Zak Blumer
Zak Blumer presented “The Electrospinning and Investigation of Titanium Nitride Particles in High-Temperature Polymer Fibers” at the 2017 Ohio University Society of Physics Students Research Conference held in March.
Blumer worked under the direction of Dr. Martin Kordesch to fabricate a mat of electrospun high-temperature polymer fibers loaded with titanium nitride particles. The fibers were floated on the surface of water, and illuminated with a solar simulator. The fibers collected the incident radiation, heating the water below. The efficiency of this method of heating water with plasmonics particles embedded in the fibers was investigated.
“I learned how to effectively fabricate thin fibers through the process of electrospinning,” Blumer says, “which is the process which describes utilizing a large potential bias in the presence of a viscous solution to ‘draw’ the solution into thin strands, at which point the solvent evaporates and a fiber is created. I also learned of the strengths and weaknesses that pertain to working with electrospun fibers in comparison to, for example, films or individual particles. Not only did I have the privilege of working alongside some amazingly talented, intelligent, and fun people, but I was able to learn a lot about electrospinning, light absorption, heat transfer, SEM imaging, NSOM imaging, Raman spectroscopy, and other techniques. I owe it all to the professors and graduate students who spent the time to teach me the things they’ve learned.”
Zak Blumer – Engineering Physics major, Class of 2018, Honors Tutorial College
Comments