditures and closeouts. Debbie also is a property manager for NSTC and ORC. She divides her time between both units equally, which proves for very busy and interesting days. When Debbie is not at work, she enjoys spending time with friends, playing with her mini schnauzer Fritz. Most of all she enjoys spending time with her family, especially with her granddaughter Evie who gives her great joy and happiness.

New end user computing Specialist arrives! We would like to welcome Ted Molina to the NSTC. Born and raised in Southern California, Ted received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis on Management Informa-tion Systems, from California State University, Fullerton in 1988. Ted has 22 years experience providing computer/network support in various industries. Ted has been happily married for 20 years, and has been raising his daughter and two nieces. Ted enjoys playing drums and sings with his church’s contemporary choir. Ted will be very actively keeping our computer systems operating in top form and ensuring that we are compliant with all the policies and procedures outlined in the University’s IT policies.

nanoscIence Technology cenTer

12424 Research Parkway Suite 400 Orlando, Florida 32826 Phone: (407) 882-1578 Fax: (407) 882-2819 www.nanoscience.ucf.edu

advanced MaTerIals ProcessIng and analysIs cenTer

Engineering Building 1, Suite 381 Box 162455 4000 Central Florida Boulevard Orlando, Florida 32816 Phone: (407) 882-1455 Fax: (407) 882-1462 www.ampac.ucf.edu

STAff NEwS