Graduate Research Assistant
Ut Chemistry - Larese Group
Larese Group, University Of Tennessee Chemistry Department, Knoxville
Surface Science:- Prepared and characterized nanoparticles of MgOMgO, silica, CeO2CeO2, graphene, alumina, exfoliated graphite, and hexagonal boron nitride in preparation for surface thermodynamic studies and neutron inelastic measurements of surface-confined motion of hydrogen and small alkanes. Molecular Adsorption:- Measured thermodynamics of layer formation, ΔHΔH, ΔSΔS, and QstQst of the physical adsorption of fluorinated alkanes C2F6, C3F8, and C4F10 to build an experimental body of evidence for studying inter-molecule and molecule-surface interactions Data Analysis: - Analysis of experimental data using the Python SciPy package to reduce and analyze experimental data. Information about data was achieved through modeling, fitting curves to derivatives, and developing a workflow using Python and Perl scripts, and fitting data using the graphing software KaleidaGraph.- Python NumPy arrays used in routines to reduce data sets having >104>104 entries, generating graphical representations and extracting physical information from models- Mathematics and functional modeling using Maple and Matlab- Experience reading and modifying Perl, LabView, and Matlab using VI, emacs, and Bash shellNeutron Spectroscopy: - Prepared materials and performed experiments at international neutron scattering user facilities: SNS in Oak Ridge, TN, ILL in Grenoble, FR.Molecular Dynamics Simulation- Simulated the interaction between gas molecules and surfaces by using the Materials Studio computation package from Accelrys to compare microscopic interaction to macroscopic experimental observations of adsorption. Peer Review: - Provided feedback and editing in preparation of one published article and several talks given by colleagues. Proven track record of collaborative work in the lab, leading to successful preparation of samples and conduction of experiments in-lab and at neutron user facilities.