annual report & research portfolio - 2015

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TRANSFORMING ENGINEERING EDUCATION

2015Annual Report & Research Portfolio

2 | ARTIE MCFERRIN DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING engineering.tamu.edu

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Welcome,

2015 was an historic year for the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, and the Texas A&M University College of Engineering. In 2015, the college of engineering saw its total enrollment rise to 16,918 students, representing a growth of 9 percent. Further, the college’s commitment to diversity is yielding results: 2015 saw a 28 percent increase in Hispanic students and a 43 percent increase in African American students.

Additionally, the college was home to the largest class of entering female engineering students in the nation. All of this puts Texas A&M well on its way to realizing the lofty goals of the college of engineering’s 25 by 25 initiative.

Within the college, the Department of Chemical Engineering also saw record growth. In 2015, the department grew to 828 students, a year-over-year growth of more than 18 percent. In 2015, the department also received the highest number of applicants to-date for both the Ph.D. program and the Master’s program. The college’s commitment to diversity is exemplified by the Department of Chemical Engineering. In 2015, the enrolling class was 42 percent female and 40 percent minority students.

The outstanding faculty of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering has played an instrumental role in these successes. The department has become a prolific chemical engineering research hub, with the faculty producing more than 200 refereed journal publications and securing more than $15 million in research funding in 2015. The value provided by the faculty goes well beyond research. We empower our students with access to the best experts in their respective fields. Thirty tenure and tenure-track faculty members lead our students to great heights. The years roll over, but our commitments never change: student development, pioneering research and sustainability in every pursuit we undertake.

While 2015 was a record year for the department, we are quite confident this is only the beginning.

Truly,

M. Nazmul Karim Professor and Department HeadT. Michael O’Connor Chair II

LETTER FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD

Department Fact Sheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Vision of Department. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Professors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Associate Professors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Assistant Professors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Professor of Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Senior Lecturers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Lecturers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Courtesy/Joint Appointments. . . . . . . . . . 37

Research Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Industrial Advisory Board Members. . . . . 51

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS

engineering.tamu.edu/chemical


http://engineering.tamu.edu

http://engineering.tamu.edu/chemical


Average SAT of incoming freshmen

1311 M.S

. Enr

ollm

ent

106

Ph.D. Enrollment

126

Total Undergraduate Enrollment

609

30 Faculty Members

203 Refereed Journal Publications

Average GRE (Q) of Admitted Grad Students

1661

1Both Ph.D. and Masters students averaged 166 2Undergraduate students are admitted into program during Sophmore year

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AreAs of study:- Biomedical | Biomolecular- Biofuels | Biotechnology- Catalysis | Complex Fluids- Computational Chemical Engineering- Energy- Environmental | Sustainability- Materials | Microelectronics | Microfluidics - Multiscale Systems Engineering- Nanotechnology- Process Safety- Process Systems Engineering- Reaction Engineering- Thermodynamics

Located in the 205,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art Jack E. Brown Engineering Building, the department provides its students and faculty members access to the latest resources, including 88 research and teaching facilities, six general classrooms, 13 conference rooms, four computer laboratories and a computer cluster room.

Fact Sheet

reseArchDirect Research Expenditures: $9M (FY 2015)Refereed Journal Publications (CY '15): 203 PATENTS (CY '14): 7

rAnkingsUndergraduate: 14th (Public) | 21st (Overall)Graduate: 16th (Public) | 26th (Overall)U.S News & World Report

EnrollmEnt StatiSticS

Undergraduate

Fall '14 Fall '15

Graduate

Fall '14 Fall '15

University 47,567 49,545 10,602 12,095

College of Engineering 10,556 12,942 3,391 3,976

Chemical Engineering 519* 609* 185 232

DEpartmEnt DEmographicS

Undergraduate

Fall '14 Fall '15

Graduate

Fall '14 Fall '15

Minority 31% 38% 12% 7%

International 4% 2% 67% 69%

Women 34% 37% 30% 33%

Men 66% 63% 70% 67%

EntEring Sat ScorES Fall 2015 (aVg)Math Verbal Total

Chemical Engineering 686 625 1311

EntEring grE ScorES Fall 2015 (aVg)Quantitative Verbal

Chemical Engineering 166 (Ph.D.) 166 (Master's) 154 (Ph.D.) 153 (Master's)

DEgrEES awarDED

2013 2014 2015

B.S. 147 133 112

M.S. 2 8 6

M.E. 2 4 13

Ph.D. 21 12 16

*Undergraduate students are admitted into program during Sophmore year

fAculty- 16 Professors- 8 Associate Professors- 6 Assistant Professors- 5 Lecturers/Senior Lecturers- 3 Endowed Chair Holders- 8 Endowed Professorships- 1 Regents Professors- 2 Endowed Faculty Fellowships- 1 Research Assistant Professor- 1 Professor of Practice



NAME OF DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM


Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering Class of Spring 2015


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The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University will be a high-impact department that is recognized for excellence and leadership in continuously advancing the art and science of chemical engineering through creation and dissemination of knowledge.




Faculty Profiles


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fellow and a TEES Senior Fellow.

External Research Funding‘’Addressing Internal Shuttle Effect: Electrolyte Design and Cathode Morphology Evolution in Li-S Batteries,’’ Department of Energy, 10/2014-9/2016

‘’Modeling Catalyzed Growth of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes,’’ Department of Energy, 9/2006-8/2016

‘’SEI Layer Formation and Control on Carbon-Based Electrodes of Li-ion Batteries,’’ Honda RD Americas, Inc., 10/2013-5/2015

“Optical property, charge carrier relaxation and charge transfer properties in chemically-synthesized layered TiS2 nanodisks with controlled lateral and transverse dimensions,” NSF, 2014-2017

“Analysis and Design of Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries,” Qatar National Research Foundation, 2014-2017

“First principles modeling of SEI formation on bare and surface/additive modified silicon anode,” Department of Energy, 2013-2017

Refereed Journal PublicationsSoto, F.A.; Ma Y.G.; de la Hoz, J. M. M.; Seminario, J. M.; Balbuena, P.B. Formation and Growth Mechanisms of Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Layers in Rechargeable Batteries. Chemistry of Materials 2015, 27(23), 7990-8000.

Camacho-Forero, L.E.; Smith, T.W.; Bertolini, S.; Balbuena, P.B. Reactivity at the Lithium-Metal Anode Surface of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Dr. Balbuena’s research focuses on the prediction of physical and chemical properties of materials using first principles atomic-level simulations. She has contributed to an improved understanding of interfacial reaction phenomena, which is crucial for the design of power sources such as lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries and fuel cells and for the development of new materials for catalytic processes. Her interests include first-principles materials design including reactions on nanoclusters and surfaces and at interfaces; applications to catalysis, electrochemistry, gas separation, and corrosion. Balbuena is an AAAS

GPSA ProfessorPh.D., The University of Texas, [email protected]

Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2015, 119(48), 26828-26839.

Perez-Beltran, S.; Ramirez-Caballero, G.E.; Balbuena, P.B. First-Principles Calculations of Lithiation of a Hydroxylated Surface of Amorphous Silicon Dioxide. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2015, 119(29), 16424-16431.

Ma, Y.G.; de la Hoz, J.M.M.; Angarita, I.; Berrio-Sanchez, J.M.; Benitez, L.; Seminario, J.M.; Son, S.B.; Lee, S.H.; George, S.M.; Ban, C.M.; Balbuena, P.B. Structure and Reactivity of Alucone-Coated Films on Si and LixSiy Surfaces. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2015, 7(22), 11948-11955.

de la Hoz, J.M.M.; Soto, F.A.; Balbuena, P.B. Effect of the Electrolyte Composition on SEI Reactions at Si Anodes of Li-Ion Batteries. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2015, 119(13), 7060-7068.

Rossi, D.; Camacho-Forero, L.E.; Ramos-Sanchez, G.; Han, J.H.; Cheon, J.; Balbuena, P.B. ; Son, D.H. Anisotropic Electron-Phonon Coupling in Colloidal Layered TiS2 Nanodiscs Observed via Coherent Acoustic Phonons. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2015, 119(13), 7436-7442.

Gomez-Ballesteros, J.L.; Burgos, J.C.; Lin, P.A.; Sharma, R.; Balbuena, P.B. Nanocatalyst shape and composition during nucleation of single-walled carbon nanotubes. RSC Advances 2015, 5(129), 106377-106386.

Ramos-Sanchez, G.; Praserthdam, S.; Godinez-Salomon, F.; Barker, C.; Moerbe, M.; Calderon, H.A.; Lartundo, L.A.; Leyva, M.A.; Solorza-Feria, O.; Balbuena, P.B. Challenges of modelling real nanoparticles: Ni@Pt electrocatalysts

Perla B. Balbuena




PROFESSORS

for the oxygen reduction reaction. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2015, 17(42), 28286-28297.

Omichi, K.; Ramos-Sanchez, G.; Rao, R.; Pierce, N.; Chen, G.; Balbuena, P.B.; Harutyunyan, A.R. Origin of Excess Irreversible Capacity in Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Carbon Nanostructures. Journal of the Electrochemical Society 2015, 162(10), A2106-A2115.

Ma, J.W.; Habrioux, A.; Luo, Y.; Ramos-Sanchez, G.; Calvillo, L.; Granozzi, G.; Balbuena, P.B.; Alonso-Vante, N. Electronic interaction between platinum nanoparticles and nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide: effect on the oxygen reduction reaction. Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2015, 3(22), 11891-11904.

Gomez-Ballesteros, J.L.; Balbuena, P.B. Structure and dynamics of metallic and carburized catalytic Ni nanoparticles: effects on growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2015, 17(22), 15056-15064.

Liu, Z.X.; Hubble, D.; Balbuena, P.B.; Mukherjee, P.P.; Adsorption of insoluble polysulfides Li2Sx (x=1, 2) on Li2S surfaces. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2015, 17(14), 9032-9039.

de la Hoz, J.M.M.; Balbuena, P.B. Small-Molecule Activation Driven by Confinement Effects. ACS Catalysis 2015, 5(1), 215-224.

Yu, J.M.; Balbuena, P.B. How Impurities Affect CO2 Capture in Metal-Organic Frameworks Modified with Different Functional Groups. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2015, 3(1), 117-124.

Dr. Bukur’s research includes areas of chemical reaction engineering, applied catalysis and catalyst synthesis; GTL and CTL technology, and mathematical modeling. Bukur is the vice-chairman of the Natural Gas Conversion Board and also serves on its international scientific advisory board. He is a Senior TEES Fellow and an AIChE fellow.

External Research Funding‘’Intensifying Methane Reforming by Combining Carbonate and Chemical Looping,’’ Qatar National Research Fund, 11/2012-4/2016

Joe M. Nesbit ProfessorPh.D., University of [email protected]

Dragomir B. Bukur

‘’Modeling, optimization and dynamic analysis of fixed bed and milli-structured reactors for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis,’’ Qatar National Research Fund, 2/2015-2/2018

Refereed Journal PublicationsBukur DB, Todic B, Elbashir N. Role of water-gas-shift reaction in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis on iron catalysts: A review. Catalysis today 2015; DOI:10.106/j.cattod.2015.11.005

Todic B, Ordomsky V, Nikacevic NM, Khodakov AY, Bukur DB. Opportunities for intensification of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis through reduced formation of methane over cobalt catalysts in microreactors. Catalysis Science & Technology 2015;5(3):1400-1411.

Antzara A, Heracleous E, Bukur DB, Lemonidou AA. Thermodynamic analysis of hydrogen production via chemical looping steam methane reforming coupled with in situ CO2 capture. International journal of greenhouse gas control 2015;32:115-128.

Todic B, Ma W, Jacobs G, Davis BH, Bukur DB. Corrigendum to: CO-insertion mechanism based kinetic model of the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis reaction over Re-promoted Co catalyst. Catalysis today 2015;242:386.

Silvester L, Antzara A, Boskovic G, Heracleous E, Lemonidou A, Bukur DB. NiO supported on Al2O3 and ZrO2 oxygen carriers for chemical looping steam methane reforming. International journal of hydrogen energy 2015;40(24):7490-7501.

Antzara A, Heracleous E, Silvester L, Bukur DB, Lemonidou A. Activity study of NiO-based


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oxygen carriers in chemical looping steam methane reforming. Catalysis today 2015; DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2015.10.027

Olewski T, Todic B, Nowicki L, Nikacevic N, Bukur DB. Hydrocarbon selectivity models for iron-based Fischer - Tropsch catalyst. Chemical Engineering Research and Design.95:1-11.

Refereed Journal PublicationsNoureldin, M.M.B.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Synthesis of C-H-O Symbiosis Networks. AIChE Journal 2015, 61(4), 1242-1262.

Abdelhady, F.; Bamufleh, H.; El-Halwagi, M.M.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M. Optimal design and integration of solar thermal collection, storage, and dispatch with process cogeneration systems. Chemical Engineering Science 2015, 136, 158-167.Gabriel, K.J.; Linke, P.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimization of multi-effect distillation process using a linear enthalpy model. Desalination 2015, 365, 261-276.

Gonzalez-Delgado, A-D; Kafarov, V.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Development of a topology of microalgae-based biorefinery: process synthesis and optimization using a combined forward-backward screening and superstructure approach. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015, 17(8), 2213-2228.

Lira-Barragan, L.F.; Gutierrez-Arriaga, C.G.; Bamufleh, H.S.; Abdelhady, F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from steam power plants through optimal integration with algae and cogeneration systems. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015, 17(8), 2401-2415.

El-Halwagi, M.M.; Ng, K.M. Editorial overview: Process systems engineering. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering 2015, 10, 7.

Gonzalez-Bravo, R.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Involving integrated seawater desalination-power plants in the optimal design of water distribution networks. Resources Conservation and

industrial systems, hydrocarbon processing, and systematic methodology strategies that enable chemical engineers to achieve productivity enhancement, yield improvement, debottlenecking and energy conservation. His research also addresses industrial pollution prevention and the design of integrated biorefineries. El-Halwagi is an AIChE fellow.

External Research Funding‘’Development of Computer-Aided Modules for Sustainable Manufacturing,’’ Computer Aids for Chemical Engineering, 5/2014-4/2017

“Design of Synthetic Fuels and Value-added Chemicals Derived from Natural Gas via Combined Experimental and Process Integration Methodology,” Qatar National Research Fund, 12/2012-12/2015

“Industrial Energy-Water Integration and Management: Systematic Design and Operating Tools and Applications to Industrial Zones,” Qatar National Research Fund, 5/2015-5/2018

“A systems approach to the development of sustainable water strategies for Qatar,” Qatar National Research Fund, 7/2012-7/2015

“Design of Novel Catalysts and Processes for CO2 Conversion from Micro- to Macroscale,” Qatar National Research Fund, 8/15-8/20

A Life-Cycle Integrated Approach to the Incorporation of Safety in the Design, Operation, and Optimization of Industrial Supply Chains in Qatar”, Qatar National Research Fund, 01/2014-01/2017

McFerrin ProfessorManaging Director, TEES Gas & Fuels CenterPh.D., University of California, Los [email protected]

Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi

Dr. El-Halwagi’s research includes process synthesis, simulation, design, operation, integration and optimization. He focuses on the development of sustainable practices, eco-




PROFESSORS

Recycling 2015, 104, 181-193.

Jasper, S.; El-Halwagi, M.M. A Techno-Economic Comparison between Two Methanol-to-Propylene Processes. Processes 2015, 3(3), 684-698.

Elsayed NA, Barrufet MA, El-Halwagi, M.M.. An integrated approach for incorporating thermal membrane distillation in treating water in heavy oil recovery using SAGD. Journal of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources 2015;12:6-14.

García Montoya M, Sengupta D, Nápoles Rivera F, Ponce Ortega JM, El-Halwagi, M.M.. Environmental and economic analysis for the optimal reuse of water in a residential complex. Journal of cleaner production 2015Arredondo Ramírez K, Rubio Castro E, Nápoles Rivera F, Ponce Ortega JM, Serna González M, El-Halwagi, M.M.. Optimal design of agricultural water systems with multiperiod collection, storage, and distribution. Agricultural water management 2015;152:161-172.

Noureldin, Elbashir NO, Gabriel KJ, El-Halwagi, M.M.. A Process Integration Approach to the Assessment of CO2Fixation through Dry Reforming. ACS sustainable chemistry & engineering 2015;3(4):625-636.

González Delgado Á, Kafarov V, El-Halwagi, M.M.. Development of a topology of microalgae-based biorefinery: process synthesis and optimization using a combined forward–backward screening and superstructure approach. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015;17(8):2213-2228.

Martínez Guido SI, Sengupta D, Nápoles Rivera

F, González Campos JB, del Río RE, Ponce Ortega JM, El-Halwagi, M.M.. Life cycle assessment for Ambrox® production from different chemical routes. Journal of cleaner production 2015.

González Bravo R, Elsayed NA, Ponce Ortega JM, Nápoles Rivera F, El-Halwagi, M.M.. Optimal design of thermal membrane distillation systems with heat integration with process plants. Applied thermal engineering 2015;75:154-166.

Ubando AT, Cuello JL, El-Halwagi, M.M., Culaba AB, Promentilla, Tan R. Application of stochastic analytic hierarchy process for evaluating algal cultivation systems for sustainable biofuel production. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015.

Fuentes-Cortes, L.F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Serna-Gonzales, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal design of integrated CHP systems for housing complexes. Energy Conversion and Management 2015, 99, 252-263.

Lopez-Diaz, D.C.; Lira-Barragan, L.F.; Rubio-Castro, E.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Synthesis of Eco-Industrial Parks Interacting with a Surrounding Watershed. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2015, 3(7), 1564-1578.

Santibanez-Aguilar, J.E.; Martinez-Gomez, J.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; Gonzalez-Campos, J.B.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal planning for the reuse of municipal solid waste considering economic, environmental, and safety objectives. AIChE Journal 2015, 61(6), 1881-1899.

Garcia-Montoya, M.; Bocanegra-Martinez, A.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Simultaneous design of water reusing and rainwater harvesting systems in a residential complex. Computers & Chemical Engineering 2015, 76, 104-116.

Noureldin, M.M.B.; Elbashir, N.O.; Gabriel, K.J.; El-Halwagi, M.M. A Process Integration Approach to the Assessment of CO2 Fixation through Dry Reforming. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2015, 3(4), 625-636.

Arredondo-Ramirez, K.; Rubio-Castro, E.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal design of agricultural water systems with multiperiod collection, storage, and distribution. Agricultural Water Management 2015, 152, 161-172.

Abdelaziz, O.Y.; Gadalla, M.A.; El-Halwagi, M.M.; Ashour, F.H. A hierarchical approach for the design improvements of an Organocat biorefinery. BioResource Technology 2015, 181, 321-329.

Sanchez-Bautista, A.D.; Santibanez-Aguilar, J.E.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal design of domestic water-heating solar systems. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015, 17(3), 637-656.

Gutierrez-Arriaga, C.G.; Abdelhady, F.; Bamufleh, H.S.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M. Industrial waste heat recovery and cogeneration involving organic Rankine cycles. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015, 17(3), 767-779.


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Dr. Elabd’s research includes the synthesis of new polymers for clean energy and water. Energy applications include fuel cells, batteries and capacitors; water applications include electrochemical water purification. The transport and thermodynamics of ions and small molecules in polymers guide his synthetic design principles. Elabd is interested in answering complex questions regarding multicomponent transport, diffusion and sorption of water, ion transport and transport-morphology relationships in polymers using both an experimental and modeling approach.

Ph.D., Johns Hopkins [email protected]

Yossef Elabd

Alnouri, S.Y.; Linke, P.; El-Halwagi, M.M. A synthesis approach for industrial city water reuse networks considering central and distributed treatment systems. Journal of Cleaner Production 2015, 89, 231-250.

Garcia-Montoya, M.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal design of reusing water systems in a housing complex. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015, 17(2), 343-357.

Napoles-Rivera, F.; Rojas-Torres, M.G.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal design of macroscopic water networks under parametric uncertainty. Journal of Cleaner Production 2015, 88, 172-184.

Gonzalez-Bravo, R.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Nyapathi, M.; Elsayed, N.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Synthesis of Optimal Thermal Membrane Distillation Networks. AIChE Journal 2015, 61(2), 448-463.

Gonzalez-Bravo, R.; Elsayed, N.A.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal design of thermal membrane distillation systems with heat integration with process plants. Applied Thermal Engineering 2015, 75, 154-166.

Fuentes-Cortes, L.F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal Design of Energy Supply Systems for Housing Complexes Using Multiple Cogeneration Technologies. Chemical Engineering Transactions 2015, 45, 415-420.

Ortiz-Espinoza, A.P.; El-Halwagi, M.M.; Jimenez-Gutierrez, A. Analysis of two Alternatives to Produce Ethylene from Shale

Gas. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering 2015, 37, 485-490.

Gonzalez-Bravo, R.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimal Design of Thermal Membrane Distillation Networks. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering 2015, 37, 731-736.

Othman, Z.A.; Linke, P.; El-Halwagi, M.M. A Systematic Approach for Targeting Zero Liquid Discharge in Industrial Parks. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering 2015, 37, 887-892.

Martinez-Gomez, J.; Napoles-Rivera, F.; Ponce-Ortega, J.M.; Serna-Gonzalez, M.; El-Halwagi, M.M. Optimization of facility location and reallocation in an industrial plant through a multi-annual framework accounting for economic and safety issues. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries 2015, 33, 129-139.

Kamrava, S.; Gabriel, K.J.; El-Halwagi, M.M.; Eljack, F.T. Managing abnormal operation through process integration and cogeneration systems. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2015, 17(1), 119-128.




PROFESSORS

External Research Funding‘’Center for Sustainable Corrosion Protection,’’ Drexel University, 9/2014-8/2016

‘’Collaborative Research: Development of Anti-fouling Electrochemical Membranes for Water Treatment,’’ National Science Foundation, 9/2014-7/2015

‘’Highly Conductive Anion Exchange Block Copolymers,’’ DOD-Army Research Office, 9/2014-2/2017

‘’Ionic Liquids in Polymer Design: From Energy to Health,’’ DOD-Army Research Office, 6/2015-5/2016

‘’Small-angle X-ray Scattering for Nanostructured Polymers Research and Education,’’ DOD-Army Research Office, 8/2015-8/2016

“Electrochemical Conversion of Carbon Dioxide with Polymerized Ionic Liquids,” Kuraray America, Inc., 11/2015-11/2016

Refereed Journal PublicationsAnsaloni, L.; Nykaza, J.R.; Ye, Y.; Elabd, Y.A.; Giacinti Baschetti, M. Influence of Water Vapor on the Gas Permeability of Polymerized Ionic Liquid Membranes. J. Membr. Sci., 2015, 487, 199-208.

Salazar, M.; Richey, F.; Elabd, Y.A; Reznikov, M. Further Improvement of the Ionic Thermoelectric Generator. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Applications 2015, 51, 1132-1136.

Meek, K.M.; Sharick, S.; Ye, Y.; Winey, K.I.; Elabd, Y.A. Bromide and Hydroxide Conductivity-Morphology Relationships in Polymerized Ionic Liquid Block Copolymers. Macromolecules, 2015, 48, 4850-4862.

Director, Texas A&M Energy InstituteErle Nye ’59 Chair Professor forEngineering ExcellencePh.D., Carnegie Mellon [email protected]

Christodoulos A. Floudas

Tran, C.; Lawrence, D.; Richey, F.W.; Dillard, C.; Elabd, Y.A.; Kalra, V. Binder-free Three-dimensional High Energy Density Electrodes for Ionic-Liquid Supercapacitors. Chem. Comm. 2015, 51, 13670-13763.

Meek, K.M.; Elabd, Y.A. Alkaline Chemical Stability of Polymerized Ionic Liquids with Different Cations. Macromolecules 2015, 48, 7071-7084.

Meek, K.M.; Elabd, Y.A. Polymerized Ionic Liquid Block Copolymers for Electrochemical Energy. Journal of Materials Chemistry 2015, 3, 24187-24194.

Professor Floudas’ research interests are in multi-scale systems engineering for energy, environment and health, and lie at the interface of chemical engineering, applied mathematics, operations research, computer science, computational chemistry, and molecular biology. He addresses fundamental problems in energy systems engineering, process synthesis and design, interaction of design and control, process operations, discrete continuous nonlinear optimization, deterministic global optimization, computational chemistry, structural biology and bioinformatics. His research focuses on mathematical modeling at the microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic level, rigorous optimization theory, algorithms and large-scale high performance computing. In 2015, he received the Constantin Caratheodory prize, selected and delivered the P.V. Danckwerts Memorial Lecture, inducted to the Academy of Athens as Corresponding Member, inducted to the Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Sciences of Texas (TAMEST), and elected to the National Academy of Inventors. For a second consecutive year, Floudas was named to Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researchers 2015, earning this prestigious distinction as “one of the world’s most influential scientific minds.” The list consists of 3,125 researchers who have written “the greatest number of reports officially designated by Essential Science Indicators as Highly Cited Papers.” These papers rank in the top 1% most cited for their subject field and year of publication over the range of 2003-2013, (11 years) according to Thomson Reuters.


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Associate Department HeadPh.D., Rice [email protected]

Charles J. Glover

Dr. Glover’s research includes asphalt materials’ rheological properties, asphalt oxidation kinetics, and the development of thermal and oxygen transport models for the oxidation of asphalt binders in pavements. Additionally, he collaborates with researchers in the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute on the effects of binder oxidation on pavement performance, with age-related fatigue cracking being an important example.

He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a TIAS Faculty Fellow and Eminent Scholar, an AIChE Fellow and a SIAM Fellow.

External Research Funding

‘’Novel Optimization Methods for Design, Synthesis, Supply Chain, and Uncertainty of Hybrid Biomass, Coal, and Natural Gas to Liquids, CBGTL, Processes,’’ National Science Foundation, 7/2015-7/2016

Refereed Journal Publications

Elia, J. A; Li, Ji; Floudas, C. A Strategic planning optimization for natural gas to liquid transportation fuel (GTL) systems. Computers & Chemical Engineering 2015, 72 (0), 109-125.

Misener, R.; Smadbeck, J. B.; Floudas, C. A. Dynamically generated cutting planes for mixed-integer quadratically constrained quadratic programs and their incorporation into GloMIQO 2. Optimization. Methods and Software 2015, 30 (1), 215-249.

Onel, O.; Niziolek, A. M.; Elia, J. A.; Baliban, R. C.; Floudas, C. A. Biomass and Natural Gas to Liquid Transportation Fuels and Olefins (BGTL+C2_C4): Process Synthesis and Global Optimization. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 2015, 54 (1), 359-385.

Niziolek, A. M; Onel, O.; Hasan, M. M. F.; Floudas, C. A Municipal solid waste to liquid transportation fuels - Part II: Process synthesis and global optimization strategies. Computers & Chemical Engineering 2015, 74 (0), 184-203.

Niziolek, A. M.; Onel, O.; Elia, J. A.; Baliban,

R. C.; Floudas, C. A. Coproduction of liquid transportation fuels and C6_C8 aromatics from biomass and natural gas. AIChE Journal 2015, 61 (3), 831-856.

Boukouvala F, Hasan, Floudas CA. Global optimization of general constrained grey-box models: new method and its application to constrained PDEs for pressure swing adsorption. Journal of Global Optimization 2015;

Gorham, R. D.; Forest, D. L.; Khoury, G. A.; Smadbeck, J.; Beecher, C. N.; Healy, E. D.; Tamamis, P.; Archontis, G.; Larive, C. K.; Floudas, C. A.; Radeke, M. J.; Johnson, L. V.; Morikis, D. New Compstatin Peptides Containing N-Terminal Extensions and Non-Natural Amino Acids Exhibit Potent Complement Inhibition and Improved Solubility Characteristics. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2015, 58 (2), 814-826.

Hasan, M. M. F.; First, E. L.; Boukouvala, F.; Floudas, C. A. A multi-scale framework for CO2 capture, utilization, and sequestration: CCUS and CCU. Computers & Chemical Engineering 2015, 81, 2-21.

Onel, O.; Niziolek, A. M.; Floudas, C. A. Integrated biomass and fossil fuel systems towards the production of fuels and chemicals: state of the art approaches and future challenges. Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering 2015, 9, 66-74.

Tang, Q.; Li, Z.; Zhang, L.; Floudas, C. A.; Cao, X. Effective hybrid teaching-learning-based optimization algorithm for balancing two-sided assembly lines with multiple constraints. Chinese Journal of Mechanical Engineering 2015, 28 (5), 1067-1079.




PROFESSORS

Dr. Holste’s research includes measurement and correlation of thermodynamic properties of fluids at high pressures.

Refereed Journal PublicationsCristancho, D.E.; Acosta-Perez, P.L.; Mantilla, I.D.; Holste, J.C.; Hall, K.R. A Method To Determine Virial Coefficients from Experimental (p,rho,T) Measurements. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data 2015, 60(12), 3682-3687.

Atilhan, M.; Aparicio, S.; Ejaz, S.; Zhou, J.; Al-Marri, M.; Holste, J.C.; Hall, K.R. Thermodynamic characterization of deepwater natural gas mixtures with heavy hydrocarbon content at high pressures. Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics 2015, 82, 134-142.

Ph.D., Iowa State [email protected]

James C. Holste

External Research Funding“Effects of Recycling Agents on Asphalt Mixtures with High RAS and RAP Binder Ratios,” National Cooperative Highway Research Program, 5/2014-10/2017

Refereed Journal PublicationsLiu, G.; Glover, C.J. A study on the oxidation kinetics of warm mix asphalt. Chemical Engineering Journal 2015, 280, 115-120.

Wang, P.E.Y.; Zhao, K.; Glover, C.J.; Chen, L.; Wen, Y.; Chong, D.; Hu, C. Effects of aging on the properties of asphalt at the nanoscale. Construction and Building Materials 2015, 80, 244-254.

Rose, A.A.; Arambula, E.; Liu,G.; Glover, C.J. Use of a Total Air Void Diffusion Depth to Improve Pavement Oxidation Modeling With Field Validation. Petroleum Science and Technology 2015, 33(11), 1198-1207.

Cui, Y.; Jin, X.; Liu, G.; Glover, C.J. An Oxidative Aging Study of Seal Coat Treated Pavement. Petroleum Science and Technology 2015, 33(1), 23-30.

Dr. Holtzapple’s research includes bio-based fuels and chemicals, food and feed processing, water desalination, air conditioning, high-efficiency engines, jet engines and vertical-life aircraft. He has developed a wide variety of technologies, including conversion of alcohol fuels from biodegradeable wastes and protein sugar recovery from energy cane. He has developed the StarRotor engine, which is three times more efficient than the conventional internal combustion machine. Holtzapple led an undergraduate research team to place first in the 2014 Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development.

Ph.D., University of [email protected]

Mark T. Holtzapple


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External Research Funding‘’Modeling and Analysis of the Role of Microbiota Metabolites in T-Cell Differentiation,’’ DHHS-NIH-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, 2/2015-1/2020

‘’High-throughput Screening and Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells,’’ Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, 3/2015-2/2018

Refereed Journal PublicationsOh, JK., Kohli, N., Zhang, Y., Min, Y., Jayaraman, A., Cisernos-Zevallos, L. and Akbulut, M. Nanoporous aerogel as a bacteria repelling hygienic material for health care environment. Nanotechnology. In press (2015).

Oh, JK., Perez, K., Kohli, N., Kara, V., Li, J., Min, Y., Castillo, A., Taylor, M., Jayaraman, A., Cisernos-Zevallos, L. and Akbulut, M. Hydrohobically-modified silica aerogels: Novel food contact surfaces with bacterial anti-adhesion properties. Food Control, 2015, 52: 132-41.

Steinmeyer, S., Lee, K., Jayaraman, A. and Alaniz, R. C. Microbiota metabolite regulation of host immune homeostasis: A mechanistic missing link. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports, 2015, 15: 1-10.

Cheng, Y., Jin, U-H., Allred, C. D., Jayaraman, A., Chapkin, R. S. and Safe, S. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity of tryptophan metabolites in young adult mouse colonocytes, Drug Metabolism and Disposition, 2015, 43: 1536-43.

External Research Funding‘’Detonation Shock and Countercurrent Digestion of Lignocellulosic Plant Wastes,’’ Mars Food US, LLC, 7/2014-9/2015

‘’Vitality and Effectiveness Testing of Drylet Proprietary Solid,’’ Drylet, 2/2015-3/2015

‘’Phase 1 - Swades Chaudhuri to Learn to Operate and Test a Pilot Unit,’’ Cameron International Corporation, 2/2013-10/2014

‘’Task Order No. 4 - Phase 2 - Galveston,’’ Cameron International Corporation, 11/2014-1/2015

Refereed Journal PublicationsP. Darvekar, M. Holtzapple. Assessment of Shock Pretreatment of Corn Stover Using the Carboxylate Platform, 2015, Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

M. Holtzapple. S. Lonkar, C. Granda, Producing Biofuels via the Carboxylate Platform, 2015, Chemical Engineering Progress, 52–57.

B. Dale, M. Holtzapple. The Need for Biofuels, Chemical Engineering Progress, 2015, 36–40. Dr. Jayaraman’s research includes molecular

systems biotechnology, specifically the use of integrated experimental and modeling approaches for investigating problems in human health and medicine. Current research projects include systems biology of cytokine signaling in inflammatory diseases, inter-kingdom signaling interactions between bacteria and human cells in GI tract infections, and the development of microfluidic model systems for combinatorial drug screening and vascular tissue engineering.

Ray Nesbitt ProfessorDirector of the Graduate ProgramAssociate Department HeadPh.D., University of California, [email protected]

Arul Jayaraman




PROFESSORS

Guard, B., Barr, J., Reddivari, L., Klemashevich, C., Jayaraman, A., Steiner, J., Vanamala, J. and Suchodolski, J. Characterization of microbial dysbiosis and metabolomics changes in dogs with acute diarrhea, 2015, PLoS ONE. 10.

Department HeadT. Michael O’Connor Chair IIPh.D., University of Manchester, [email protected]

M. Nazmul Karim

cellulosic monolith membranes for flu virus separation, purification and cell-culture-based vaccine production. Karim also focuses on the development of algorithms for the detection of leaks in natural gas pipelines through methodologies, which include modeling, simulation and use of particle filters and nonlinear observers. Additionally, his group researches fault detection methods for chemical and biological processes. Karim is a fellow of AIChE.

External Research Funding“Enhanced Monitoring of Environmental and Chemical Processes,” Qatar National Research Fund, 2/2015-2/2018

“Biomanufacturing Science and Technology Consortium to Advance US Manufacturing of Biopharmaceuticals,” NIST, 6/2015- 5/2017

Refereed Journal PublicationsHu, S.; Guan, Y.; Cai, D.; Li, S.; Qin, P.; Karim, M.N.; Tan, T. A novel method for furfural recovery via gas stripping assisted vapor permeation by a polydimethylsiloxane membrane. Scientific Reports, 2015, 5.

Pan, X.; Karim, M.N. Modelling and Monitoring of Natural Gas Pipelines: New Method for Leak Detection and Localization Estimation. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 1787-1792.

Guan, Y.; Hu, S.; Wang, Y.; Qin, P.; Karim, M.N.; Tan, T. Separating isopropanol from its diluted solutions via a process of integrating gas stripping and vapor permeation. RSC Advances, 2015, 5(31), 24031-24037.

Dr. Kravaris’ research focuses on nonlinear process control, state estimation and dynamic model reduction. The aim is the development of systematic methodologies to be able to construct effective control and monitoring algorithms for nonlinear processes. Theoretical issues are approached with invariant manifold and Lyapunov function methods. Applications currently focus on environmental and energy systems, including anaerobic digestion and activated sludge processes.

Ph.D., California Institute of [email protected]

Costas Kravaris

Dr. Karim has been the department head of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University since Sept. 1, 2012. His research includes developing technologies and exploring fundamental issues related to second and third-generation renewable biofuels production. In addition, he is creating novel dual-modal


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biosensors. Kuo received the 2014 Innovation Award from Texas A&M System Technology Commercialization. In 2014, he maintained acclaim in ECS Transactions for a most-cited solid state paper. He is a fellow of both IEEE and the Electrochemical Society.

Refereed Journal PublicationsKuo, Y. A metal oxide antifuse-diode device. ECS Trans. Low-Dimensional Nanoscale Electronic and Photonic Devices 2015, 3, 69(12).

Kuo, Y. A new type of solid state incandescent LED (SSI-LED) prepared by sputter deposited metal oxide thin film on Si wafer. 13th ISSP Proc. 2015, 20-24.

Kuo, Y. Principles and possible system-on-wafer applications of SSI-LEDs. AM-FPD 15 Proc., 2015, 9-12.

Kuo, Y. A diode-like antifuse device made of high-k dielectric. ECS Trans., 2015, 67183-189.

Kuo, Y. A solid state thin film incandescent light emitting device. IEEE Trans. Elec. Dev., 2015, 62(11), 3536-3540.

Kuo, Y. Solid state incandescent light emitting devices made of ic compatible material and fabrication process. IEEE Elec. Dev. Soc. News Letters, 2015, 22-2, 1-5.

Kuo, Y., Gordon E. Moore Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Solid State Science and Technology paper, Research on nano and giga electronics – breakthroughs along the path. ECS Trans. Advanced CMOS-Compatible Semiconductor Devices, 2015, 17, 66(5), 139-154.

Dr. Kuo’s research includes nano- and microelectronics, with emphasis on semiconductor and optoelectronic materials, processes and devices; thin films and plasma technology are also studied. In his Thin Film Nano and Microelectronics Research Laboratory, Kuo develops new materials, novel processes and advanced devices with the ultimate goal of creating high-performance, highly reliable, manufacturable devices for present and future applications. Current projects include use of the following: TFTs, ULSIC, LEDs, solar cells and

Dow ProfessorPh.D., Columbia [email protected]

Yue Kuo

Zhang, S., Kuo, Y. SSI-LED made of wox embedded zr-doped hfo2 high-k stack on si wafer. ECS Trans. Silicon Compatible Materials, Processes, and Technologies for Advanced Integrated Circuits and Emerging Applications, 2015, 5, 66(4), 223-228.

S. Zhang, S., Kuo, Y. Temperature influence on current leakage and hysteresis of nc-cdse embedded zr-doped hfo2 high-k dielectric nonvolatile memory. ECS Trans. Silicon Compatible Materials, Processes, and Technologies for Advanced Integrated Circuits and Emerging Applications 2015, 5, 66(4), 195-202.

Lin, C.-C., Kuo, Y. Light emission from conductive paths in nanocrystalline CdSe embedded Zr-doped HfO2 high-k stack. Appl. Phys. Lett., 2015, 106, 121107.

Lin, C.-C., Kuo, Y., Zhang, X. White-light emission ssi-led made of sputter deposited tiox thin film on si wafer. ECS Trans. Luminescence and Display Materials: Fundamentals and Applications, 2015, 64(44), 1-6.

Li, D.; Kim, K.; Zhang, S.; Dong, G.; Kuo, Y. High-performance organic-inorganic hybrid optocouplers based on organic light-emitting diodes and alpha-Si:H photodiodes. Sensors and Actuators A-Physical, 2015, 236, 364-368.

Lin, C.C.; Kuo, Y. Light emission from conductive paths in nanocrystalline CdSe embedded Zr-doped HfO2 high-k stack. Applied Physics Letters, 2015, 106(12).




PROFESSORS

Dr. Mannan’s research interests include aerosol research, inherently safer design, quantitative risk assessment, reactive chemicals, modeling of silane releases, LNG safety and flammability of materials. Mannan has served as a consultant to numerous entities in both the academic and private sectors. He also has testified before the U.S. Congress on multiple occasions, lending his expertise on matters of national security as it relates to chemical safety and infrastructure. In 2014, Mannan was named distinguished

Director, Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety CenterRegents ProfessorT. Michael O’Connor Chair IPh.D., University of [email protected]

M. Sam Mannan

visiting professor at the Research Institute of Safety Engineering and was appointed guest professor at Tianjin University. He is a fellow of AIChE and a fellow of IChemE (UK).


‘‘PRV Failures in US DOT Tank Cars and Corrosion Cracking,’’ DOT-Federal Railroad Administration, 7/2015-3/2017

‘’For the Development and Delivery of Course Modules for MSc in Process Safety,’’ Institute Of Technology PETRONAS Sdn. Bhd., 8/2015-8/2018

‘’A Life-Cycle Integrated Approach to the Incorporation of Safety in the Design, Operation, and Optimization of Supply Chains in Qatar,’’ Qatar University, 1/2014-1/2017

‘’EAGER: Correlation of Explosibility and Dispersion Characteristics of Combustible Engineered Nanomaterials,’’ National Science Foundation, 8/2013-7/2015

‘’Collaborative Research: Study of Flammability, Mechanism and Heat/Mass Transfer associated Burning of Flame Retardant Polymer Nanocomposites,’’ National Science Foundation, 9/2013-8/2016

“Advanced Procedure Research Study - A Human Factors Approach: Phase 2,’’ ExxonMobil Production Company, 5/2015-12/2016

“Source term modeling of LNG vapor formation by experimental investigation and CFD simulation,” Qatar National Research Fund, 11/2013-11/2016

‘’Operation and Maintenance of the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI),’’ Department of Interior, 11/2013-11/2018

‘’Development of an Index System for Inherently Safer Process Design,’’ China Petrochemical Corporation, 10/2014-9/2016

‘’Industry Practices with Codes, PHA Conduction & PHA Revalidation,’’ Project Enhancement Corporation, 10/2014-2/2015

‘’Short Course entitled Process Safety Management - Fundamentals and Management of Change to be held the dates of August 3-5, 2015 in Lubbock, Texas,’’ Bayer Corporation, 7/2015-8/2015

‘’Advanced Procedures Project - A Human Factored Approach,’’ Chevron Technology Ventures, L.L.C., 8/2014-5/2016

‘’Assessment of HFITTM Question Set,’’ Kestrel Management Services, LLC, 2/2015-5/2015

‘’Short Course: ‘Leadership Training on Process Safety,’ on April 22-23, 2015 at the RIL Headquarters in Mumbai, India,’’ Reliance Industries, Ltd., 4/2015-5/2015

‘’Summer Training Internship Program for students from the Faculty of Engineering of KAU,’’ King Abdulaziz University, 3/2015-8/2016

‘’Process Safety Management Program Review,’’ Formosa Plastics Corporation, 10/2014-8/2015


Cui, X.; Mannan, M.S.; Wilhite, B.A. Towards efficient and inherently safer continuous


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reactor alternatives to batch-wise processing of fine chemicals: CSTR nonlinear dynamics analysis of alkylpyridines N-oxidation. Chemical Engineering Science, 2015, 137, 487-503.

Lin, Y.R.; Chen, H.; Mashuga, C.; Mannan, M.S. Improved electrospray design for aerosol generation and flame propagation analysis. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 38, 148-155.

Han, Z.; Sachdeva, S.; Papadaki, M.; Mannan, M.S. Calorimetry studies of ammonium nitrate - Effect of inhibitors, confinement, and heating rate. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 38, 234-242.

Mannan, M.S.; Sachdeva, S.; Chen, H.; Reyes-Valdes, O.; Liu, Y.; Laboureur, D.M. Trends and Challenges in Process Safety. AIChE Journal, 2015, 61(11), 3558-3569.

Zhang, M.; Oh, J.K.; Huang, S.Y.; Lin, Y.R.; Liu, Y.; Mannan, M.S.; Cixneros-Zevallos, L.; Akbulut, M. Priming with nano-aerosolized water and sequential dip-washing with hydrogen peroxide: An efficient sanitization method to inactivate Salmonella Typhimurium LT2 on spinach. Journal of Food Engineering, 2015, 161, 8-15.

Gopalaswami, N.; Olewski, T.; Vechot, L.N.; Mannan, M.S. Small-scale experimental study of vaporization flux of liquid nitrogen released on water. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2015, 297, 8-16.

Valdes, O.J.R.; Moreno, V.C.; Waldram, S.P.; Vechot, L.N.; Mannan, M.S. Experimental sensitivity analysis of the runaway severity of Dicumyl peroxide decomposition using

adiabatic calorimetry. Thermochimica Acta, 2015, 617, 28-37.

Zhang, B.; Liu, Y.; Laboureur, D.; Mannan, M.S. Experimental Study on Propane Jet Fire Hazards: Thermal Radiation. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54(37), 9251-9256.

Vazquez-Roman, R.; Inchaurregui-Mendez, J.A.; Mannan, M.S. A grid-based facilities allocation approach with safety and optimal heat exchanger networks synthesis. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2015, 80, 92-100.

Liu, R.; Hasan, A.R.; Mannan, M.S. Flow rate and total discharge estimations in gas-well blowouts. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 2015, 26, 438-445.

Gopalaswami, N.; Vechot, L.; Olewski, T.; Mannan, M.S. Small-scale experimental study of vaporization flux of liquid nitrogen released on ice. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 37, 124-131.

Wang, X.; Zhang, L.; Yu, Y.H.; Jia, L.; Mannan, M.S.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, Z. Nano-encapsulated PCM via Pickering Emulsification. Scientific Reports, 2015, 5.

Jiang, J.; Liu, Y.; Mashuga, C.V.; Mannan, M.S. Validation of a new formula for predicting the lower flammability limit of hybrid mixtures. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 52-58.

Pittman, W.; Metzer, R.; Mannan, M.S. Communicating costs and benefits of the chemical industry and chemical technology to society. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 59-79.

Gopalaswami, N.; Kakosimos, K.; Vechot, L.; Olewski, T.; Mannan, M.S. Analysis of meteorological parameters for dense gas dispersion using mesoscale models. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 145-156.

Ramirez-Marengo, C.; Diaz-Ovalle, C.; Vazquez-Roman, R.; Mannan, M.S. A stochastic approach for risk analysis in vapor cloud explosion. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 249-256.

Li, X.; Koseki, H.; Mannan, M.S. Case study: Assessment on large scale LPG BLEVEs in the 2011 Tohoku earthquakes. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 257-266.

Gopalaswami, N.; Mentzer, R.A.; Mannan, M.S. Investigation of pool spreading and vaporization behavior in medium-scale LNG tests. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 267-276.

Han, Z.; Sachdeva, S.; Papadaki, M.I.; Mannan, M.S. Ammonium nitrate thermal decomposition with additives. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 307-315.

Benavides-Serrano, A.J.; Mannan, M.S.; Laird, C.D. A quantitative assessment on the placement practices of gas detectors in the process industries. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 339-351.

Zhang, J.; Chen, H.; Liu, Y.; Elledge, H.; Mashuga, C.V.; Mannan, M.S. Dust Explosion of Carbon Nanofibers Promoted by Iron Nanoparticles. Industrial & Engineering




PROFESSORS

TEES Distinguished Research ProfessorAssociate Director, Texas A&MEnergy InstitutePh.D., Carnegie Mellon [email protected]

Stratos N. Pistikopoulos

Chemistry Research, 2015, 54(15), 3989-3995.

Su, C.H.; Huang, S.T.; Lin, C.P.; Tseng, J.M.; Mannan, M.S. Safety and kinetic parameters analysis for 1,1,-Di(tert-butylperoxy) cyclohexane mixed with monoammonium phosphate. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 34, 191-195.

Valdes, O.R.; Moreno, V.C.; Mannan, M.S.; Vechot, L. Evaluation of the Thermal Runaway Decomposition of Cumene Hydroperoxide by Adiabatic Calorimetry. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 2015, 43, 1009-1014.

Mathieu, O.; Goulier, J.; Gourmel, F.; Mannan, M.S.; Chaumeix, N.; Petersen, E.L. Experimental study of the effect of CF3I addition on the ignition delay time and laminar flame speed of methane, ethylene, and propane. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 2015, 35, 2731-2739

Olewski, T., Vechot, L.N., Mannan, M.S. Validation of liquid nitrogen vaporisation rate by small scale experiments and analysis of the conductive heat flux from the concrete. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, pp. 277-282.

Inchaurregui-Méndez, J.A., Vázquez-Román, R., Ponce-Ortega, J.M., Mannan, M.S. A heat exchanger networks synthesis approach based on inherent safety. Journal of Chemical Engineering Research Updates, 2015, 2 (1), pp. 22-29.

Chowdhury, A.Y., Johnston, H.G., Marks, B., Mannan, M.S., Petersen, E.L. Effect of shock strength on dust entrainment behind a moving shock wave. Journal of Loss Prevention in the

Dr. Pistikopoulos’ research interests lie in the field of process and multiscale systems engineering, with particular emphasis on the developments of (i) model-based optimization theory, computational tools for multi-parametric programming and explicit model predictive control; and (ii) an integrated framework for design, control and scheduling of complex multiscale networks, with applications in sustainable energy systems, smart manufacturing and personalized health engineering. In December 2014, he delivered the 21st Professor Roger W. H. Sargent Lecture at London’s Imperial College. The same year, he received an honorary doctorate from University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania. He is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (U.K.).


Pistikopoulos, E.N.; Diangelakis, N.A.; Oberdieck, R.; Papathanasiou, M.M.; Nascu, I.; Sun, M. PAROC-An integrated framework and software platform for the optimisation and advanced model-based control of process systems. Chemical Engineering Science, 2015, 136, 115-138.

Fuentes-Gari, M.; Velliou, E.; Misener, R.; Pefani, E.; Rende, M.; Panoskaltsis, N.; Mantalaris, A.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. A systematic framework for the design, simulation and optimization of personalized healthcare: Making and healing blood. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2015, 81, 80-93.

Zavitsanou, S.; Mantalaris, A.; Georgiadis,

Process Industries, 2015, 36, pp. 203-213.

Chen, H., Pittman, W.C., Hatanaka, L.C., Harding, B.Z., Boussouf, A., Moore, D.A., Milke, J.A., Mannan, M.S. integration of process safety engineering and fire protection engineering for better safety performance. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 37, pp. 74-81.


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M.C.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. In Silico Closed-Loop Control Validation Studies for Optimal Insulin Delivery in Type 1 Diabetes. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2015, 62(10), 2369-2378.

Silvente, J.; Kopanos, G.M.; Pistikopoulos, E.N.; Espuna, A. A rolling horizon optimization framework for the simultaneous energy supply and demand planning in microgrids. Applied Energy, 2015, 155, 485-501.

Fuentes-Gari, M.; Misener, R.; Georgiadis, M.C.; Kostoglou, M.; Panoskaltsis, N.; Mantalaris, A.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. Selecting a Differential Equation Cell Cycle Model for Simulating Leukemia Treatment. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54(36), 8847-8859.

Velliou, E.G.; Dos Santos, S.B.; Papathanasiou, M.M.; Fuentes-Gari, M.; Misener, R.; Panoskaltsis, N.; Pistikopoulos, E.N.; Mantalaris, A. Towards unravelling the kinetics of an acute myeloid leukaemia model system under oxidative and starvation stress: a comparison between two- and three-dimensional cultures. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, 2015, 38(8), 1589-1600.

Oberdieck, R.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. Explicit hybrid model-predictive control: The exact solution. Automatica, 2015, 58, 152-159.

Fuentes-Gari, M.; Misener, R.; Garcia-Munzer, D.; Velliou, E.; Georgiadis, M.C.; Kostoglou, M.; Pistikopoulos, E.N.; Panoskaltsis, N.; Mantalaris, A. A mathematical model of subpopulation kinetics for the deconvolution of leukaemia heterogeneity. Journal of the Royal

Society Interface, 2015, 12(108).

Nascu, I.; Krieger, A.; Ionescu, C.M.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. Advanced Model-Based Control Studies for the Induction and Maintenance of Intravenous Anaesthesia. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2015, 62(3), 832-841.

Nascu, I.; Oberdieck, R.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. Offset-free explicit hybrid model predictive control of intravenous anaesthesia. IEEE International Conference on Systems Man and Cybernetics Conference Proceedings, 2015, 2475-2480.

Fuentes-Gari, M.; Misener, R.; Pefani, E.; Garcia-Munzer, D.; Kostoglou, M.G.; Georgiadis, M.C.; Paanoskaltsis, N.; Pistikopoulos, E.N.; Mantalaris, A. Cell cycle model selection for leukemia and its impact in chemotherapy outcomes. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 2159-2164.

Pistikopoulos, E.N.; Diangelakis, N.A.; Manthanwar, A.M. Towards the integration of process design, control and scheduling: Are we getting closer?. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 41-48.

Savvopoulos, S.; Misener, R.; Panoskaltsis, N.; Pistikopoulos, E.N.; Mantalaris, A. Global Sensitivity Analysis for a Model of B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Disease Trajectories. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 185-190.

Nascu, I.; Oberdieck, R.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. A framework for hybrid multi-parametric model-predictive control with application to intravenous anaesthesia. Computer Aided

Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 719-724.

Diangelakis, N.A.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. A Decentralised Multi-parametric Model Predictive Control Study for a Domestic Heat and Power Cogeneration System. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 1499-1504.

Papathanasiou, M.M.; Steinebach, F.; Stoehlein, G.; Muller-Spath, T.; Nascu, I.; Oberdieck, R.; Morbidelli, M.; Mantalaris, A.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. A control strategy for periodic systems - application to the twin-column MCSGP. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 1505-1510.

Sun, M.; Chachuat, B.; Pistikopoulos, E.N. Design of multiparametric NCO tracking controllers for linear dynamic systems. Computer Aided Chemical Engineering, 2015, 37, 1511-1516.




PROFESSORS

Charles D. Holland ’53 ProfessorDirector of the Undergraduate ProgramAssociate Department HeadChair, Texas A&M Professional Programin Biotechnology (PPiB)Ph.D., Northwestern [email protected]

Victor M. Ugaz

Lanatter & Herbert Fox ProfessorPh.D., Southern Illinois [email protected]

Jorge M. Seminario

Dr. Seminario’s research covers several aspects of nanotechnology, such as the analysis, design, and simulation of systems and materials of nanometer dimensions, especially those needed for development and systems for energy, nanosensors and nanoelectronics. Among his goals is the design of smaller, cleaner, more efficient and faster devices for clean energy production as well as for detection of chemical, biological and nuclear agents. He has developed new scenarios for nanodevice architectures using a multiscale and multidisciplinary approach that progresses from the atomistic nature of their components to the final product, guided by first principles calculations.

External Research Funding‘’Development of Graphene Sensor,’’ Argonne National Laboratory, 1/2015-9/2015

‘’Molecular Dynamics of DNA Origami,’’ Marshall University Research Corporation, 12/2014-2/2015

Refereed Journal PublicationsKumar, N.; Seminario, J.M. Computational Chemistry Analysis of Hydrodesulfurization Reactions Catalyzed by Molybdenum Disulfide Nanoparticles. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2015, 119(52), 29157-29170.

Soto, F.A.; Ma, Y.; de la Hoz, J.M.M.; Seminario, J.M.; Balbuena, P.B. Formation and Growth Mechanisms of Solid-Electrolyte lnterphase Layers in Rechargeable Batteries. Chemistry of Materials, 2015, 27(23), 7990-8000.

Bobadilla, A.D.; Ocola, L.E.; Sumant, A.V.; Kaminski, M.; Kumar, N.; Seminario, J.M. Europium Effect on the Electron Transport in Graphene Ribbons. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2015, 119(39), 22486-22495.

Ma, Y.; de la Hoz, J.M.M.; Angarita, I.; Berrio-Sanchez, J.M.; Benitez, L.; Seminario, J.M.; Son, S.B.; Lee, S.H.; George, S.M.; Ban, C.; Balbuena, P.B. Structure and Reactivity of Alucone-Coated Films on Si and LixSiy Surfaces. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2015, 7(22), 11948-11955.

Kumar, N.; Sandi, G.; Kaminski, M.; Bobadilla, A.; Mertz, C.; Seminario, J.M. Electron Transport in Graphene-Based Nanosensors for Eu(III) Detection. Journal of Physical Chemistry

C, 2015, 119(21), 12037-12046.

Kumar, N.; Seminario, J.M. Solvation of Actinide Salts in Water Using a Polarizable Continuum Model. Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2015, 119(4), 689-703.

Dr. Ugaz’s research focuses broadly on harnessing the unique characteristics of transport and flow at the microscale, with specific interests in microfluidic flows (both


25


Dr. Akbulut’s research interests include thefundamental issues of surface and interfacescience including adsorption, desorption,surface-nanoparticle interactions,inter-nanoparticle forces, assembly ofnanoparticles, adhesion, friction, wear,tribochemical reactions and corrosion; withthe overarching objective of advancingnanotechnology and biotechnologythrough rationale design.

Ph.D., University of California, Santa [email protected]

Mustafa Akbulut

External Research Funding“Biomechanical Investigation of Insect Leg Joints,” National Science Foundation, 09/2014 – 08/2017

“Next-Generation Solders Involving Dispersion of Soft Ligand Functionalized Boron Nitride Nanoribbons or Nanosheets in Alloys as Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs),” Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Young Faculty Award (YFA), 08/2013 – 07/2015,

“Transport of Nanomedicine in the Environment,” National Science Foundation, 09//2012 – 08/2015

“Role of produce surface topography and chemistry on development and application of novel interventions to inhibit pathogen attachment,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, 02/2011 – 01/2015

Refereed Journal PublicationsZhang, M.; Oh, J.K.; Huang, S.Y.; Lin, Y.R.; Liu, Y.; Mannan, M.S.; Cisneros-Zevallos, L.; Akbulut, M. Priming with nano-aerosolized water and sequential dip-washing with hydrogen peroxide: An efficient sanitization method to inactivate Salmonella Typhimurium LT2 on spinach. Journal of Food Engineering, 2015, 161, 8-15.

Oh, J.K.; Lu, X.; Min, Y.; Cixneros-Zevallos, L.; Akbulut, M. Bacterially Antiadhesive, Optically Transparent Surfaces Inspired from Rice Leaves. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2015, 7(34), 19274-19281.

Oh, J.K.; Perez, K.; Kohli, N.; Kara, V.; Li, J.; Min, Y.; Castillo, A.; Taylor, M.; Jayaraman, A.; Cisneros-Zevallos, L.; Akbulut, M.

single-phase and nanoparticle suspensions), microchip gel electrophoresis, PCR thermocycling in novel convective flow devices, and construction of 3D vascular flow networks for biomedical applications.


‘’Chemical Precipitates Characterization to Support the Risk-Informed GSI-191 Resolution for Palisades Power Plant,’’ Entergy Nuclear Palisades, LLC, 9/2014-12/2015

‘’High-throughput Screening and Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells,’’ Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, 3/2015-2/2018


Meng, F.; Ugaz, V.M. Instantaneous physico-chemical analysis of suspension-based nanomaterials. Scientific Reports, 2015, 5, 9896

ASSOCIATE PROFESSORS





anisotropic particles, the fabrication of photonic crystals and integrated photonic circuits, solar hydrogen production via water splitting and the application of microfluids to bio-encapsulation. The techniques developed will be applicable to the modeling of phase transitions and liquid crystal materials; the engineering of nanocomposites and semiconductors of light; solar energy and a wide range of therapeutic treatments.

External Research Funding‘’Research Opportunities in Complex Fluids and Macromolecular Biophysics,’’ NASA-Shared Services Center, 9/2013-8/2018

“Liquid Crystals of Nanoplates,” Chevron, Wintershall of BASF, and Dong Energy, 9/2013-8/2018

Refereed Journal PublicationsYu, Y-H.; Chen, Y-P.; Cheng, Z. Microwave-assisted synthesis of rod-like CuO/TiO2 for high-efficiency photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2015, 40(46), 15994-16000.

Thakur Y, Lin M, Wu S, Cheng Z, Jeong, Zhang QM. Tailoring the dipole properties in dielectric polymers to realize high energy density with high breakdown strength and low dielectric loss. Journal of applied physics, 2015;117(11):114104.

Wang, C.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, Z.; Luo, X.; Jia, L.; Song, M.; Jiang, B.; Dou, B. Sorption-Enhanced Steam Reforming of Glycerol for Hydrogen Production over a NiO/NiAl2O4 Catalyst and

Li2ZrO3-Based Sorbent. Energy & Fuels, 2015, 29(11), 7408-7418.

Chen M, Li H, Chen Y, Mejia AF, Wang X, Cheng Z. Observation of isotropic–isotropic demixing in colloidal platelet–sphere mixtures. Soft Matter, 2015;11(28):5775-5779.

Cheng Z, Lin M, Wu S, Thakur Y, Zhou Y, Jeong D, Shen Q, Zhang QM. Aromatic poly(arylene ether urea) with high dipole moment for high thermal stability and high energy density capacitors. Applied physics letters, 2015;106(20):202902.

Wang, X.; Zhang, L.; Yu, Y-H.; Jia, J.; Mannan, M.S.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, Z. Nano-encapsulated PCM via Pickering Emulsification. Scientific Reports, 2015, 5, 13357.

Mo, S.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, Z.; Jia, L.; Luo, X.; Shao, X.; Yuan, X.; Lin, G. Effects of nanoparticles and sample containers on crystallization supercooling degree of nanofluids. Thermochimica Acta, 2015, 605, 1-7.

Shao, X.; Chen, Y.; Mo, S.; Cheng, Z.; Yin, T. Dispersion Stability of TiO2-H2O Nanofluids Containing Mixed Nanotubes and Nanosheets. Clean, Efficient and Affordable Energy For a Sustainable Future, 2015, 75, 2049-2054.

Liu, Z.; Yin, T.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, Z.; Mo, S.; Jia, L. Improving the Stability of TiO2 Aqueous Suspensions by Coupling TiO2 Nanoparticles on ZrP Nanoplatelets. Clean, Efficient and Affordable Energy for a Sustainable Future, 2015, 75, 2199-2204.

Thakur Y, Dong R, Lin M, Wu S, Cheng Z, Hou Y, Bernholc J, Zhang QM. Optimizing nanostructure to achieve high dielectric

Hydrophobically-modified silica aerogels: Novel food-contact surfaces with bacterial anti-adhesion properties. Food Control, 2015, 52, 132-141.

Chen, I.C.; Zhang, M.; Teipel, B.; de Araujo, I.S.; Yegin, Y.; Akbulut, M. Transport of Polymeric Nanoparticulate Drug Delivery Systems in the Proximity of Silica and Sand. Environmental Science & Technology, 2015, 49(6), 3575-3583.

Dr. Cheng studies complex fluids and active soft matter. His research focuses on the self-organization of intelligent colloids and

Ph.D., Princeton [email protected]

Zhengdong Cheng


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nanomaterials in the liquid phase for use in multifunctional composites and films. Areas of interest include polymer-nanomaterial interfacial studies, microstructure-rheology coupling, nanomaterial morphology evolution and scalable nanomaterial manufacturing. His group aims to lead in bringing a chemical engineering perspective to bear on the field of nanomaterials processing.

External Research Funding‘’2014 Dupont Young Professor Grant- Micah Green,’’ DuPont Corporation, 9/2014-8/2017

‘’Collaborative Research: Understanding Cholesteric Pitch in Nanocylinder Films,’’ National Science Foundation, 9/2014-8/2017

‘’CAREER: Structure-property-processing Relations for Aggregation-resistant Graphene,’’ National Science Foundation, 8/2014-2/2018

“An Integrated Multiscale Processing Technique to Produce Thermoplastic Nanofibers from Melt,” National Science Foundation, 8/2015-7/2018

‘’Conformation and Alignment Control in Scalable Graphene Film Processing,’’ National Science Foundation, 1/2015-8/2016

‘’STIR: RDRL-ROE-M: Microwave Response of Carbon Nanotubes in Polymer Nanocomposite Welds,’’ DOD-Army Research Office, 2/2015-10/2015

Refereed Journal PublicationsXu, Y.; Green, M.J. Brownian Dynamics Simulation of Two-Dimensional Nanosheets under Biaxial Extensional Flow. Journal of

Polymer Science Part B-Polymer Physics, 2015, 53(17), 1247-1253.

Kleinerman, O.; Parra-Vasquez, A.N.G.; Green, M.J.; Behabtu, N.; Schmidt, J.; Kesselman, E.; Young, C.C.; Cohen, Y.; Pasquali, M.; Talmon, Y. Cryogenic-temperature electron microscopy direct imaging of carbon nanotubes and graphene solutions in superacids. Journal of Microscopy, 2015, 259(1), 16-25.

Parviz, D.; Metzler, S.D.; Das, S.; Irin, F.; Green, M.J. Tailored Crumpling and Unfolding of Spray-Dried Pristine Graphene and Graphene Oxide Sheets. Small, 2015, 11(22), 2661-2668.

Irin, F.; Hansen, M.J.; Bari, R.; Parviz, D.; Metzler, S.D.; Bhattacharia, S.K.; Green, M.J. Adsorption and removal of graphene dispersants. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 2015, 446, 282-289.

Collins, E.S.; Skelton, B.R.; Pantoya, M.L.; Irin, F.; Green, M.J.; Daniels, M.A. Ignition sensitivity and electrical conductivity of an aluminum fluoropolymer reactive material with carbon nanofillers. Combustion and Flame, 2015, 162(4), 1417-1421.

Spearman, S.S.; Irin, F.; Rivero, I.V.; Green, M.J.; Abidi, N. Effect of dsDNA wrapped single-walled carbon nanotubes on the thermal and mechanical properties of polycaprolactone and polyglycolide fiber blend composites. Ploymer, 2015, 56, 476-481.

Bari, R.; Parviz, D.; Khabaz, F.; Klaassen, C.D.; Metzler, S.D.; Hansen, M.J.; Khare, R.; Green, M.J. Liquid phase exfoliation and crumpling of inorganic nanosheets. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2015, 17(14), 9383-9393.

Lahiani, M.H.; Chen, J.; Irin, F.; Puretzky, A.A.;

response with low loss in strongly dipolar polymers. Nano Energy, 2015;16:227-234.

Chen, M.; Li, H.; Chen, Y.; Mejia, A.F.; Wang, X.; Cheng, Z. Observation of isotropic-isotropic demixing in colloidal platelet-sphere mixtures. Soft Matter, 2015, 11(28), 5775-5779.

He, L.; Ye, J.; Shuai, M.; Zhu, Z.; Zhou, X.; Wang, Y.; Li, Y.; Su, Z.; Zhang, H.; Chen, Y.; Liu, Z.; Cheng, Z.; Bao, J. Graphene oxide liquid crystals for reflective displays without polarizing optics. Nanoscale, 2015, 7(5), 1616-1622.

Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of [email protected]

Micah J. Green

Dr. Green’s research focuses on understanding the processing and engineering of





innovative and commercially viable strategies to prepare ultra-thin nanoporous framework membranes with unprecedentedly high olefin/paraffin separation performances. In collaboration with Dr. Dong-Hee Son, Jeong’s team is developing highly efficient semiconductor nanocrystal/graphene composites for photocatalytic hydrogen production.

External Research Funding‘’UNS: New Strategies for Ultra-Thin Sub-10 nm Thick Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Membranes with Tunable Molecular Sieving Properties,’’ National Science Foundation, 9/2015-8/2018

‘’Design and Optimization of Highly Productive Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework, ZIF-8, Membranes For Industrial Propylene/Propane Separations -- Cycle 7,’’ Qatar National Research Fund, 2/2015-2/2018

‘’Development of Polymer-Supported Metal-Organic Framework Membranes for High Resolution Separations of Propylene/Propane Mixtures,’’ Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 12/2014-12/2015

“Doped-nanocrystal/graphene hybrid structure for noble metal-free photocatalytic hydrogen production,” National Science Foundation, 9/2013-8/2016

“Design and Optimization of Highly Productive Zeolitic Imidazolate, ZIF-8, Membranes for Industrial Propylene/Propane Separations,” Qatar National Research Foundation 2/2015-1/2018

Refereed Journal PublicationsKwon, H.T.; Jeong, H.K.; Lee, A.S.; An, H.S.; Lee, J.S. Heteroepitaxially Grown Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Membranes with Unprecedented Propylene/Propane Separation Performances. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2015, 137(38), 12304-12311.

Jo, Y.K.; Cromwell, W.; Jeong, H.K.; Thorkelson, J.; Roh, J.H.; Shin, D.B. Use of silver nanoparticles for managing Gibberella fujikuroi on rice seedlings. Crop Protection, 2015, 74, 65-69.

Park, S.; Kang, W.R.; Kwon, H.T.; Kim, S.; Seo, M.; Bang, J.; Lee, S.H.; Jeong, H.K.; Lee, J.S. The polymeric upper bound for N-2/NF3 separation and beyond; ZIF-8 containing mixed matrix membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 2015, 486, 29-39.

Dong, Y.; Choi, J.; Jeong, H.K.; Son, D.H. Hot Electrons Generated from Doped Quantum Dots via Upconversion of Excitons to Hot Charge Carriers for Enhanced Photocatalysis. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2015, 137(16), 5549-5554.

Kwona, H.T.; Jeong, H.K. Improving propylene/propane separation performance of Zeolitic-Imidazolate framework ZIF-8 Membranes. Chemical Engineering Science, 2015, 124, 20-26.

Dr. Jeong’s research includes the development of novel methodologies to design, modify, deposit and microfabricate nanostructured materials and to build them into hierarchical structures and complex forms for wide ranges of applications including separation membranes, selective catalysts and adsorbents. Jeong’s research group develops several

Graduate Recruitment & AdmissionsCoordinatorPh.D., University of [email protected]

Hae-Kwon Jeong

Green, M.J.; Khodakovskaya, M.V. Interaction of carbon nanohorns with plants: Uptake and biological effects. Carbon, 2015, 81, 607-619.


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Refereed Journal PublicationsCheng, C.; Almario, M.P.; Kao, K.C. Genome shuffling to generate recombinant yeasts for tolerance to inhibitors present in lignocellulosic hydrolysates. Biotechnology Letters, 2015, 37(11), 2193-2200.

Xie, S.; Qin, X.; Cheng, Y.; Laskar, D.; Ziao, W.; Sun, S.; Reyes, L.H.; Wang, X.; Dai, S.Y.; Sattler, S.E.; Kao, K.C.; Yang, B.; Zhang, X.; Yuan, J.S. Simultaneous conversion of all cell wall components by an oleaginous fungus without chemi-physical pretreatment. Green Chemistry, 2015, 17(3), 1657-1667.

William and Ruth Neely Faculty FellowPh.D., Massachusetts Institute of [email protected]

Jodie L. Lutkenhaus

Dr. Lutkenhaus’ research interests include the design of organic thin films and nanostructures to enable the development of novel organic energy systems and smart coatings. Areas of investigation include the behavior of polymer thin films and coatings, thermal analysis, polyelectrolytes and electroactive polymers for energy storage. In 2014, Lutkenhaus received the Montague CTE Scholar Award and the George Armistead, Jr. ’23 Faculty Excellence Teaching Award.

External Research Funding‘’Collaborative Research: Hybrid Block Copolymer Electrodes for Electrochemical Energy Storage,’’ National Science Foundation, 9/2013-8/2016

‘’The Nature of Charge Storage in Nitroxide Radical Polymers,’’ DOE-Office Of Science, 8/2015-7/2016

‘’Nanoparticle Enhanced High-K Dielectricts by Layer-by-Layer Deposition,’’ Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2/2014-6/2015

“Materials World Network: Thermal Transition in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers and Complexes,” NSF, 08/2013-08/2016

“Organic Electrodes for Structural Energy and Power,” Air Force Office of Scientific Research Awards Young Investigator Research Program, 03/2013-03/2016.

“CAREER: Internal Structure and Properties of Confined Layer-by-Layer Films and Nanotubes,” NSF, 03/2011-02/2016

“Discovering the Rich Electrochemistry of Nitroxide Radical-Modified Conjugated

Dr. Kao’s research interests include genomics, systems biology and biotechnology. In the lab, she utilizes related tools to observe microbial adaptation in various environments. Kao studies the evolution of microorganisms such as yeast and E. coli for their enhanced tolerance to the toxicity of desired bioproducts, such as biofuels. She uses ultrahigh throughput sequencing technology and monitors transcriptome and metabolism in an effort to identify the cellular components responsible for the selected traits. In 2014, Kao was promoted with tenure to her current position.

Ph.D., University of California, Los [email protected]

Katy C. Kao


NAME OF DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAMASSOCIATE PROFESSORS

30

Derived Nanoporous Carbon for Supercapacitor Applications. Chemsuschem, 2015, 8(3), 428-432.

Zhang, Y.; Yildirim, E.; Antila, H.S.; Valenzuela, L.D.; Sammalkorpi, M.; Lutkenhaus, J.L. The influence of ionic strength and mixing ratio on the colloidal stability of PDAC/PSS polyelectrolyte complexes. Soft Matter, 2015, 11(37), 7392-7401.

Jeon, J.W.; Kwon, S.R.; Lutkenhaus, J.L. Polyaniline nanofiber/electrochemically reduced graphene oxide layer-by-layer electrodes for electrochemical energy storage. Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2015, 3(7), 3757-3767.

Kwon, S.R.; Jeon, J.W.; Lutkenhaus, J.L. Sprayable, paintable layer-by-layer polyaniline

Dr. Vaddiraju’s research includes the development of vapor phase techniques for the mass production of organic and inorganic nanostructures and the development and implementation of in-situ and ex-situ schemes for the large-scale integration of these nanostructures into energy conversion devices. He employs the study of novel electrical, electronic and mechanical properties of ultrathin nanowires in the gravitation of efficient thermoelectrics and solar cells. Vaddiraju was the 2014 recipient of the Fluor Distinguished Teaching Award.

External Research Funding‘’ALARM: Next Generation Food-Borne Pathogen Detection,’’ Lynntech, Inc., 10/2014-2/2016

“Asymmetric convectional PCR coupled with silicon nanowires to detect rare genetic mutations for cancer diagnosis and therapy management,” National Institutes of Health, 11/2015-09/2016

Refereed Journal PublicationsVasiraju, V.; Brockway, L.; Balachandran, S.; Srinivasa, A.; Vaddiraju, S. Shear induced simultaneous consolidation and alignment of silicon nanowires into ingots using equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE). Materials Research Express, 2015, 2(1), 15013-15013.


Sreeram Vaddiraju

Polymers,” Welch Foundation, 06/2014-05/2017

“Electrochemically Active Polymers for Energy Storage,” 3M, 05/2014-04/2016

Refereed Journal PublicationsJeon, J.W.; Kwon, S.R.; Li, F.; Lutkenhaus, J.L. Spray-On Polyaniline/Poly(acrylic acid) Electrodes with Enhanced Electrochemical Stability. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2015, 7(43), 24150-24158.

An, H.; Mike, J.; Smith, K.A.; Swank, L.; Lin, Y.H.; Pesek, S.L.; Verduzco, R.; Lutkenhaus, J. L. Highly Flexible Self-Assembled V2O5 Cathodes Enabled by Conducting Diblock Copolymers. Scientific Reports, 2015, 5.

Yildirim, E.; Zhang, Y.; Lutkenhaus, J.L.; Sammalkorpi, M. Thermal Transitions in Polyelectrolyte Assemblies Occur via a Dehydration Mechanism. ACS Macro Letters, 2015, 4(9), 1017-1021.

Sung, C.; Ye, Y.X.; Lutkenhaus, J.L. Reversibly pH-Responsive Nanoporous Layer-by-Layer Microtubes. ACS Macro Letters, 2015, 4(4), 353-356.

Reid, D.K.; Freire, M.A.; Yao, H.; Sue, H.J.; Lutkenhaus, J.L. The Effect of Surface Chemistry on the Glass Transition of Polycarbonate Inside Cylindrical Nanopores. ACS Macro Letters, 2015, 4(2), 151-154.

Jeon, J.W.; Zhang, L.; Lutkenhaus, J.L.; Laskar, D. D.; Lemmon, J.P.; Choi, D.; Nandasiri, M.I.; Hashmi, A.; Xu, J.; Motkuri, R.K. ; Fernandez, C.A.; Liu, J.; Tucker, M.P.; McGrail, P.B.; Yang, B.; Nune, S.K. Controlling Porosity in Lignin-


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Dr. Wilhite’s research includes the study of interactions between chemical kinetics and transport processes for process intensification. Areas of investigation include the design of multilayer catalytic and/or perm-selective membranes for natural gas processing and hydrogen production; synthesis of electroceramic membrane material for CO2 capture and reuse; heat-exchanger microreactor technologies for natural gas processing and catalytic gas-liquid-solid reactor design. In 2014, he spoke at the National Academies’ Chemical Sciences Roundtable: Mesoscale Chemistry.

Ph.D., University of Notre [email protected]

Benjamin A. Wilhite

External Research Funding‘’Trickle-Bed Reactor Modeling,’’ Eastman Chemical Company - Texas Eastman Division, 2/2014-7/2016

‘’Layer-by-layer Polymer Assemblies as Size-Selective Gas Separation Membranes,’’ National Science Foundation, 9/2014-8/2017

‘’Maximizing the Effectiveness of Fischer-Tropsch Fixed-Bed Reactor: Tailoring Reaction Media, Catalyst Geometry and Pore Structure -- Cycle 7,’’ Qatar National Research Fund, 5/2015-5/2018

“Pilot-Scale Gas-Liquid Column for Hydrodynamic Measurements,” Eastman Chemical Coorporation, 01/2015-12/2015

“Flow Maldistribution and Reactor Hot-Spot Mechanisms,” Eastman Chemical Coorporation. 01/2014-12/2016

Refereed Journal PublicationsCui, X.; Mannan, M.S.; Wilhite, B.A. Towards efficient and inherently safer continuous reactor alternatives to batch-wise processing of fine chemicals: CSTR nonlinear dynamics analysis of alkylpyridines N-oxidation. Chemical Engineering Science, 2015, 137, 487-503.

Tzeng, P.; Lugo, E.L.; Mai, G.D.; Wilhite, B.A.; Grunlan, J.C. Super Hydrogen and Helium Barrier with Polyelectolyte Nanobrick Wall Thin Film. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 2015, 36(1), 96-101.

Dr. Hasan’s research focuses on modeling, simulation and optimization of complex and multiscale systems. The overarching goal is to develop novel pathways and transformative technology to utilize fossil fuels while minimizing emissions. He develops application-oriented theories, algorithms and computational methods for the design and discovery of advanced materials, processes and supply chains for clean energy. Applications include CO2 capture and conversion, shale gas utilization and hybrid energy processes.

Ph.D., National University of [email protected]

M. M. Faruque Hasan

ASSISTANT PROFESSORS




External Research Funding“Accurate and Efficient Characterization of Gas Adsorption inside Microporous Materials for Energy and Environmental Applications,” Oak Ridge Associated Universities, 6/2015-5/2016

Refereed Journal PublicationsF. Boukouvala, M. M. F. Hasan, C. A. Floudas, Global Optimization of Generalized Constrained Grey-box Models: New Method and its Application to Constrained PDEs for Pressure Swing Adsorption. Journal of Global Optimization, 2015, pp. 1- 40.

M. M. F. Hasan, E. L. First, F. Boukouvala, C. A. Floudas, A Multi-scale Framework for CO2 Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration: CCUS and CCU. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2015, 81, 2–21.

A. M. Niziolek, O. Onel, M. M. F. Hasan, C. A. Floudas, Municipal Solid Waste to Liquid Transportation Fuels - Part II: Process Synthesis and Global Optimization Strategies. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 2015, 74, 184–203.

Dr. Kwon’s research focuses on the development of techniques for the modeling, simulation, and control of multiscale processes which are characterized by highly coupled phenomena occurring at disparate spatial and temporal scales. Specifically, Dr. Kwon is applying these techniques to crystallization, chemical vapor deposition, and hydraulic fracturing processes leading to new insights and addressing industrial concerns.

Refereed Journal PublicationsKwon, J.S.; Nayhouse, M.; Christofides, P.D. Multiscale, Multidomain Modeling and Parallel Computation: Application to Crystal

Ph.D., University of California, Los [email protected]

Joseph Sang-II Kwon

Shape Evolution in Crystallization. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54, 47, 11903-11914,

Crose, M.; Kwon, J.S.; Nayhouse, M.; et al.Multiscale modeling and operation of PECVD of thin film solar cells. Chemical Engineering Science, 2015,136, 50-61,

Nayhouse, M.; Anh Tran; Kwon, J.S.; et al. Modeling and control of ibuprofen crystal growth and size distribution. Chemical Engineering Science, 2015, 134, 414-422,

Kwon, J.S.; Nayhouse, M.; Christofides, P. D. Detection and Isolation of Batch-to-Batch Parametric Drift in Crystallization Using In-Batch and Post-Batch Measurements. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54, 20, 5514-5526.

Kwon, J.S.; Nayhouse, M.; Orkoulas, G.; et al. A method for handling batch-to-batch parametric drift using moving horizon estimation: Application to run-to-run MPC of batch crystallization. Chemical Engineering Science, 2015, 127, 210-219.

Kwon, J.S.; Nayhouse, M.; Orkoulas, G.; et al. Run-to-Run-Based Model Predictive Control of Protein Crystal Shape in Batch Crystallization. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54 (16), 4293-4302.



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Dr. Lele’s research lies at the interface of microbial cell mechanics and biomolecular engineering. His current focus is on the molecular mechanisms by which intracellular, mechanosensitive nanomachines modulate biochemical signaling and influence bacterial adaptability and survival. The broad objective is to develop a mechanistic understanding of colonization, the spread of infections and antibiotic resistance. Techniques include single molecule fluorescence methods (TIRF, FRET, FRAP), force spectroscopy (optical tweezers) and molecular genetics.


Pushkar Lele

Refereed Journal PublicationsP. P. Lele, A. Shrivastava, T. Roland, H. C. Berg., Response thresholds in bacterial chemotaxis. Science Advances, 2015.

Shrivastava A, Lele P, Berg H., A Rotary Motor Drives Flavobacterium Gliding. Current biology, 2015; 25(3):338-341.

Lele P, Berg H., Switching of Bacterial Flagellar Motors Triggered by Mutant FliG. Biophysical Journal, 2015;108(5):1275-1280.

Dr. Mashuga’s research interests are centered on experimental process safety, including flammability, gas and dust explosions, calorimetry, energetic materials testing and internal combustion. His teaching interests include chemical process safety, process analysis and design, process control and chemical reaction engineering, among others. Mashuga brings 15 years of industrial experience from BASF and The Dow Chemical Company in the field of chemical engineering, along with six years of chemical engineering teaching experience from Wayne State University.

Refereed Journal PublicationsLin, Y.R.; Chen, H.; Mashuga, C.V.; Mannan, M.S. Improved electrospray design for aerosol generation and flame propagation analysis. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 38, 148-155.

Jiang, J.; Liu, Y.; Mashuga, C.V.; Mannan, M.S. Validation of a new formula for predicting the lower flammability limit of hybrid mixtures. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, 35, 52-58.

Zhang, J.; Chen, H.; Liu, Y.; Elledge, H.; Mashuga, C.V.; Mannan, M.S. Dust Explosion of Carbon Nanofibers Promoted by Iron Nanoparticles. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54(15), 3989-3995.

Ph.D., Michigan Technological [email protected]

Chad V. Mashuga




SENIOR LECTURERSNAME OF DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM



Dr. Tamamis’ research includes computational methods in the area of protein structure prediction, de novo protein design and the development of novel frameworks. He targets treatment of diseases such as HIV, cancer and diabetes, studied at atomic and molecular levels. Similarly, he develops bionanomaterials for applications in biomedicine, nanotechnology and energy.

Refereed Journal PublicationsGorham, R.D. Jr.; Forest, D.L.; Khoury, G.A.; Smadbeck, J. Beecher, C.N.; Healy, E.D.; Tamamis, P.; Archontis, G.; Larive, C.K.; Floudas, C.A.; Radeke, M.J.; Johnson,


Phanourios Tamamis

L.V.; Morikis, D. New compstatin peptides containing N-terminal extensions and non-natural amino acids exhibit potent complement inhibition and improved solubility characteristics. J Med Chem., 2015 58(2):814-826.

Dr. Wu’s research includes nanotechnology and bioengineering. He integrates nanostructured materials and analytical tools to study the organization, dynamics and functions of biomolecules at biological interfaces. The applications of the developed techniques include infectious disease screening, imaging of complex biological networks that are critical

Ph.D., Texas A&M [email protected]

Hung-Jen Wu

to the development of disease, exploration of cell membrane function and drug discovery. Wu also focuses on synthetic mimics of the cellular surface to enable the development of novel materials and catalysis.

External Research Funding “Microvesicle Isolation from Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infected Macrophage Using Multi-Stage Microfluidic Channel,” National Institutes of Health, 6/2014-5/2016


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TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING engineering.tamu.eduSENIOR LECTURERS LECTURERS

Isdale came to Texas A&M after working for 30 years in the industry as a chemical process engineer, which remains his main area of interest. He teaches four different classes for the department.

M.B.A., Southern Illinois [email protected]

Charles Isdale

Dr. Mentzer has more than 28 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry, with a variety of technical and management assignments in safety/ environment, design, operations, finance and research. He teaches courses on oil and petroleum processing, chemical process safety, and industrial safety and health. As a member of the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, his research includes various aspects of process safety management and metrics, personnel safety, inherently safer technology and liquefied natural gas.

Ph.D., Purdue [email protected]

Ray A. Mentzer

Dr. James Harris has more than thirty-three years of experience within the chemical and polymer industries. His experience working at Union Carbide, Amoco, BP, and Ineos, across a wide variety of roles – from polymer materials scientist, to polymer materials scientist, to sales manager, all the way up to CEO – allow Harris to bring a unique, real-world perspective to his teaching, in the role of Professor of Practice.

Ph. D., The University of Texas at [email protected]

James Harris

PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE SENIOR LECTURERS TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING engineering.tamu.edu





in the unit operations labs where students blend theory classes with actual operation of equipment and processes. A key element of these labs includes effective communication of technical subjects in line with industry expectations. He also serves as the departmental safety officer helping ensure the safe operation of the diverse research and teaching laboratories in chemical engineering

Ph. D., The Ohio State [email protected]

William Rogers

Dr. Rogers is a research scientist in the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center, where he has been a scientist since 1979. His current research interest is a systems approach to engineering risk, decision making under uncertainty, and uncertainty modeling and management using traditional and Bayesian models.

Dr. Wilson is a lecturer of technical writing, drawing upon a scientific background in linguistics. She has taught undergraduate writing courses for several years and edited the 11th edition of Language Files. Wilson’s research interests include sociohistorical linguistics and language processing.

Ph. D., The Ohio State [email protected]

Christin Wilson

Refereed Journal Publications Pittman, W.C.; Mentzer, R.A.; Mannan, M.S. Communicating Costs and Benefits of the Chemical Industry and Chemical Technology to Society. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, vol. 35, pp. 59-64.

Gopalaswami, N.; Mentzer, R.A.; Mannan, M.S. Investigation of Pool Spreading and Vaporization Behavior in Medium-Scale LNG Tests. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 2015, vol. 35, pp. 267-276.

White has more than three decades of industrial experience. His teaching focus is

B.S., Texas A&M [email protected]

J. Doug White

LECTURERS


37


Dr. Barrufet’s research interests include the evaluation of different methods used to desalinate oil-field brines. She studies unit operation aspects of evaporators, membranes, osmotic separation, heat transfer, energy and mass balance computations. Barrufet advances the discussion of enhanced oil recovery,

Professor of Petroleum EngineeringBaker Hughes Endowed ChairPh.D. Texas A&M [email protected]

Maria A. Barrufet

Dr. Cagin’s research includes computational materials science and nanotechnology with emphasis on design, characterization and development of multifunctional, nanostructured materials for device and sensor applications. He performs fundamental studies on transport phenomena (heat, mass and

Professor of Materials Science and EngineeringPh.D., Clemson [email protected]

Tahir Cagin

Dr. Banks has taught courses in applied microbial processes, remediation engineering and biochemical processes in environmental engineering. She has served as director of the Environmental Protection Agency Hazardous Substance Research Center, associate director of the NASA Center for Advanced Life Support and co-director of the 21st Century Center for Phytoremediation Research. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and

Vice Chancellor For EngineeringThe Texas A&M University SystemDean, Dwight Look College Of EngineeringDirector, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES)Harold J. Haynes Dean’s Chair In Engineering

M. Katherine Banks

is a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Banks has served as editor-

in-chief for the ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering and associate editor of the International Journal of Phytoremediation.

studying thermodynamics and transport phenomena applied to chemical, miscible and thermal recovery processes. She also evaluates rock and fluid properties in addition to multiphase flow.

COURTESY/JOINT APPOINTMENTSLECTURERS TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING engineering.tamu.edu





COURTESY/JOINT APPOINTMENTS

Dr. Nikolov’s research interests include recovery of recombinant biomolecules, bioprocessing of transgenic plants and algae, protein purification and bioprocess design and economics.

Dow Professor, Bioprocess EngineeringAssociate Director, National Center forTherapeutics ManufacturingPh.D., Iowa State [email protected]

Zivko NikolovDr. Rajagopal is recognized internationally for his significant contributions to the world of continuum mechanics, computational mechanics, biomechanics and technology. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for Engineering, Science and Technology (HOFEST), which includes such luminaries as George Eastman, Thomas Alva Edison, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Louis Pasteur and George Westinghouse.

Distinguished Professor, Regents Professor,J. M. Forsyth Chair, Mechanical EngineeringPh.D., University of Minnesota, [email protected]

Kumbakonam Rajagopal

momentum) at nanoscale and in confined media. He evaluates thermal, mechanical, electronic and magnetic properties, phase behavior of materials, materials for thermal management, power generation and energy harvesting, in addition to the development and application of multiscale simulation methods.

Dr. Chellam holds doctorate degrees in environmental engineering from Rice University. He has seven years of experience as a process engineer with J.K. Synthetics, India and as a research engineer in Montgomery Watson. His research interests broadly include advanced technologies for water purification and analysis of trace metals in airborne particulate matter. Chellam is currently serving as an elected member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors and the North American Membrane Society.

J. Walter “Deak” Porter ’22 & James W. “Bud” Porter ’51 Professor, Zachry Department of Civil EngineeringPh.D., Rice [email protected]

Shankar Chellam


39


Dr. Wooley’s research includes the fundamental development of synthetic methodologies that allow for the construction of increasingly complex polymers and nanostructured materials, including their hierarchical assembly into functional devices. Specific functional targets include nanoparticles for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer of the lung and urinary tract; amphiphilic polymer coatings for anti-biofouling applications with emphasis on the marine environment; anti-icing polymer coatings and hybrid polymer-inorganic nanoparticles for oil-spill cleanup.

University Distinguished Professor, W.T. Doherty-Welch Foundation Chair in ChemistryPh.D., Cornell [email protected]

Karen L. Wooley

Dr. Scully’s research interests include laser physics, quantum optics, non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and bioengineering. His bioengineering work includes the first real-time measurement of small amounts of anthrax. Experiments were carried out in his Jack E. Brown lab. The Scully-Lamb quantum theory of the laser was the first theoretical treatment that yielded laser photon statistics, laser line-width and all higher-order photon correlations. The theory was later extended to explain behavior of the single photon maser. Scully and his coworkers have demonstrated that the laser master equation analysis also provides a good quantitative description of the fluctuations in the Bose-Einstein condensate.

Distinguished Professor, PhysicsPh.D., Yale [email protected]

Marlan Scully

Dr. Hasan is an expert in the subject of production engineering. He focuses on modeling complex transport processes in various components of petroleum production systems. Hasan’s research group has pioneered systematic modeling of heat transfer in wellbores and one of the most recognized impacts of this research is in production safety analysis. Hasan’s solutions to problems involving transient heat flow situations have found application in flow assurance, flow metering and pressure transient testing.

Professor of Petroleum EngineeringPh.D., University of Waterloo-Ontario, [email protected]

A. Rashid Hasan




RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

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Dr. Yue Kuo, Dow Professorship Holder in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is continuing ongoing research in the field of microelectronics and semiconductor microchips that is evolving everyday technology such as cellphones, televisions, computers and more through the use of light emitting diodes (LED).

Kuo’s research group focuses on the development of semiconductors for micro and nano electronic uses. This has entailed working with technologies from television screens to devices like universal serial bus (USB) flash drives to make them faster, smaller and more power efficient.

Kuo and his research group have developed a new type of LED known as a solid state incandescent light emitting device (SSI-LED). This device would emit light for an extended lifetime at a very low energy cost. Kuo currently has one of these LEDs his group has deployed that has been continuously emitting light for in excess of 18,000 hours. The development of these LED devices has

Kuo’s SSI-LED research improves microelectronics inside everyday technologies

progressed from the same kind of technology that powered the first incandescent light bulb developed by Thomas Edison.

“The chips used to make electronic devices work [come] from the vacuum tube,” Kuo said. “It was invented in 1907, and this tube was big. The first computer ever invented was made of thousands of these tubes. However, these vacuum tubes are not very reliable and the power consumption is very high and they burn out easily.”

Kuo explains that technology has leaped from the vacuum tube, to transistor, to the modern microchip, which enables scientists to fit billions and billions of transistors into a single chip. Beyond microchips are the semiconductors that Kuo primarily works with that form the essential computer hardware components of electronic circuits. While advanced, similar issues that plagued traditional vacuum tubes such as a short life span and energy inefficiency, still effect modern day semiconductors, according to Kuo.

“What I and my group have done is invented a new light bulb that is very similar in comparison to the leap from a vacuum tube to a

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computer chip,” Kuo said. “We make a small chip with no vacuum that can emit light, but is so small, smaller than your fingernail, that it will not burn out after even 20,000 hours of use.

For comparison, current larger incandescent light bulbs have a maximum lifespan of around 2,000 hours of use, meaning that Kuo’s SSI-LED is both more energy efficiency and has greater device longevity than conventional technology in addition to being no bigger than a human fingernail. The SSI-LED that Kuo and his group have developed has many uses, one of which includes potentially using the light emitting technology to transfer electrical signals within computing devices. Kuo believes that a development of this magnitude would change the way everyday computer users are able to communicate with one another.

“The computer chips we have today are very fast, but as you know nothing satisfies us and no matter how fast we have, we want faster,” Kuo said. “We’ve come, in terms of the modern design for computer chips, almost near the limit. The current speed is limited by how fast the signal is transmitted by metal. What we want to do is to transmit signals by light.”

The LED Kuo’s group has invented is made out of silicon, giving it the potential to transmit signals in machines by light. This method would send signals tens of thousands of times faster than current transmission methods allow.

“SSI-lEDs are an extension of Edison’s

technology in a way,” Kuo said. “Inside each are many, many small dots that emit light, each oneis like Edison’s lamp. The engineers in my group use chemical engineering training to make computer chips and transistors that we make into things like your LCD TV’s that affect the lives of all people every day and that kind of potential is limitless.”




Dr. Yossef Elabd, professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has developed two different fuel cell vehicle platforms.

As the industry stands today, you can only really purchase one type of electric vehicle – a Battery-Powered Electric Vehicle (BEV). Cars like the Nissan Leaf, and those produced by Tesla are BEVs. While BEVs have been proven on the market, Elabd and others argue that there is a better approach: the Hydrogen-Powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV).

There are several reasons for this argument. First and foremost, BEVs have significant limiting factors, namely the size of the battery. To increase the driving range of BEVs, you have to increase the size of the battery, which increases the weight and the power requirements.

Conversely, FCEVs face no significant weight constraints.

Another limiting factor for BEVs is the refueling (recharging) time. Whereas BEVs can take five to six hours to refuel, FCEVs can be refueled as quickly as an internal combustion vehicle. Further, as

the energy used by BEVs to refuel is, by and large, generated from a power plant, it stands to reason that this type of electric vehicle produces a CO2 footprint that is larger than that of a standard internal combustion engine.

With BEVs being limited by weight, large segments of automobile traffic are excluded from using the technology. The success of BEV companies, specifically Tesla, has created a sort of bias in the minds of consumers.

“Everybody can easily say, ‘Tesla makes these things, and once the cost comes down, we’re just going to have all battery vehicles,’ but there are all these types of cars where this Tesla technology does not work at all,” said Elabd.

Right now, batter technology is unfeasible for heavy vehicles like pickup trucks, tractor-trailers and buses. However, it would be quite easy to adapt fuel cell technology for these types of vehicles.

This is not to say that there are no limiting factors for fuel cell vehicles. Herein lies the value of Elabd’s research. Currently, fuel

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles: a more versatile EV platform

DR. YOSSEF ELABD


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cells require a large amount of platinum, one of the most expensive elements on Earth. In fact, the cost of platinum is the single greatest limiting factor for the adoption of fuel cell technology. This limiting factor is the foundation for Elabd’s work.

In a nutshell, a fuel cell produces electric energy as a result of the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cells use positive and negative electrodes, anodes and cathodes, respectively, to move protons through an electrolyte polymer, converting chemical fuel directly into electrical energy. Currently, the electrodes used in fuel cells are platinum based, requiring somewhere around 30 to 40 grams of the rare element for a standard 150 horsepower car.

Elabd and his research team have found two novel ways to reduce platinum requirements, thus reducing the cost of fuel cell manufacturing. The first concerns the structure of the electrodes. Elabd has developed a new electrode manufacturing process — electrospinning polymer fibers and electrospraying a catalyst — to create a new nanofiber-nanoparticle electrode (See image). These new electrodes produce nearly the same power density as the current standard electrode, while using around 16 percent of the platinum, a dramatic reduction.

Elabd’s second approach eliminates the use of platinum completely. This method utilizes the Alkaline Fuel Cell (AFC). The AFC replaces the standard, acidic electrolytes with basic, alkaline electrolytes. The adoption and commercialization of the AFC could be the holy grail of portable energy since it does not require any platinum at all, but can produce high power output with the use of less expensive electrodes using elements such as nickel. However, the traditional

AFC has several shortcomings that must be overcome, such as rapid degradation, leakage and corrosion. The degradation and corrosion was a direct result of the use of liquid electrolytes.

Since the discovery of and adoption of the standard, acidic fuel cell, there has been very little research attention given to the AFC. Much of this has to do with the degradation and corrosion constraints. However, Elabd and his research team have found, and patented, a new solid polymer anion exchange membrane (AEM) that has shown zero percent degradation in the high pH environment of the AFC. What’s more, Elabd and his team have begun working with a polymer manufacturer to produce large amounts of the new compound.

While there are significant hurdles in the way of the widespread adoption of either of these new fuel cell platforms, the benefits of each are quite clear. The absence of any weight constraints alone is enough reason to be optimistic about the future of these two technologies.




RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

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Imagine a cake as large as a billionth of a meter or nanometer. You may end up with a disaster if the layers of frosting are too warm or not spread with precision. The precision, properties and fundamental structure of each layer of frosting would be difficult to measure, much less see or weigh.

Thin film coatings are the layers of frosting in industrial applications across multiple manufacturing sectors. Environmentally sustainable, water-based, solvent-free thin film coatings are the future of high performance materials.

Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus, associate professor and William and Ruth Neely Faculty Fellow in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, has received a $405,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to research ultra-thin films of polymers containing bound ions, known as ‘polyelectrolytes’.

Lutkenhaus’ Organic Thin Films and Nanostructures Lab seeks to evaluate the ‘glass-melt’ or softening transition of these films using a suite of analytical techniques that will probe it on a molecular level.

Lutkenhaus engineers sustainable, water-based thin films

If successful, this project will shed new light on the role of water and salt in the thermal transition.

The nanocomposite coating is a thin film of polyelectrolyte multilayers or “layer-by-layer assembly” of desired material. Such coatings are commonly used in solar cells, optic and antibacterial, biomedical and temperature-responsive materials. Common layer-by-layer assemblies are made by processing by immersion, spinning spraying, electromagnetic or fluidic deposition of desired material on a variety of application surfaces.

“Any application you can dream of for these coatings, I assure you someone has tried it,” said Lutkenhaus. “At one point, researchers were talking about depositing it into hair as a beauty product.”

Although thin films have been developed for a while, their exact structure is still not known. This project places a unique emphasis on salt type, where a broad range of salts with varying size, charge and water interactions are examined. Lutkenhaus seeks to investigate

DR. JODIE LUTKENHAUS


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the unified relationship between temperature, water and salt as it governs the transition of the thin films.

“This will be of significant importance because this new knowledge will allow fine-tuning of the transition temperature and the physical properties associated with these materials, ultimately leading to possible new advanced applications,” said Lutkenhaus.

She explained the phenomenon of thin film glass transitions on a macroscopic scale with an example of a rubber ball. She demonstrated how the ball when dipped in liquid nitrogen solidifies and cracks when dropped on the ground. In real world applications, it is important to know if the film is rubbery or glassy. Continued fundamental research on the structure of the coatings will help Lutkenhaus engineer thin film coatings that adapts to the material to be coated.

Dr. Maria Sammalkorpi, professor of polymer chemistry from

Aalto University in Finland, actively collaborates with Lutkenhaus’ lab. Her molecular models explain some of the properties in thin films. Yangpu Zhang, doctoral student in the chemical engineering department is assisting Lutkenhaus, and will be visiting Sammalkorpi for a month in Finland to conduct related research in polyelectrolyte complexes, a cousin of layer-by-layer assemblies.

Four undergraduate students in Lutkenhaus’ research group are currently assisting with the research. Lutkenhaus says this research is a good platform to introduce them to lab research as the process is water-based and therefore, safe.

“You can pretty much use any material to create a thin film coating which is adaptable, environmentally safe and stimuli-responsive,” said Lutkenhaus. “These coatings are so versatile, the consumer wouldn’t and shouldn’t know they’re there.”




RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

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For the first time, a robust, low-cost and portable technology deployed using drones can be used to monitor and control infectious disease outbreaks in remote locations, says Texas A&M University researcher, Dr. Victor Ugaz, who has built the instrument. By eliminating the need for samples collected in the field to be transported to distant laboratories for analysis by specialized personnel, this instrument can accelerate diagnosis, enable pinpoint delivery of therapeutics and help provide real-time data to better inform decision making.

The lab-on-a-drone technology not only transports medical test kits and samples to and from areas that have limited or no access to a lab infrastructure, it also can perform the diagnostic tests during flight, according to Ugaz, professor, holder of the Charles D. Holland ’53 Professorship and the Thaman Professorship, associate department head in Texas A&M’s Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering.

The ability to perform rapid in-flight assays with smartphone

Texas A&M develops smartphone-enabled lab-on-drone technology

connectivity eliminates delays between sample collection and analysis so that test results can be delivered in minutes, suggesting new possibilities for drone-based systems to function in broader and more sophisticated roles beyond cargo transport and imaging, says Ugaz. A detailed overview of the technology was recently published in Analytical Chemistry, a scientific journal of the American Chemical Society.

One of the current gold standard tools for diagnosing infectious diseases, including those related to pathogens like Ebola and Zika, involves a technique called the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)— a powerful process that makes billions of copies of DNA or RNA by repeatedly heating and cooling the sample. However, this repeated heating and cooling also requires a lot of electrical power, making PCR difficult to adapt for portable use. Texas A&M researchers overcame this barrier through the use of convective technology that performs PCR by circulating reagents through a thermal gradient, operating like a mini Lava Lamp. This breakthrough enables PCR to be performed using a variety of inexpensive power sources, including

DR. VICTOR UGAZ


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a hand crank. Data collection and analysis are performed using an ordinary smartphone.

The $50 hardware cost and compatibility with quadcopter drones breaks existing price barriers, while the simplified imaging makes it possible to leverage a huge second hand smartphone market for devices that may be obsolete in first-world markets but remain well equipped for diagnostic applications in resource-limited settings.

Co-authors of the report include doctoral student Ashish Priye and a team of undergraduate students involved in Texas A&M’s AggiE-Challenge program, who worked together to develop the initial PCR device prototype.

“The students’ efforts helped to take our fundamental knowledge from the lab and show how it could be implemented as a product,” said Ugaz.

The researchers also collaborated with College Station-based technology start-up, AI Biosciences, Inc., to adapt diagnostic assays to their platform and to show how the drone can be transformed into a mini centrifuge so that sophisticated pop-up laboratories can be established in any field site.




RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

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Dr. Pushkar Lele, assistant professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is developing novel insights in cellular mechanics with bacteria to aid in the design of superior biomedical implants capable of resisting colonization by infectious bugs. Lele’s group also focuses on unraveling the fundamental principles underlying interactions in biological soft-matter to build bio-nanotechnology-based molecular machines. Lele’s lab currently focuses on a unique electric rotary device found in bacteria — the flagellar motor.

According to Lele, it is well established how motile bacteria employ flagellar motors to swim and respond to chemical stimulation. This allows bacteria to search for nutrients and evade harmful chemicals. However, in his recent work, Lele has now demonstrated that the motor is also sensitive to mechanical stimulation and identified the protein components responsible for the response. Sensing initiates a sensitive control of the assemblies of numerous proteins that combine to form the motor. Control over motor assemblies facilitates fine-tuning of cellular behavior and promotes chances of survival in a

Lele’s flagella motor research develops novel insights in cellular mechanics

variety of environments.

“What is the sense of touch in a bacterium? It is likely that they employ appendages such as the flagella to detect solid substrates, analogous to our use of fingers,” Lele said. “How they recognize the substrate using the flagellum has been a long-standing question in biology with tremendous biomedical significance. Our findings have provided a handle on this important problem. We now know [how] the motor-components [are] involved in sensing the substrate [and] would like to know how these sensors trigger signaling networks that ultimately cause infections. “

Lele and his group seek to understand how flagella enable cells to adapt to and interact with their environments. The group’s current focus is on explaining at a molecular level the mechanisms that aid colonization and invasion on substrates, such as biomedical implants.

“We are building a set of tools and a level of understanding that will help us explain how cells recognize cues, adapt and ultimately survive repeated environmental challenges,” Lele said. “Our

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emphasis is not necessarily on the destruction of the bug with antibiotics, because that is an assured way of promoting resistance. Rather, we want to approach this problem by tricking the cell into not recognizing the substrate, thereby indirectly camouflaging the substrate.”

According to Lele, this could be achieved by interfering with cell-signaling and preventing the pathogens from getting a foothold. The body must then rid itself of the pathogens.

“Remove one of the important components in the signaling network,” Lele said. “You can think of it in terms of 100 people communicating in a chain. If you remove a group of people, then that signal is interrupted. If the components can be deactivated, great; else we manipulate the incoming signal. We are not killing the cell, but the bug can no longer turn on the genes required for colonization.”

These efforts by Lele and his group target an ever-growing public health concern —antibiotic resistance. Swarms of bacteria, or bacteria encased in biofilms, are prone to developing resistance to the most potent antibiotics currently in use. This research, Lele says, could potentially save lives in an industry where deaths resulting from catheter-associated urinary tract infections number from 10,000 to 13,000 each year. The applications, though, are not limited to the healthcare industry.

“Apart from the obvious implications for public health, a variety of industries stand to benefit from this type of work,” Lele said.

“Bacteria will cause mischief wherever they can. Bio-fouling of engineered materials is an old and expensive problem that costs industries billions of dollars each year.”

The research Lele is doing is also related to the field of bio- nanotechnology. Using biological structures as a

template, Lele and his collaborators aim to direct the self-assembly of artificial motors at these length-scales.

“A good reason to study such structures is that these are model systems for understanding complex phenomena at the nano-scale.” Lele said. “How best can we emulate nature and direct the assembly of objects at the nano-scale? Considerable advances have been made in top-down as well as bottom-up techniques for building useful features at the tiniest length-scales. But the precision and functionalities that nature achieves [are] still beyond our reach: try building a smart electric device that can sense a variety of signals, act as a feedback controller, repair itself on demand and at the same time deliver an uninterrupted supply of power with ecofriendly fuel.”

Lele credits his interdisciplinary training in chemical engineering, soft-matter and biophysics for being able to do this kind of work.

“There is something about movement at a molecular scale that is truly fascinating, whether you are an engineer, a physicist or a biologist,” Lele said. “Once you have witnessed it, you want to explain it. We would like to go a step further and exploit our understanding to develop technologies that will hopefully make life a little easier.”


SENIOR LECTURERSNAME OF DEPARTMENT OR PROGRAM


THROUGH YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

RECEIVED 304 SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2015 TOTALING $306,000.

Thank YouDonors & Partners

TOTAL GIFTS IN 2015$2,974,857ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE: $24,900,000

engineering.tamu.edu/chemical/giving

For more information on supporting the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering faculty and students, contact: Kirk Joseph - Director of Development for Chemical [email protected]

http://engineering.tamu.edu/chemical/giving


51

TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING engineering.tamu.eduSENIOR LECTURERS LECTURERS TEXAS A&M ENGINEERING engineering.tamu.edu

gArlAnd seith tillmAnmcferrin

Dr. Jerry A. Bullin President Bryan Research & Engineering

Stephen J. Butler Manager Texas Research & DevelopmentEastman Chemical Company

Raymond F. Carr IVGulf Coast CO/SGAir Products

Allison Drobniak Department ManagerWood Group Mustang, Inc.

Greg Garland Chairman/CEO Phillips 66

Stephanie HertzogVice President, Sales & Marketing Exterran

Ron HydenCompletions Manager, New VenturesSouthwestern Energy

Wes Lohec Vice President Health, Environment & SafetyChevron

Dr. Joseph E. McAdams Shell Downstream Inc. (Ret.)

Michael R. McAtee Sr. Vice President Engineering & MaintenanceBASF

Phil McDivittPresidentNylon BusinessAscend Performance Materials

Arthur “Artie” R. McFerrinCEO/Founder KMCO

Jeffrey McFerrinPresidentKMCO

John R. MillerArea Sales DirectorAspen Technology

Brock NelsonPresident Spring Creek Capital

T. Michael O’Connor President O’Connor Ventures

Tara ParkerProduction Projects ManagerExxonMobil Production Company

Cordelia PriceRohm & Haas (Ret.)

Dr. Joe PowellChief Scientist, Chemical Engineering Shell Global

Lori RiethmillerNational Distribution Sales Manager3M

Aleida RiosVice President of OperationsBP Gulf of Mexico

Dr. John B. RoddenVice President & TreasurerTribune Company

Glen “David” Sanders Vice President and General Manager Valero Energy Corp.

Dennis J. SeithPresident/CEOINEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, LLC

Steve SkarkeExecutive Vice PresidentKaneka

James D. SlaughterVice PresidentS&B Engineers and Contstructors, Ltd.

Dr. Lee TillmanPresident and CEOMarathon Oil Corporation

James Turner Executive Director Process Technology & EngineeringFluor Corporation

Mike WalzelTechnology & External ManufacturingThe Dow Chemical Company

Lynn E. WeaverEnterprise Products

Advisory Council Members in 2015We would like to recognize and thank all the members of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering’s Advisory Council.

Their leadership and vision continue to make the department one of the best programs in the country.



NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE PAIDCOLLEGE STATIONTEXAS 77843PERMIT NO. 215

Artie McFerrin Departnment of Chemica Engineering | Texas A&M University3122 TAMU | 200 Jack E Brown Building College Station, TX 77843-3122

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annual report & research portfolio - 2015

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