Mechanical Engineering
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Dr. Alan Jankowski

Contact Information

Dr. Alan Jankowski
J.W. Wright and Regents Chair Professor for Mechanical Engineering
Edward E. Whitacre, Jr. College of Engineering, Texas Tech University
Box 41021, 7th and Boston, Lubbock, TX 79409-1021

Tel: (806) 742-3563 ext. 250
Fax: (806) 742-3540
email: alan.jankowski@ttu.edu

Education

Background

I joined the ME faculty at TTU in 2007.  My research activities and interests are in mechanics and materials as first encountered during my undergraduate work when engineering the design of structures.  The structure-property link reamins key to understand the how and why of material behaviors.  Subsequently, a growing interest in material synthesis became a path to selectively engineer new physical behaviors by controlling material assembly at the atomic level.  Past examples include: the synthesis and characterization of multilayer coatings and nanostructures with high modulus, strength and hardness; development of nanoporous coatings as membranes for catalysis and biocompatible surfaces; and engineering materials for integrated devices as miniaturized thin-film fuel cells and field-emission displays.  While working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from 1987-2007, I was fortunate to help direct several graduate students in their graduate studies at Rutgers University, Wichita State University, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of Nevada at Reno.

Goals

My goals as the J.W. Wright-Regents Chair Professor are to develop new research programs and graduate courses in nanostructured materials and nanotechnology in order to train our future engineers, stimulate interest in pursuit of graduate studies, and develop career paths in engineering.  A course in the mechanics of nanomaterials has been developed and is now enhanced by the establishment of several laboratory capabilities in Mechanical Engineering for nanostructured materials synthesis and characterization.  It is clear that new opportunities will emerge in many areas of technology such as, alternative energy systems, biomaterials, and aerospace.  In addition, alternative energy technologies that range from clean coal to renewables as biomass fuels and solar power will require new materials and engineering developments that will fostered through this endowed chair position.  My interests and background in the mechanics and materials science of nanostructures will promote cross-discipline interactions within the engineering and physical sciences.

Experience

University of California - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Chemistry and Materials Science Dept., Livermore, CA

Program Element Leader 2002-2007

Lead the program element that specializes in advanced functional materials; manage a staff of three scientists and four technicians that operate at an annual budget in excess of $3M to support laboratory and industrial programs

Scientific Capability Leader 1998-2002

Directed the scientific capability that specializes in thin film coatings and physical vapor deposition technology; managed a staff of six technicians, two engineers, and two scientists that operated at an annual budget in excess of $2M to support laboratory programs and industrial partners

Deposition Group Leader 1991-1998

Developed programs to support a group that used vapor deposition technologies to conduct research in materials and to support laboratory programs

Metallurgist 1987-1991

Performed research and development tasks as a principal investigator; utilized thin films and multilayer structures to conduct fundamental materials research and development

Teaching Areas

Graduate Students

Research Interests

Selected Patents

United States Patents (29), International Patents (7), and Eiropean Patents (3)

MEMS-Based Fuel Cells with Integrated Catalytic Fuel Processor and Method Thereof, U.S. Patent 7,993,785 B2 (August 9, 2011)

Metal Hydride Fuel Storage and Method Thereof, U.S. Patent No. 7,771,887 B2 (August 10, 2010)

Bonded Polyimide Fuel Cell Package, U.S. Patent No. 7,732,086 B2 (June 8, 2010)

Method for Forming a Chemical Microreactor, U.S. Patent No. 7,534,402 B2 (May 19, 2009)

Solid Polymer MEMS-Based Fuel Cells, U.S. Patent No. 7,361,424 (April 22, 2008)

Microfluidic Fuel Cell Systems with Embedded Materials and Structures and Process Thereof, U.S. Patent No. 6,921,603 B2 (July 26, 2005)

Vapor-Deposited Porous Films for Energy Conversion, U.S. Patent No. 6,913,998 (July 5, 2005)

Method of Forming a Package for MEMS-Based Fuel Cell, U.S. Patent No. 6,821,666 B2 (November 23, 2004)

Method for Fabrication of Electrodes and Electrolytes, U.S. Patent No. 6,673,130 B2 (January 6, 2004)

MEMS-Based Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells, U.S. Patent No. 6,638,654 (October 28, 2003)

Magnetron Sputtered Boron Films for Increasing Hardness of a Metal Surface, U.S. Patent No. 6,569,293 B1 (May 27, 2003)

Recent Publications and Presentations

Journals (127)

H.S.T. Ahmed and A.F. Jankowski, Anomalous hardening of submicron porous silver at high strain rates, Journal of Materials Science Research (2012) in press

A.S. Wajid, H.S.T. Ahmed, S. Das, F. Irin, A.B. Cortinas, A.F. Jankowski, and M.J. Green, High-performance pristine graphene/epoxy composites with enhanced mechanical and electrical properties, Macromolecular Materials and Engineering (2012) in press

A.F. Jankowski and H.S. Tanvir Ahmed, The nanoscratch hardness of a gold-nickel nanocrystalline nanolaminate at high strain rate, Materials Letters 77 (2012) 103-106

S. Das, F. Irin, H.S.T. Ahmed, A.B. Cortinas, A.S. Wajid, A.F. Jankowski, M. Kato, and M.J. Green, Non-covalent functionalization of pristine graphene using triphenylene derivatives and incorporation into conductive polyvinyl alcohol composites, Polymer (2012) in press

H.S. Tanvir Ahmed and A.F. Jankowski, Stiffening of sub-micro-porous silver membranes under tensile deformation, Materials Science and Engineeering B 177 (2012) 43-47

A.S. Wajid, S. Das, F. Irin, H.S. Tanvir Ahmed, J.L. Shelburne, D. Parviz, R.J. Fullerton, A.F. Jankowski, R.C. Hedden, and M.J. Green, Polymer-stabilized graphene dispersions at high concentrations in organic solvents for nanocomposite production, Carbon 50 (2012) 526-534

H.S. Tanvir Ahmed and A.F. Jankowski, Strain rate sensitivity of Hydroxyapatite coatings, Thin Solid Films 520 (2011) 1516-1519

R.T. Humphrey and A.F. Jankowski, Strain-Rate Sensitivity of Strength in Macro-to-Micro-to-Nano Crystalline Nickel, Surface and Coatings Technology 206 (2011) 1845-1849

A.F. Jankowski and L.O. Nyakiti, Anomalies in Hall-Petch Strengthening for Nanocrystalline Au-Cu Alloys Below 10 nm Grain Size, Surface and Coatings Technology 205 (2010) 1398-1402

L.O. Nyakiti and A.F. Jankowski, Characterization of Strain-Rate Sensitivity and Grain Boundary Structure in Nanocrystalline Gold-Copper Alloys, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A 41 (2010) 838-847

H.S.T. Ahmed and A.F. Jankowski, The Mechanical Strength of Submicron Porous Silver Foils, Surface and Coatings Technology 204 (2009) 1026-1029

J.D. Colvin, A.F. Jankowski, M. Kumar, W.J. MoberlyChan, B.W. Reed, D.L. Paisley, and T.E. Tierney, Role of spall in microstructure evolution during laser-shock-driven rapid undercooling and resolidification, Journal of Applied Physics 105 (2009) 014901-1-6

L.O. Nyakiti, J. Chaudhuri, and A.F. Jankowski, High-Resolution Electron Microscopy Characterization of Nanocrystalline Grain Boundaries in Gold-Copper Alloys, Thin Solid Films 517 (2008) 1182-1185

A.F. Jankowski, Vapor Deposition and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Nanolaminates, Surface and Coatings Technology 203 (2008) 484-489

R.F. Smith, J.H. Eggert, M.D. Saculla, A.F. Jankowski, M. Bastea, D.G. Hicks, and G.W. Collins, Ultra-fast dynamic compression technique to study kinetics of phase transformations in Bismuth, Physical Review Letters 101 (2008) 065701-1-4

A.F. Jankowski, J. Go, and J.P. Hayes, Thermal Stability and Mechanical Behavior of Ultra-fine bcc Ta and V Coatings, Surface and Coatings Technology 202 (2007) 957-961

A.F. Jankowski, J.P. Hayes, and C.K. Saw, Dimensional attributes in enhanced hardness of nanocrystalline Ta-V nanolaminates, Philosophical Magazine 87 (2007) 2323-2334

J.D. Colvin, B.W. Reed, A. Jankowski, M. Kumar, D. Paisley, D. Swift, T. Tierney, and A. Frank, Microstructure Morphology of Shock-Induced Melt and Rapid Resolidification in Bismuth, Journal of Applied Physics 101 (2007) 084906-1-10

R.F. Smith, J.H. Eggert, A. Jankowski, P.M. Celliers, M.J. Edwards, Y.M. Gupta, J.R. Asay, G.W. Collins, Stiff response of Aluminum under ultra-fast shockless compression to 110 GPa, Physical Review Letters 98 (2007) 065701

Y.M. Wang, A.F. Jankowski, and A.V. Hamza, Strength and stability of nanocrystalline gold alloys, Scripta Materialia 57 (2007) 301-304

A.F. Jankowski, Diffusion Mechanisms in Nanocrystalline and Nanolaminated Au-Cu, Defect and Diffusion Forum 266 (2007) 13-28

B.A. Pint, J.L. Moser, A. Jankowski, and J. Hayes, Compatibility of multilayer, electrically insulating coatings for vanadium–lithium blankets, Journal of Nuclear Materials 367-370 (2007) 1165-1169

A. Jankowski, C. Saw, J. Ferreira, J. Harper, J. Hayes, and B. Pint, Morphology, microstructure, and residual stress in EBPVD erbia coatings, Journal of Materials Science 42 (2007) 5722-5727

K.T. Lorenz, M.J. Edwards, A.F. Jankowski, S.M. Pollaine, R.F. Smith, and B.A. Remington, High pressure, quasi-isentropic compression experiments on the Omega laser, High Energy Density Physics 2 (2006) 113-125

A.F. Jankowski, C.K. Saw, and J.P. Hayes, The Thermal Stability of Nanocrystalline Au-Cu Alloys, Thin Solid Films 515 (2006) 1152-1156

A.F. Jankowski, C.K. Saw, J.F. Harper, R.F. Vallier, J.L. Ferreira, and J.P. Hayes, Nanocrystalline Grain Size Effects in Gold-Copper Electrodeposits, Thin Solid Films 494 (2006) 268-273

A.F. Jankowski, J.P. Hayes, R.F. Smith, B. Reed, M. Kumar, and J. Colvin, Activation Energy for Grain Growth in Bismuth Coatings, Materials Science and Engineering A 431 (2006) 106-108

A.F. Jankowski, M.A. Wall, and T.G. Nieh, Synthesis and Thermal Stability of Amorphous Be-B-X Alloy Coatings, Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids 351 (2005) 900-905

N.J. Cherepy, R. Kruger, K.J. Fiet, A.F. Jankowski, and J.F. Cooper, Direct Conversion of Carbon Fuels in a Molten carbonate Fuel Cell, Journal of the Electrochemcial Society 152 (2005) A80-A87

A.F. Jankowski, J.L. Ferreira, and J.P. Hayes, Activation Energy for Grain Growth in Aluminum Coatings, Thin Solid Films 491 (2005) 61-65

B.A. Pint, P.F. Tortorelli, A. Jankowski, J. Hayes, T. Muroga, A. Suzuki, O.I. Yeliseyeva, and V.M. Chernov, Recent progress in the development of electrically insulating coatings for a liquid lithium blanket, Journal of Nuclear Materials 329-333 (2004) 119-124

A.F. Jankowski, J.P. Hayes, J. Nilsen, C. Walton, and C. Saw, Boron-Carbide Barrier Layers in Scandium-Silicon Multilayers, Thin Solid Films 469-470 (2004) 372-376

A.F. Jankowski and C.K. Saw, Interdiffusion in Ni/CrMo Composition Modulated Films, Scripta Materialia 51 (2004) 119-124

A.F. Jankowski, M.A. Wall, and T.G. Nieh, Crystallization of Beryllium-Boron Metallic Glasses, Journal of Non Crystalline Solds 317 (2003) 129-136

A.F. Jankowski, M.A. Wall, A.W. Van Buuren, T.G. Nieh, and J. Wadsworth, From Nanocrystalline to Amorphous Structure in Berllium-based Coatings, Acta Materialia 50 (2002) 4791-4800

Conference Presentations and Publications (150)

H.S.T. Ahmed and A.F Jankowski, Nanoprobe measurements of anisotropy in thin film nanocrystalline coatings, the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin FIlms, San Diego, California, April 23-27, 2012.

H.S.T. Ahmed, E.M. Brannigan, and A.F Jankowski, The effect of high strain rate in the mechanical properties of submicron porous metals, the 141st Annual Meeting of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, Symposium on Ultrafine Grain Materials VII, Orlando, Florida, March 11-15, 2012.

E.M. Brannigan, and A.F Jankowski, The effect of morphology on the mechanical behavior of Cu(Ni)-C nanocomposites, the 141st Annual Meeting of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, Symposium on From Macro-to-Nano, Understanding Mechanical Behavior Across Length Scales, Orlando, Florida, March 11-15, 2012. 

A.F. Jankowski, High strain-rate behavior of nanocrystalline metals and alloys, keynote invited presentation at the 18th International Symposium on Plasticity, Session on Mechanics and physics of Structural Changes in Materials I, San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 3-8, 2012.

A.F. Jankowski, L.O. Nyakiti, H.S.T. Ahmed, and R.T. Humphrey, High Strain-rate Scratch Testing of Nanoscale Materials, invited presentation in the Nanomaterials Symposium at the 21st (2011) International Offshore and Polar Engineering (ISOPE) Conference, Maui, Hawaii, June 19-24, 2011.

H.S.T. Ahmed and A.F. Jankowski, Strain rate sensitivity of Hydroxyapatite coatings, the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin FIlms, San Diego, California, May 2-6, 2011.

R.T. Humphrey and A.F. Jankowski, Strain rate sensitivity of strength in Macro-to-Micro-to-Nano Crystalline Nickel, the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, San Diego, California, May 2-6, 2011.

A.F. Jankowski, Indentation and tapping mode probe of thin film coating mechanical properties, invited presentation at the Symposium on Mechanical Behavior of Low Dimensional Materials in the 2010 Materials Science and Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, October 17-21, 2010.

R.T. Humphrey and A.F Jankowski, Micro-scratch and tensile test measurements of micro- and nano-crystalline nickel, the Symposium on Mechanical behavior of Low Dimensional Materials in the 2010 Materials Science and Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, October 17-21, 2010.

A.F. Jankowski and L.O. Nyakiti, On Hall-Petch Strengthening Below 10 nm Grain Size, the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, San Diego, California, April 26 - 30, 2010.

A.F. Jankowski, Tensile Deformation of Micro-to-Nanoporous Metal Membranes, keynote invited presentation at the 16th International Symposium on Plasticity, Session on Thin Layers, Micro-samples and Structures, St. Kitts, U.S. Virgin Islands, January 3-8, 2010.

A.F. Jankowski, Interface Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Nanocrystalline Nanolaminates, invited presentation at the Symposium on Mechanical Behavior of Nanomaterials - Experiments and Modeling, Volume 1224 (2010) 15-26, Fall Meeting of the Materials Research Society, Boston, Massachusetts, November 30 - December 4, 2009.

H.S.T. Ahmed and A.F. Jankowski, Strain-rate Sensitivity of Hydroxyapatite Coatings, Biomaterials Interfaces Session at the 56th International Syposium of the American Vacuum Society, San Jose, California, November 8-13, 2009.

H.S.T. Ahmed and A.F. Jankowski, The Mechanical Strength of Submicron Porous Silver Foils, the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, San Diego, California, April 27 - May 1, 2009.

L.O. Nyakiti and A.F. Jankowski, Micro-scratch Characterization of Strength in Nanocrystalline Metals, the 138th Annual Meeting of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, Symposium on the Plasticity and Deformation Mechanisms at Small Length Scale I Session of the Mechanical Behavior of Nanostructured Materials, San Francisco, California, February 15-19, 2009.

A.F. Jankowski and H.S.T. Ahmed, Plasticity of Nanocrystalline Nanolaminates: Strain-rate Sensitivity, keynote invited presentation at the 15th International Symposium on Plasticity, Session on the Routes to Bulk Nanomaterials II, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, January 3-8, 2009.

A.F. Jankowski, Vapor Deposition and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Nanolaminates, invited presentation at the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films, San Diego, California, April 28 - May 2, 2008.

A.F. Jankowski, Fracture and Plasticity of Nanocrystalline Gold-Copper Foils, keynote invited presentation at the 14th International Symposium on Plasticity, Session on the Plasticity of Emerging Materials, Kona, Hawaii, January 3-8, 2008.

A.F. Jankowski, Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Microcrystalline, Nanocrystalline, and Nanolaminated Ta-V, invited presentation in the Nanomaterials Symposium at the 17th (2007) International Offshore and Polar Engineering (ISOPE) Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, July 1-7, 2007.

A.F. Jankowski, J. Colvin, B. Reed, and M. Kumar, Rapid Undercooling and Refreeze in Shock-Melted Bi and Bi-Zn, the 136th Annual Meeting of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, Symposium on Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Session on Mechanical Properties II, Orlando, Florida, February 25 - March 1, 2007.

A.F. Jankowski, Diffusion Mechanisms in Nanocrystalline and Nanolaminated Au-Cu, the 136th Annual Meeting of The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, Symposium on Diffusion in Advanced Materials and Processing, Session on Interfaces, Surfaces and Nanostructures, Orlando, Florida, February 25 - March 1, 2007.