Paul A. Fuierer

Professor

Department of Materials & Metallurgical Engineering Dept

801 Leroy Place

Socorro, NM 87801

 

Office: 23 Jones Hall

Phone: (575) 835-5497

Fax: (575) 835-5626

Email: Fuierer@nmt.edu

 

Research Areas:

Electro-ceramics (electronic, magnetic, optical),

Thin films (sol-gel),

Functional materials for renewable & distributed energy

 

Biographical Information

Research

Selected Publications

Teaching

Graduate Students & Theses

Outreach

Other Interests

Biographical Information 

Education:

Ph.D. Solid State Science, Pennsylvania State University (1991)

B.S. Ceramic Engineering, Alfred University (1984)

Ceramic Science, University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld (1983)

 

Professional Experience:

Professor, Materials Engineering Dept., New Mexico Tech, 2011-

Associate Professor, Materials Engineering Dept., New Mexico Tech, 1997- 2010

Assistant Professor, Materials Engineering Dept., New Mexico Tech, 1992-1997

Research Associate, Materials Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University, 1992

Graduate Assistant/Fellow, Materials Research Lab, Pennsylvania State University, 1987-1991

Engineer, Stackpole Carbon Co., Electronics Division, 1984-1986

 

Honors & Awards:

KERAMOS Ceramic Honor Society

Eastman Kodak Co. Ph.D. Fellowship, 1987-91

New Mexico Tech Distinguished Teaching Award, 1997

National Science Foundation's Faculty Early CAREER Award for research & teaching, 1997-2002

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) Visiting Faculty Research Award, 2007

 

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Research

(If you are looking to pursue an advanced degree (MS or PhD) in materials science & engineering, and any of the topics below are of interest, please contact me and/or the New Mexico Tech Graduate Office) 

New Ion Conducting Ceramics for Fuel Cell and Gas Sensor Electrolytes

Research is underway to investigate alternative oxygen ion conducting ceramics for medium temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The bidimensional conductivity in some of these compounds requires novel ceramic processing techniques to achieve the necessary texture in planar thick films.

Nanocrystalline Ceramics for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

My group has developed novel hierarchical TiO2 thick film microstructures,

including sol-gel nano-crystalline anatase and micro-scale rutile particles,

with potential for increasing solar cell efficiencies and economizing processing.

New approaches are being explored.

 

 

Textured Bulk and Thin Film Ceramics

We have a unique expertise in fabricating certain polycrystalline ceramics with very high crystallographic orientation (texture). Techniques involve hot-forging and superplastic deformation (bulk), tape-casting (thick film) and novel sol-gel (thin film). Crystallographically oriented films of low symmetry materials often display superior electronic, optical, magnetic and even mechanical properties. Bismuth titanate, Bi4Ti3O12, has been used as a model ceramic material due to its intrinsic structural anisotropy and its useful ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties, but we have fabricated many others as well (particularly ceramics with a layered perovskite type structure). Several of these dense and highly textured materials have recently displayed some of the very lowest thermal conductivity values of any known ceramic.

 

Layered perovskites as interphases in high temperature ceramic composites

The use of a functional interface to weaken the fiber-matrix bond in oxide/oxide composites may enhance fiber-pullout and therefore toughness. This approach may lead to new composite materials with improved high temperature toughness and stability for aerospace and other demanding applications. Layered perovskite compounds offer interesting characteristics for this application including easy cleavage planes, and resistance to high temperature and oxidizing environments. Research has been done to identify the most useful perovskite layer oxides compounds, produce multi-layered ceramic composites, and study crack-propagation paths near the interfaces.

 

 

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Selected Publications

  1. Paul Fuierer, Russell Maier, Ulla Roder-Roith and Ralf Moos, “Processing Issues Related to the Bi-dimensional Ionic Conductivity of BIMEVOX Ceramics,” J. Mater. Sci. 46 [16] 5447-5453 (2011).
  2. Taylor Sparks, Paul A. Fuierer and David R. Clarke, Anisotropic Thermal Diffusivity and Conductivity of La-Doped Strontium Niobate Sr2Nb2O7”, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc., 93 [4] 1136-1141 (2010).  DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2009.03533.x
  3. Banasri Roy and Paul A. Fuierer, “Influence of Sodium Chloride and Dibasic Sodium Phosphate Salt Systems on the Anatase-Rutile Phase Transformation and Particle Size of Titanium Dioxide Powder”, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc., 93 [2] 436-444 (2010).  DOI: 10.1111/j.15512916.2009.034
  4. Banasri Roy and Paul A. Fuierer, “Synthesis of cobalt-doped bismuth vanadate by combustion-synthesis:  Influence of fuel on phase content and morphology,” J. Mate. Research  24 [10] (2009).  DOI: 10.1557/JMR.2009.0392
  5. Banasri Roy and Paul A. Fuierer, “Molten Salt Synthesis of Bi4(V0.85Co0.15)2O11-d (BICOVOX) Ceramic Powders”, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc., 92 [2] 520-523 (2009).  DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2008.02872.x
  6. Yang Shen, David R. Clarke, and Paul A. Fuierer, “Anisotropic thermal conductivity of the Aurivillus phase, bismuth titanate (Bi4Ti3O12): A natural nanostructured superlattice”, Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 102907 (2008).  DOI: 10.1063/1.2975163.  http://link.aip.org/link/?APPLAB/93/102907/1
  7. Banasri Roy, Scott P. Ahrenkiel, Paul Anton Fuierer, “Controlling the Size and Morphology of TiO2 Powder by Molten and Solid Salt Synthesis”, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc., 91, [8] 2455-2463 (2008).  DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2008.02456.x. available online at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120119603/abstract
  8. J. J. Massarello, J. D. Hochhalter, J. Welsh, A. K. Maji  and P. A. Fuierer, Fiber print-through mitigation technique for composite mirror replication, Optical Engineering, SPIE Journal 45 [12] 123401 (2006).
  9. Aniruddha Kulkarni, Alexander Bourandas, Junhang Dong, Paul Fuierer & Hai Xiao, “Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline (Zr0.84Y0.16)O1.92-(Ce0.85Sm0.15)O1.925 Heterophase Thin Films”, J. Mat. Res. 21 [2] 500-504 (2006).
  10. Margit J. Jensen and Paul A. Fuierer, “Low-temperature Preparation of Nanocrystalline Anatase Films Through a Sol-Gel Route”, J. of Sol-Gel Sci. & Tech. 39 229-233 (2006). online first DOI 10.1007/s10971-006-7837-5, URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10971-006-7837-5.
  11. T. Burleigh and P. Fuierer, "Tuning Forks for Vibrant Teaching," Journal of Metals, 57 [11] 26-27 (2005).
  12. Lee Benysek and Paul Fuierer, “Photoresist Modification of Sol-Gel Solutions for Texturing of Bi4Ti3O12 and Bi3TiNbO9 Thin Films”, J. of Sol-Gel Sci. & Tech. 34 241-250 (2005).
  13. Ali Ceylan and Paul A. Fuierer, “Lanthanum Titanate (La2Ti2O7) as an Interphase Material in Alumina (Al2O3) Based Composites”, Key Eng. Materials, 264 829-832 (2004).
  14. Mary Sandstrom and Paul Fuierer, “Sol-Gel Synthesis of Textured Lanthanum Titanate Thin Films”, J. Mat. Res. 18 [2] 357-362 (2003).
  15. Paul Fuierer, Bo Li and Hyun Sik Jeon, “Characterization of Particle Size and Shape in an Ageing Bismuth Titanate Sol Using Dynamic and Static Light Scattering”, J. of Sol-Gel Sci. & Tech. 27 (2003).
  16. Paul Fuierer and Bo Li, " Non-Epitaxial Orientation in Sol-Gel Bismuth Titanate Films", J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. 85 [2] (2002).
  17. Shan Sun, Ping Lu, and Paul Fuierer, "Oriented Bismuth Titanate Thin Films by Single-Solid-Source Metal-Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition", Journal of Crystal Growth , 205 177-184 (1999).
  18. Shan Sun and Paul Fuierer, “Modeling of Depolarization in Ferroelectric Thin Films”, Integrated Ferroelectrics, 23 [1] (1999).
  19. P. Fuierer, S. Sun and L. Liu, “Oriented Bismuth Titanate Sol-Gel Films for NDRO Ferroelectric Memories,” in Sol- Gel Science & Technology, Ceramic Transactions Vol 55, eds. E. Pope, S. Saka & L.C. Klein, pp. 199-206, American Ceramic Society (1995).
  20. R. Turner, P. Fuierer, T. Shrout and R. Newnham, "Materials for High Temperature Acoustic and Vibration Sensors:  A Review," Applied Acoustics 41 299-324 (1994).
  21. S. Sun, P. Fuierer and B.A. Tuttle, "Depolarization and Hysteresis Loop Asymetry in PZT Thin Films With Self-Polarization", Ferroelectrics 152 187-193 (1994).
  22. W. Pan, S. Sun and P.A. Fuierer, "Effects of Ferroelectric Switching on Ferroelectric Properties in Lead Zirconate Titanate Ferroelectric Ceramics and Their Modeling," J. Appl. Phys. 74 [2] 1256 (1993)
  23. P.A. Fuierer, T.R. Shrout and R.E. Newnham, "Physical, Electrical and Piezoelectric Properties of Hot-forged Sr2(NbTa)2O7 Ceramics," in Smart Materials Fabrication and Materials for Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems, MRS Symposium Proceedings 276 51 (1992).
  24. P.A. Fuierer and R.E. Newnham,"La2Ti2O7 Ceramics", J. Amer. Ceram . Soc. 74 [11] 2876 (1991).
  25. P.A. Fuierer, T.T. Srinivasan and R.E. Newnham, “Synthesis of Y-Ba-Cu-O Powders via the Evaporative Decomposition of Solutions”, in Ceramic Superconductors II;  Ed. M.F. Yan, American Ceramic Society (1988).

 

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Teaching

Mate 101L, Intro. Materials Eng. Lab (1 cr.), Hands-on lab experience for freshmen demonstrating fundamental materials concepts

Mate 235, Materials Engineering (3 cr.), Ceramics, glasses, semiconductors, polymers & composites

Mate 235L, Materials Engineering Lab (1 cr.), Synthesis and properties of non-metallic solids

Mate 301, Intro. to Ceramic Engineering (3 cr.), Traditional and advanced ceramics; structure and processing

Mate 443, Magnetic Materials (3 cr.), Theory, composition, structure, properties & applications

Mate 447, Optical Materials (3 cr.), Optical phenomena, material properties & applications

Mate 452, Physics of Metals & Ceramics (3 cr.) Solid state physics for engineers

Mate 452L, Electronic Materials Laboratory (1 cr.), Electronic properties measurement

Mate 503, Crystal Chem & Crystal Physics (3 cr.), Crystal structures & tensor properties

Mate 504, Nonlinear Dielectric Ceramics (3 cr.) Survey of ferroelectric ceramics and their applications

Mate 505, Electronic Materials (3 cr.), Metal electrodes, ionic conductors, superconductors, insulators; structures, properties & applications

 

Current Courses

 

Mate 301: History of Ceramics, Crystal Chemistry, Common Binary Structures, Complex Structures, Silicate Structures

Mate 101L: Intro Materials Eng. Lab Posters

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Graduate Students & Theses

Idil Ayan, “Hydrothermal Mesoporous Coatings on Glass Microspheres & Their use in DSSCs”, PhD

Meng Zhou, “Radiation Damage in Ruddleston-Popper and Pyrochlore Structure Ceramics”, PhD

Janelle Villone, “Luminescent Properties of GaN films for Ion-Photon Emission Microscopy”, PhD

Will Ricci, “Characteristics of TiO2 Coatings on Hollow Glass Microspheres & the Effect on Photocatalytic Activity, MS (2011)

Stephanie Tornga, “Solution Combustion Synthesis of Nanophosphors”, MS (2009)

Aneesha Varghese, “TiO2 Coated Hollow Glass Microspheres by Spray Drying and Their Photocatalytic Activity”, MS(2009)

Atta Gueye, “Novel TiO2 Thick Film Microstructures for Use in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells”, MS (2008)

Annahruda Kulkarni, “Synthesis and characterization of heterophase nanocrystalline thin film electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cell”,MS (2005)

Margit Jensen, “Low temperature synthesis of nanocrystalline anatase films for use in dye-sensitized solar cells”, MS (2005)

Jack Massarello, “Molding Materials and Processes for the Attenuation of Fiber Print-through in Lightweight Composite Optics”, MS (2005)

Lee Benysek, “Textured Bismuth titanate Thin Films by Photoresist Modified Sol-Gel Solutions”, MS (2003)

Mary Sandstrom, “Chemical Control of Texturing in Perovskite Sol-Gel Films", MS (2001)

Karen Cross, “Multifunctional Layered Bismuth Titanate/Alumina Composites”, MS (2000)

Charles Mandeville, “Reactive-ion evaporation of silica thin films”, MS (2000)

Jenny Plakio, “The polarizability of ions in glasses”, MS (2000)

Bo Li, “Light scattering studies of metallo-oligomers and the effect on bismuth titanium sol-gel thin films”, MS (2000)

Ali Ceylan, “Lanthanum titanate (La2Ti2O7) as an interphase materials in alumina based composites”, MS  (1999)

Shan Sun, “Ferroelectric thin films: An investigation of self polarization in PZT  Chemical deposition of bismuth titanate”, PhD (1997)

Ling Liu, “Ferroelectric Fatigue:  An investigation of Pb(ZrTi)O3, Pb(SnZrTi)O3, PbZrO3-BiFeO3, & Bi4Ti3O12 , MS (1995)

Qing-Ming Wang, “Grain boundary engineering, composition and processing modification of NiZn ferrites for EMI filter applications”, MS (1994)

Shan Sun, “Ferroelectric switching behavior and improvement of fatigue resistance in PZT-based ceramics”, MS (1993)

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Outreach

New Mexico Tech

Consulting Scientist Program

Institutional

Faculty advisor, NMT Miners Men’s Soccer Team

Other Interests

Family, home building

windsurfing, skiing

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Last Revised: Sept. 2011