UROP Project

energy, polymer, material, heat, power
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Research Mentor: Dr. Daniel Hallinan, he
Department, College, Affiliation: Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Contact Email: dhallinan@eng.famu.fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor):
Research Assistant Supervisor Email:
Faculty Collaborators:
Faculty Collaborators Email:
Looking for Research Assistants: Maybe one more
Number of Research Assistants: 1
Relevant Majors: Chemical Engineering
Project Location: AME Center at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
Research Assistant Transportation Required: FSU shuttle, FAMU shuttle, and public buses
Remote or In-person: In-person
Approximate Weekly Hours: at least 8,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Not participating in the Roundtable

Project Description

The Soret effect causes ions to move, usually from hot to cold. This can be used to convert waste heat into electricity. We are studying this effect in solid polymer electrolytes. This project will impose a temperature gradient on a polymer electrolyte and measure the resulting concentration gradient using several techniques including electrochemistry and spectroscopy. This work will provide better understanding of the theory behind the Soret effect and could impact energy efficiency by enabling the recovery of low-grade waste heat.

Research Tasks: • Prepare polymer electrolyte samples
• Apply temperature gradients
• Record measurements
• Analyze data


Skills that research assistant(s) may need: Required:
Being careful and organized.
Having manual dexterity.
Self motivation, hard working, prompt.
Recommended:
Basic capability to use a computer as a tool to collect and analyze data, e.g. with Excel or Matlab. Some of this will be provided during training.

Mentoring Philosophy

My approach to mentoring is similar to teaching, in that it is student centric. I strive to adapt my mentoring approach to the needs of each student, pushing those who need external motivation and giving freedom to those who are highly driven, allowing them to exercise independent creativity and come to me for guidance as needed. I keep weekly or semiweekly individual meetings on the books, depending on the needs of my group, and we have weekly group meetings year-round in which we discuss matters of common interest, a subset of the group gives “few slide updates”, and we sometimes have a long talk that is frequently a student preparing for a conference or committee meeting. Periodically we have journal (or even book) discussions, which has greatly enhanced the inclusivity of my research group. Another tool that I find excellent is the use of current undergraduate researchers to recruit new undergraduate researchers. This has maintained a high level of not only diversity but also excellence in my group. In the past 5 years, we have published four papers with an undergraduate as the first author. This is greatly enabled by the vibrant and effective CBE Undergraduate Research Program/Honors in the Major, in which students receive credit toward their two senior electives for doing a research thesis.

Additional Information


Link to Publications

https://thesoreteffect.create.fsu.edu/
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