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43513-B5
Molecular Transport from an Atomic Force Microscope Tip: The Basic Science Behind Dip-Pen Nanolithography (Rescoped to "Sustainability and Renewable Energy Technologies")

Peter V. Schwartz, California Polytechnic State University

Summary

This past academic year, I was on sabbatical at Berkeley. During this time, I explored new areas of research for myself and decided to transition from nanotechnology (the area for which I was originally funded by the PRF) to sustainability and renewable energy. This past summer, I requested a change of scope of funding and was approved by PRF. During this past year, I have done nanotechnology work, renewable energy work, and some work in areas where these two fields overlap, such as photovoltaic electricity production. The results of my academic year include a manuscript to be published in December on molecular order on gold surfaces, a white paper related to transportation fuels and California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), a white paper on concentrated solar electricity production, the initiation of several research projects including solar concentrators and electric transportation, and the introduction of several classes into the curriculum at Cal Poly related to sustainability, renewable energy, and appropriate Technology.

Nanotechnology:

Tim Arlen, a recent Cal Poly Physics graduate (presently in a graduate program at UCLA) and I finished Tim's senior project as a manuscript for J. of Physical Chemistry. It will be published in December, 2007. The work addressed helium scattering data previously collected at Princeton with coauthor Craig Webster. Tim Monte Carlo model of the dodecane/Au(111) matched the data well and yielded both the dodecane intermolecular potential and the corrugation energy of dodecane on the gold surface. The following statement is included in the acknowledgements: “Acknowledgement is made to the Donors of the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund for partial support of this research.”

Solar Electricity:

While at Berkeley, I studied and consulted with regard to solar focusing, nanoparticle photovoltaic electricity, and Solar Thermal Electricity generation. With two graduate students, I produced a white paper for Santa Barbara's “Community Environmental Council”, a nonprofit dedicated to a carbon neutral economy in Santa Barbara County.

Upon returning to Cal Poly this past summer, I have employed two students in summer research, Nik Glasar, and Steve Rogers, in the design of a new solar focusing geometry. The goal is to significantly lower the costs related to tracking of solar concentrators.

Transportation Batteries and Fuels:

Working with collaborators at Berkeley, I analyzed life cycle carbon emissions for different transportation fuel sources. The results were instrumental in guiding Governor Schwarzenegger's LCFS, an early action measure of AB 32 (the Green House Gas reduction bill) intended to reduce the life cycle carbon emissions of transportation fuels. Since returning to Cal Poly, I have employed three physics majors, Michael Fisher, Matthew Werber, and Jeremiah Johnson in the analysis of electric cars. They are creating a virtual electric car using known physical information of automobiles, electric motors, and charging/discharging profiles of the new lithium ion fast charging batteries. We are partnering with electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, scientists at LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory), John Dunning (GM's head of electrical division during the design of the EV1), and industrial collaborators. The goal is to produce reliable predictions of electric vehicle performance, efficiencies, and costs.

Future Work:

In the coming year, I plan to continue work in solar electricity and transportation energy under the rescoping of my research that PRF approved this past June. Nik and Steve will continue to optimize one or two solar focusing geometries as well as build a working prototype. We are also collaborating with a Berkeley graduate student (Zack Norwood), who is designing a thermal expander (small turbine) to turn heat into electricity. We hope to bring these two projects together by next summer. We will continue to work with our electric vehicle collaborators in electric vehicle design and construction, and hope to have a computer model for public use by next summer.

Conclusion:

This past year, PRF funding has provided me an excellent opportunity to explore new areas, and make a transition to renewable energy that is very compelling as determined by myself, many of my students, the Cal Poly administration, and the American public.

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