xt73tx35413z https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt73tx35413z/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. College of Arts and Sciences. Department of Chemistry 2000 newsletters  English University of Kentucky. Department of Chemistry Newsletters Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry newsletters ChemNews, Spring 2000 text ChemNews, Spring 2000 2000 2019 true xt73tx35413z section xt73tx35413z O
m Department of Chemistry, University of Kentucky Spring 2000
www.chem.uky.edu (859) 257-4741
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRPERSON, contributed to the quality and collegiality of the department and are
continuing to do so.
BOYD E' HALEY ,Additionally, several of the current faculty have made major con-
! i ; W Many exciting things are happening for the tributions and have added considerably to the academic and research
. ,\ faculty and students in the Department of quality of the department. Dr. David Robertson has redesigned our
. Chemistry. Many of our 1999 graduating se- general chemistry program, updating it with computer assisted learn-
We ‘ t; niors were accepted into high quality gradu- ing capabilities. Dr. Mark Meier has been unbelievably successful in
t fig ate schools and three of them received Na- converting small amounts of RCTF support into obtaining two new
‘ J rt ', tionai Science Foundation pre-doctorai feiiow- NMRs from the competitive programs of the National Science Foun-
.. ships (a major honor) and several received dation. By this spring the Department of Chemistry should have one
- ;.'., ' scholarship support from the institutions that Of the best NMR suites or any major university.
‘ . we“ accepted them. Many of our young faculty With the selection of the Department of Chemistry to receive
" ' have received independent external funding, RCTF support, we were authorized to hire four new faculty in the
several of the seniorfaculty were successful in maintaining theirindi- area 0t biological chemistry. The last position was filled when Dr.
vidual grants, and some have been successful in obtaining major Edward DeMoll, from the Department ofMicrobiology& Immunology
funding for research centers and graduate training programs. at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, accepted a position as
In the past year the Committee on Professional Training (CPT) associate professor. Dr. DeMoII's research area involves a chemical
of the American Chemical Society (ACS) passed a proposal that re— approach to the biochemical mechanisms of anaerobic bacterial me-
quired all departments of chemistry to include biochemistry if they tabolism. These are bacteria that are usually quite Pathogenic and
wished to be approved to award ACS accredited degrees. This has are involved in the etioloy of numerous human and animal diseases.
lead to numerous symposia and workshops dedicated to describing Our first recruit was Dr. Anne-Francis Miller, from the Department of
procedures for the "integration" of biochemistry into core chemistry Chemistry at The Johns Hopkins UniVerSityi who accepted a position
courses and the offering of stand alone courses in biological chemis- as associate professor. Dr. Miller is an internationally recognized
try. Last year, the Department of Chemistry at the University of Ken- expert in protein NMR and specializes in the study of metal contain-
tucky proposed, through the Research Challenge Trust Fund (RCTF) ing enzymes. Her work was recently highlighted in Chemical and
established by the governor's office, to establish a Biological Chem- Engineering News. She brings an active and Very well-funded re-
istry program that would offer an undergraduate degree in chemistry search program with her. Our mostjunior recruit is Dr. Stephen Testa
with a major emphasis in biological chemistry. This would take care from the Department Of Chemistry at the University Of ROCheSteri
of the requirements of A08 for accreditation and also allow the De- Who accepted a position as assistant professor. Dr. Testa is an ac-
partment of Chemistry to offer a new, and quite popular, area for complished young scientist whose research area isthe study of anti-
student training. This would be important for students interested in sense RNA as a potential treatment for Stepping the expression 0t
biomedical or bio-environmental sciences, including pre-medical and specific proteins Within living cells. This technology has application
pre-pharmaceutical studies as well as other areas. It would also to the treatment 0t many diseases including Ale and cancer. Our
allow the department the opportunity to expand the graduate research other faculty member is Dr. Tae Ji from the Department of Molecular
program into an area that has available to it a greatly increased pool Biology at the University Of Wyoming. Dr. Ji is an established leader
of federal research funds, especially from the National Institutes of in hormone receptorbiochemistry and has been continuously funded
Health. Our proposal to starta Biological Chemistry Program lead to by NlH Since 1972- His work is internationally recognized and he
the Department of Chemistry being selected by a University Commit- brings a large, active and well-funded research program to our de-
tee as a Tier One department. Being identified as Tier One meant partment. It should be noted that these four faculty will compliment
that our department was identified as one that could reach national an already present group 0t five faculty With biological chemistry re-
prominence with the infusion of reasonable support for expansion. search programs that are also Very well recognized and well funded.
One of the major assets the department had that lead to the However, with the arrival of these faculty the Department of Chemis-
seiection as a Tier One RCTF academic unit was the annual Naff try Will immediately start to offer an outstanding program in biological
Symposium. This Symposium is supported by a generous gift from chemistry.
Dr. Benton Naff that was provided 25 years ago. The establishment it is to the credit of our current faculty and the faculty search
. of the Naff Symposium was the seed that started the Biological Chem- committee that the Very dittiCUlt job cf identifying and recruiting these
istry Program at the University of Kentucky. We all owe Dr. Naff a outstanding faculty was accomplished. Many cf the faculty went OUt
major "thank you" for the insight and generosity that he displayed in of their way to help, and there is no doubt that the credit for the suc-
proyiding support for this permanent symposium series. cess of this recruitment effort belongs to the entire department and
Obtaining the RCTF funds was not accomplished by a single was a major group effort.
application from the current chair. it is a real compliment to the fac- The faculty 0t the Department Of Chemistry have scored big in
uity who were responsible for the quality of the department as it was obtaining major external funding. Dr. Robert Haddon received multi-
before l became a member. Two of these faculty, Dr. Joseph Wilson year support trcrh NSF to start a Materials Science Research Center-
and Dr. Donald Sands, retired this past summer. We are pleased Drs. Leonidas Bachas, Sylvia Daunert and Art Cammers-Goodwin
that they have continued to participate in teaching in the Department. were prominent in Obtaining another major NSF training grant in Bio-
Dr. Bill Ehmann and Dr. Robert Kiser, professors emeritus, have also sensor Technology The funding of these two programs at the multi-
________—_,.,

 million dollar level indicates the increasing strength and academic W m,
reputation of our Department of Chemistry. , ‘ [I ”’4' “3
Yes, 1998-1999 will be looked upon as a period when the De— . “'5' «a! Wm\$
partment of Chemistry had numerous successes, of which a few are (i; 93; ,W
mentioned above. We have recruited excellent, well funded, produc- W" (g. ms, “3’ k? 3’ é)!
tive new faculty. We have obtained several new pieces of modern <7}, 7" x I, / ‘ “3‘
equipment through competitive grant applications. Two new major ‘3’ $39 ,v/W WK ‘3” “ (’9‘
NSF-supported research programs were obtained and many of our 0'6) cm» 54" om . $37!" '3“ "‘2'
faculty have obtained external funding for their research. All of the mom fl ”ut'gQ ClSl 6“"
faculty of the department have contributed to this success and, most m, ‘5’? ‘9’ ‘3‘
importantly, have made the department a collegial and pleasant place . ,‘T? as: y
to work. My personal thanks to all of them and our wonderful staff cm (fl; ‘,2, \
who support and tolerate us all. gr“; fit cu)
Cid:
NEW FACULTY Identifying chemical routes forthe removal of mercury and other ,
. . . . heav metals from a ueous sources is another research area of the ,
”3"!“ A“ AMOOd' Davrdijomed ourfac- AtwoSod group. The grimary goal is to identify or develop a chemical
3&4, , Stay In 1:98 its an assOClate prolflessor. remediation agent for the removal of Hg from aqueous sources that
5—“ ; “was. orn m 1965'” Urbana, ln0ls, is environmentally benign and economical. They propose to do this
> z '1: V‘ , Wh”.e h'S father was In graduate school with a series of newly created ligands that can bind mercury, either
3 I _ getting adegfee In inorganic chemistry. as Hg", MeHG”, or H92”: irreversibly. The ligand is expected to ac-
After graduation from the UniverSIty 0f complish this by forming a four-coordinate, tetrahedral, sulfur che-
,. l. " ' Alabamj, Dag/Id {novidtq AtutitlnEJTexas late around the Hg metal. They are actively seeking the input of
bra xf‘!‘ ‘ (itattoefnTeifs “aHZSCrgg :tedewitrhlvfiirs- companies interested in remediation in order to develop the large-
fifl :hle in inorganicgch:mistry in the scale applications of this chemistry.
Spring of 1992 but stayed in Austin until _ . .
his wife, Vicki, finished her doctorate (also in inorganic chemistry). as 32355:: :31 2:2?étaa?r;%:::grt h:
From Texas, hejoined the faculty of North Dakota State University as 23%, Janua 1998 He received his doc—
part of their new Center for Main Group Chemistry (of which he was 53:3; . — toral dgy’ ree in'chemistry from the Uni-
co-director). Since arriving at UK, the Atwood group, comprised 0f2 (3,33 fe‘gfix ' versit at Western Ontario Canada
postdoctoral fellows, Sgraduate students, and4undergraduates, has ~~w m Follow/ling the graduation he worked
produced over 10 publications. David has received an Alexander ,-,r - first as a research associate and then
von Humboldt junior faculty award for the summer of 2001. wt. , _ f; : ““1“ as a research officer at the Steacie In-
Research in the Atwood group is focused on fundamental and . , . , i ; ' t1. stitute for Molecular Sciences National
applied studies of the main group elements. Currently, the focus is ’ E" " ' ‘ Research Council of Canada ih Ottawa.
on compounds containing the group 13 elements, particularly alumi- ' His research focuses on the creation
num, and-on the development Of sulfur containing ligands. When- and characterization of novel metal and semiconductor aggregates.
ever posSIble, they have actively partnered With industry In pursumg The aggregate may consist of atoms of a pure metal and alloy, mix-
the applied aspects Of these prOJeCtS' . . tures of a metal with a metalloid or a nonmetal, or it may be a metal
.Davrd and m? colleagues have systematically characterized and center with molecules bound to it. He and his group synthesize the
StUd'ed Six-coordinate group 13 complexes (“k6 [SalenAl(MeOH)2]+ aggregates using laser vaporization supersonic jet techniques (see
Sh?“ below). Beyond the." “indamerlta' interest, the.“ cations act the Figure) and analyze the products using laser photoelectron, pho—
as initiators f°T the polymerization Of oxwanes. They Will e’Ft‘mm the toionization, photodissociation, and time-of—flight mass spectromet-
varlous organic transformations that these cations may faCIlltate such ric methods. The work is fundamental, but practical implications are
‘38 Diels-Alder reactions, the Ene-react:tl)(n, and (atherls where the ac- easily found in thin-film deposition for microelectronic devices, chemi-
tlvation 0f anelectron ”Ch 39b3*"“‘?”‘ (' e a car ony 9’°“P)."f"e 'm' cal sensors, catalytic transformation of chemicals, and selective metal
portant. Additionally, they Will continue to explore the pOSSlblllty that ion transportation through cell membranes.
the Six-coordinate cations may be used in elu0ldatlng, the means by
which calcium carbonate is formed within biological systems.
. Focused
. Vaporization
I. a) 03 . Laser
- ,_ C) ’_ Helium . : G'OWth i
‘ 1 5111...; 1": N2 1 ‘j +Reagenl ; Channel l;
9‘3; ‘Ewi.’ " ’5 Al‘l .“ (5g! " ‘ -. :3 fl
~_ ‘g '5 01 - 02 t-‘ =| 1' l r
‘3 ‘7 5.. . V‘, ‘ it ‘ "“3 I
" 04 1:. e! l 1' ’J l
Aluminum oxide, AIZOS, has far-ranging utility as a corrosion in- 12:31:: '5 Supersonic
hibitor for surfaces and as a packaging material for semiconductor . ,7,,,,,m__.___ w- Jet
materials. David's group has designed a molecular precursor (shown Mew
below) that can be used to prepare alumina at temperatures well- Rod
below the conventional preparation temperatures, in some cases at . _ - -
25°C. It can be used on porous substances where the molecules Pmdumon Of Metal Contammg Aggregates
deep in the pores can form AIZO3 in isolation (with heating).
2

 pHOMOT/ON University acknowledged Joe's many contributions by promoting him
_ , to professor.
Syl‘"? Daunert. SYIV'a was promoted to Throughout his career, Joe has been recognized as one of the
assomate professor W'th tenure 'n 1998‘ She University‘s finest teachers. He was awarded the University of Ken-
, ' began work 'n our department as an aSS'S' tucky Alumni Association Great Teacher Award in 1975 and the Col-
f tant' research professor 'n 1990 after 0'0”} lege of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Teachers Award in 1992 and

l r , pleting her Ph'D' m bioanaiyticalchemistry was named one of the Top 10 Professors by the 1997 graduating

» We at the UniverSIty of Barcelona, Spain. SyIVIa's

We ' research interests lie at the interface between EMERITUS FACULTY

_. analytical chemistry and molecular biology. _ _ '
7’ Specifically, her group employs recombinant . . _Dr. William D. Ehmann (Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon
DNA techniques to understand biomolecular . ‘, University, 1957), born 1931 Madison,W|, educated
recognition events and to design new molecular biosensors. t I ,3 at the ”University _°f Wisconsin-Madison and
. Sylvia's research has been amply funded almost from the day 57% Carnegie Mellon Univer Sltya' postdoctoral fellow and
she joined our department. She has already amassed over two-and- ‘ ‘ consultant for Argonne National Laboratory. AT UK
« a-haIf-million dollars in research grants as principal investigator or 1958'95- Department Chairman 197276 Fiadio-
’ Co-Pi since 1992. Sylvia and her group have produced more than chemistry.
fifty research papers since her arrival at UK. She has received sev- _ _ _
eral awards, including the Lilly Award in Analytical Chemistryin 1997 ., Dr. Robert W- Kiser (Ph.D., Purdue UniverSIty,
and 1998 and the Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar Award in " o, - 1958), born 1932 ROCK Island, IL: educated at St-
1997. , Ambrose College and Purdue UniverSIty, faculty
: member at Kansas State University. At UK 1967-
RETIREMENTS a” 97. Department Chairman 1968—72. Inorganic
* * Chemistry.
Donald E. Sands retired and became Emeri-
- tus Professorof Chemistry in May1999. Don, , Dr. Kurt Niedenzu (Dr. rer. nat., University of
:4; ‘ . a native of Leominster, Massachusetts, re- [’35, Heidelberg, 1956), born 1930 Fritzlar, Germany,
-°' " _ ) ceived his BS. from Worcester Polytechnic :1, , educated at the University of Heidelberg, worked
, . institute and his Ph.D. from Cornell Univer- , for US. Army Research Office, Durham, NC and
- ~ sity under the direction of J. L. Hoard. After %\ for Wintershall AG, Germany. At UK 1968-92.
six years at Lawrence Livermore National s‘\ Inorganic Chemistry.
V Laboratory, he joined our faculty in 1965,
where he became Professor of Chemistry in Dr. John M. Patterson (Ph.D., Northwestern Uni-
- 1968. Don has served as Director of General n' versity, 1953), born 1926 Vineland, NJ, educated
Chemistry and Chair of the Department, Associate Dean and Acting 5%, - , at Virginia Military Institute, Wheaton College, and
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Vice Chancellor for j W! 5 Northwestern University, AtUK1953-93. Organic
Academic Affairs for the University. In addition, he served three years , , 1’11 ‘ ,1 Chemistry.
as Section Head of the National Science Foundation Division of "
Teacher Preparation and Enhancement. .

Don has published over 50 research articles and authored two Dr. Paul G. Sears (Ph.D., University of Kentucky,
textbooks. His research has emphasized crystallography, motion in , it”; 1953), born 1924 Somerset, KY, educated at the
crystals, and tensor properties of crystals. As the Department and “5:; Efiww University of Kentucky, worked at Monsanto Chemi-
University drew upon Don's time and resources for leadership, chemi- " ” ‘ “‘1: cal Co. At UK 1954-57 and 1959-90. Special As-
cai education became the focus of his research. His contribution to \ 7' sistant to the President, 1971-90. Physical/Inor-
this area has been recognized at both the national and international ' ganic Chemistry.
level. in addition to his time at NSF, Don helped develop educational
programs in Indonesia and Malaysia. It is only natural that President _ , Dr. Stanford L. Smith (Ph.D., Iowa State Univer-
Wethington should call upon him during his last year at UK to chair sity, 1961), born 1935 Detroit, MI, educated at
the President's Task Force on Mathematics, Science and Technol- é}; 1L Albion College and Iowa State University,
ogy Education. Don's long and distinguished service is greatly ap- W35 postdoctoral fellow lowa State. At UK 1962-97.
preciated by the Department, the University, and the scientific com- ,, ' Organic Chemistry.
munity. l1 \ ‘

l 5,; ', Joseph W. Wilson retired and became Dr. WalterT. Smith, Jr. (Ph.D., Indiana University,
; L Emeritus Professor of Chemistry in May i / 1946), born 1922 Havana, iL, educated at the Uni-
J ,, 1999. Joe, a native of Massena, New York, versity of Illinois and Indiana University, worked at
”if: ‘Pz' ’ received his BS. from Massachusetts lnsti- ‘ 5} Mailinckrodt Chemical Works and the Ethyl Corpo-
' f“ ' ‘ tute of Technology and his Ph.D. from lndi- ""‘ ration, taught at the University of lowa. At UK 1953-
WE 9 f h ,, ' ana University. Afteratwo-yearpostdoctoral 92. Organic Chemistry.
j a ‘* :‘ ~11“, appointment at the University of Wisconsin,
" 1 i, he joined our faculty in 1963 and was pro- Dr. William F. Wagner (Ph.D., University of Illinois,
, ' , r, moted to Associate Professor of Chemistry _ 1947), born 1916 Canton, MO, educated at Culver-
in 1969. Over the course of his career, Joe - Stockton College, the University of Chicago, and the
has stepped forward and served the Department asDirector ofGradu- " g, University of illinois, worked for Illinois State Geo-
ate Studies, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director of General . xii: logical Survey and taught at Hanover College. At
Chemistry and Acting Chair of the Department. We are truly grateful f R . UK 1949-83. Department Chairman, 1965-68 and
for his unselfish attitude toward service and were pleased that the « ‘ 1976-83. Analytical Chemistry.
3
———'—‘—————___—*

 OBITUARIES istry program at the University of Kentucky and later became profes-
, sor and institute director at the University of Marburg.
.. - - Dr. Audrey L. Companion, Emeritus Pro-
y” 1;? .132; a fessor of Chemistry at the University of Ken- - - - - '
i fly. . . , Mr. DaVId Wilson Young passed away on April 25, 1999 In Chicago
' ”M tucky, d'ed 0f congestive heart failure on Heights, Illinois. David received his BS. and MS. degrees in chem-
i ' {1‘5 VJ January 17’ 1999' Audrey, a native 0f Penn- istry from'the University of Kentucky in 1931 and 1935, respectively.
i 5‘9 ' sylvania, received her B'S",M'S' and PhD' He worked as a research scientist for several firms during his career
1, I! degrees from Carnegie Institute ofTechnol- and owned a consulting business. David held numerous patents
.: ogy. She began heracademic career 'n 1958 from his work in the petroleum industry. He was the president of the
,3» A V , at. the minds, Institute Of Technology and American Institute of Chemists in 1969—70. In 1996, Mr. Young es-
tomed the UniverSIty Of Kentucky as an AS' tablished a scholarship for undergraduate chemistry majors at UK in
sociate Professor in 1975. Audrey served the Department as Direc- memory of his late wife, Eloise Conner Young. ..
tor of Graduate Studies from 1977-1981. Her areas of research in-
cluded theoretical models for chemisorptlon and catalysis, computer Dr. William H. Zuber, Jr. passed away on March 24’ 1998 following
simulation of erosion and embrittlement of metals, storage of hydro- a heart attack. He was actively teaching at the University of Mem- I
‘ gen by metals, and large 3,03“? ab in/f/Oétudies 0f diatomic molecules phis until the day before his death and a scholarship has been estab-
i or molecular ions formed 'n the sputtering process“ Dr. Companion's lished in his memory for chemistry students at the University of Mem-
I book, Chemical Bonding, was an award-Winning text that achieved phis. Bill received his Ph.D. in 1964 under the direction of L. R.
‘ record sales. After retiring from the University in 1992, Audrey re- Dawson and H. C. Eckstrom.
mained active in community organizations and taught computer skills
1 to senior citizen groups. She will be remembered for her high profes- NEW FACES AROUND THE DEPARTMENT .
I sional standards, quality teaching, and concern for both the academic
I and personal problems faced by her students. ”I; r , Autumn Adams. Autumn is the Program
. é€n’?’:‘ Coordinator for IGERT Fellowship Program,
j .. Dr. Paul L. Corio, Emeritus Professor of ‘1' w ,, Integrated Sensing Architectures, headed by
l ; a Chemistry at the University of Kentucky, died :hxit l ;. ' ;. Leonidas G. Bachas. She started working
, t of cancer on August 15, 1998. Paul, a native , i i. at the University in August of 1998 and Is
A $ t of New Haven, Connecticut, received his BA. I as 3:} - - also a graduate of the University of Kentucky
i 7\ ,7 from Columbia College, New York and his ‘ a with a Bachelor's Degree in Communica-
i MA. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia Uni- m tions. Autumn and her husband Bryan have
} ’ ’ versity. Following a two-year tour of duty in " i ’ " "‘1‘" been married for almost 2 years.
it it the US. Navy, Paul joined Mobil Oil Com-
pany as a research chemist In 1957. After 2. ., Sherri Caudill. Sherri replaced Yvonne
six years as Group Leader of the Central Research Division in ya ”WELL; Beatty-Warner in our Business Office as of
‘ Princeton, New Jersey, Paul joined the chemistry faculty of the Uni- M“...,,, September 27, 1999. Sherri was born in
‘ versity of Kentucky as an Associate Professor in 1970. ,, "7"), Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Central
Dr. Corio's early work on the theory of nuclear magnetic reso- 955.: “90% Florida. She is currently finishing her de-
nance, and his book, Structure oingh-Reso/ution NMF! Spectra, was a J“ » gree in office systems technology at Lex-
a seminal contribution to the field. His was an authoritative voice on gs. fez. ington Community College and plans on
the quantum theory of angular momentum. In more recent years, 7,“ ” i going into office management. Sherri came
Paul's interests extended to chemical kinetics, reaction mechanisms, ' to the University in August of 1997 as a Staff
and group theory. Assistant for Mechanical Engineering where she also worked for the
In addition to his research contributions, Paul will be remem- Director ofGraduate Studies and the Chairman. Sherri and her hus-
bered as a highly respected and popular teacher. Along with his band, Charles, have four children (ages 6, 7, 9, and 12) from their
deep knowledge of chemistry was a facility for making connections previous marriages and are currently working on a child together.
with other subjects and with the everyday experience of students.
He was a gifted speaker and was able to bring clarity to difficult con- saw—w Edward Duhr. Ed is a scientific technical
cepts. He had high expectations for student performance and, In J specialist working in our stockroom. He is
exchange, was able to bring out the best in students. ‘ _ , a/ an Iowan by birth and education who came
ngw 3'. . 05%,“; to the University in 1985 by way of Wyo-
Dr. Edward J. Griffith passed away on June 12, 1998, and was gar ”Egg: ming. Through his long association with Pro-
buried in his home state of Alabama. Ed received his doctoral de- “V we; fessor Haley's lab, he wound up in the
gree underthe direction of Lyle Dawson in 1951. He joined Monsanto 7’ “r" Chemistry Department. This is rather fitting
Chemical Company immediately following completion of his gradu- because his degrees are in chemistry.
ate work and was with Monsanto for 48 years of distinguished ser- ‘
vice. For the majority of that time, Dr. Griffith was a Senior Scientist g... , ., _ .. Chris Showalter. Our new Business Man-
in the company with the freedom to engage mostly in the research of ‘ " ‘ W ager replaced Amy Kirkpatrick in July, 1998.
his choice. 33’ figs?" She is originally from New Bremen, OH and "
war received her Bachelor's Degree In Business
Mrs. Dorothy Brown Masters of Glenmore Heights, KY, died on ‘ is“? Administration from Ohio University. Chris
March 5, 2000. We will remember Dorothy as the lively wife of Pro- eéw iii; joined the University in January, 1994 as an
fessor Ellis V. Brown, who retired in 1975 but continued to work In his 1 ‘ ' " ' Account Clerk in the Physics Department.
lab for many years before his death in 1992. / Before joining the Chemistry Department,
Chris held administrative staff positions in
. Dr. Kurt Starke, Associate Professor in our Department in the late the Arts & Sciences Dean's Office and the Continuing Medical Edu-
'503 and early '608, died on January 19, 2000, in Marburg, Germany. cation Office. Chris and her husband, Brent, are the proud parents
Kurt, a student of Nobel Laureate Otto Hahn, initiated the radiochem- of their 2-year—old daughter, Megan, and 6-month-old son, Alan.
4

 ALUMNI RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS on thin film lithium electrolytes, we discovered in 1993 that sputtering
LiaPO4 in N2 gas produced a new amorphous electrolyte, flthium ghos-
One of the best indicators of the quality of an academic program phorous Qxynitride, or ”Lipon," that had an acceptable lithium ion 00h‘
is the success of its graduates, and we are not above basking in the ductIVIty. More Important than the ion conductivity, this new material
reflected oiorv of our current and former students. was stable In contact with metallic lithium at potentials from 0 to nearly
We are pleased to announce that this past year three of our 5.5. pave Robertson's development of a rapid, accurate analytical
graduating seniors were awarded NSF Graduate Fellowships. These techanue for determining the Lt content 0t Lipon at the UK V3” de
highly competitive and prestigious awards will provide financial sup- Graaff accelerator was an Important part Of this research.
port for Adam Breier, Shane Foister, and Lori Watson to continue The discovery 0t Lipon was the breakthrough we needed to de-
their studies in chemistry at the graduate schools of their choice. velop thin film lithium batteries. 'h the succeeding years, our re—
Only six universities in the country had three or more students re- search focused on the deposition and characterization of thin film
~' ceive these three-yearfellowships. They are, in addition to UK, Cornell, trahs't'Oh metal oxide cathode materials including V205, LiMn204, and
Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Rice. LiCoOz, whose crystal structures allow Lit ions to be inserted and
-. in order to keep your informed about the success and achieve- extracted. As Li+ ions and electrons move into and out of these com-
, ments of our graduates, we include a new feature in this newsletter pounds when the thin filmtlithium battery is discharged and recharged,
that we hope will become a regular addition _ highlighting the accom- the valence of the tranSItIon metal ions changes to maintain charge
plishments of an alum. This year, we have chosen to report on the neutrality. The shapes of the discharge profiles (i.e., battery potential
research of the thin-film battery team at Oak Ridge National Labora- vs. the quantity of charge inserted into or extracted from the cathode) .
tory (ORNL) that is lead by John Bates. John received his bachelor's Is determined by the difference in the chemical potential of lithium in j
degree in chemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1964, and he the anode and lithium'in the cathode. This difference depends upon 3
. elected to remain at UK and study under the direction of Hartley the chemIcaltcomposmon ofthe cathode and its physical form (whether 1
Eckstrom. Following the untimely death of Professor Eckstrom,John 'tl's crystallIne, nanocrystalline, or amorphous). With crystalline l
completed his dissertation on .. The Infrared and Raman Spectra of LICOOZ, for example, the potential vs. Li is relatively constant at about i
Some Molecular Crystals" with Don Sands in 1968. After a one-year 4 V- . _ _
appointment as a research associate at the University of Maryland, . New results obtaIned WIthInthe last 12 months include the fabri-
John joined the scientific staff of the Chemistry Division or ORNL in catIon 0t highly textured crystalline LIC002 “th With a preferred Oh'
1969. He was appointed as agroup leader in the Solid State Division entation that results In batteries capable of exceptional discharge
in 1973. John has written over 180 articles and 3 book chapters and and charge rates-of up to 20 mA/Cthzt the development 0t defect I
has been awarded 10 patents. Included in his publications are in- models forcrystalline andtnanocrystalline Lch204 spinels and lattice
vited review articles in the Encyclopedia ofAdvanced Materials, Phys- models that yield. the elastic properties and other properties 0t LiCoOe,
ics Today, and Science. Following is a brief description of the current and the syntheSIs 0t anew class 0t glassy Inorganic lithium-ion an-
work of the thin-film battery research group thatJohn leads at ORNL. ode materials In the Silicon-tin oxantrIde system. These new anode
materials have enabled the development of lithium-ion batteries that
The Development of Thin-Film Batteries can withstand the high temperatures required (250-300°C) for solder .
reflow assembly of electronic circuits. 1
Research over the past decade at Oak Ridge National Labora- Research on thin film batteries and materials will wind down over
tory (ORNL) has led to the development of a new technology, thin- thetn'ext'several' years as we complete several studies of a few re-
film rechargeable lithium and lithium-ion batteries. The batteries, maInIng Interesting, bUt non-critical problems, and fInIshanumberof
which are less than 15 W“ (micrometers) thick, can be deposited manuscrIpts. WhIle'we WIll continue to ofieraSSIstance to our present
directly onto semiconductor devices or chip packages in any shape and new licensees In commerCIalIZIng thIn film batterIes, our materI-
or size, and they can be recharged thousands of times. Applications als research programs M”. be refocused 0” new opportunItIes SUCh
under commercial development for the near term, 2-3 years, include as solId state electrochemIcal actuators.
rf identification tags for real-time inventory and theft protection of ‘
consumer products, backup power to maintain memory of CMOS etwt . , j ~
chips, and power sources for implantable medical devices such as /;;I{" :_ a ;
pacemakers, defibrillators, and neural stimulators. As manufactur- sag; -
ing costs decline, thin-film batteries could also be used in cellular tiger 1; , ,
telephones and laptop computers. License agreements have been z; f m j
signed with several companies, and manufacturing scale-up is under ' “’2‘" ‘ W ”has; as,
way. In addition, to their practical applications, thin-film batteries are e w t. " , it???
important unique research tools for characterizing the physical and 3, 'éfit :44
chemical properties of lithium intercalation compounds. 4, 4 ” ,1,
The project to develop thin-film rechargeable lithium batteries it? hf??? t, 4
. began at ORNL in 1987. Having researched the physical and chemi- t it, s j ' "h
cal properties of a variety of ceramic ionic conductors, our group >24