Chemical vapor deposition (CVD); thermal and plasma CVD methods, molecular beam mass spectrometry; gas phase kinetics and mechanism analysis of CVD reactions; thin film analysis.

Engineered pre-stressed composite polymers made of carbon fiber and epoxy. Polymerization Kinetics of crosslinked polyurethanes by Monte-Carlo simulations. Online polymerization monitoring (Raman spectroscopy and reaction Calorimetry). Miniemulsion polymerization. Drug delivery systems. Micro and nanoencapsulation technologies and their application to various fields.

Implantation of metal ions into fullerene films and gas-phase fullerenes; analysis of the energetics and kinetics of these caged systems. Pump-probe experiments to determine lifetime of C60 triplet state. Determination of mass, charge state and kinetic energy of particles in the plasma formed above solid targets by pulsed laser ablation. Pulsed laser deposition of thin films.

Combination of experimental techniques and finite element modeling to study the behavior and effects of processing on complex material systems. Projects in interconnect science, thin film mechanical behavior, and laser cutting. Standard mechanical testing methods as well as less standard nanoindentation method. Scanning probe microscopy methods including electric force microscopy.

Thin film materials science. Synthesis of multicomponent thin films using a combination of plasma deposition and low energy ion bombardment. Modification of composition, morphology and microstructure to optimize the properties for specific applications, including electronic materials, hard coatings and interactions of molecules with surfaces.

Micromanufacturing/microforming; stress based failure criterion evaluation; tailor welded blank forming; spatial ability assessment and improvement.

Thin film deposition and hard coatings, pulsed laser deposition, electron microscopy and materials characterization, mechanical and tribological properties of coatings.

Advanced research in the specific binding of molecules to one another in support to the pharmaceutical industry and the development of smart materials. Focused research on the development of instruments and methods for characterizing molecular complex formation. Characterization of resulting complexes with instruments that use physical first principles to determine the strength of binding, as well as size and shape.

The intersection of nanoscience and materials science. Bottom-up synthesis of interesting molecules and materials including modified fullerenes, fullerene containing polymers, large acenes, cyclacenes and single walled nanotubes (SWNTs). Target compounds/materials are characterized spectroscopically (e.g., UV/vis/NIR, 1-D and 2-D NMR, IR, mass spec) and electrochemically and then utilized in studies of molecular self-assembly. Interactions of organic molecules at metal and non-metal surfaces (directed or guided self-assembly) are of interest, as is the construction of molecular templates for building 2-D and 3-D nanostructures.

Multi-functional, nanostructured polymer materials; superlyophobic surfaces; antimicrobial/antifouling polymer coatings; (micro)emulsion polymerizations; anisotropic particles and polymer hybrid composites; self-healing polymers; environmentally-benign polymer systems. http://www.unh.edu/nprc

Nanoscience at Surfaces: Investigation of the interplay of structural and electronic properties of self-assembling nanostructured crystal surfaces via scanning tunneling microscopy and electron spectroscopy. New physics at low dimensionality. Exploration of the driving forces in self-organization as a powerful natural method for assembling precise materials and devices. Kinetics and thermodynamics of nanostructure formation. www.physics.unh.edu/~kpohl

Morphology control in poymeric nanoparticles; polymerization induced phase separation; polymerization kinetics in phase separated latex particles; molecular architecture control by chain branching and grafting; interfacial phenomena at polymer/water surfaces.

Electronic structure calculations of nanostructures; Computational modeling of scanning tunneling microscopy; Spin-dependent phenomena in semiconductors; Quantum size effects in thin metallic films.

Micromechanics and fracture of composite and porous materials. Computational solid mechanics and finite element method. Nonlinear response of electronic interconnect structures to thermomechanical loading. Finite element modeling of offshore structures under environmental loads.