Professor

BS, physics, 1976
PhD, metallurgy, 1982 University of Illinois

Contact Info

 

 

 

Functional thin-film materials

     Our group investigates the deposition, structure, and properties of thin-film ceramic and semiconductor materials. Fabrication techniques include sputter deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, ion-assisted deposition, and colloidal deposition.
     Solid-oxide fuel cells can provide pollution-free, efficient electricity generation. Our thin-film approach allows cell operation at much lower temperatures than do conventional bulk devices. We are studying the effects of electrode structure and composition on electrochemical fuel and oxygen reactions. Recent work has been focusing on new anode materials for use with fuels such as natural gas and propane.
     We are investigating novel transparent conducting oxides containing alternating doped and undoped layers to improve conductivity and optical properties. Glancing-angle ion beams are being used to control atomic scale surface and film structures.
     We are studying ultrahighhardness protective ceramic coatings composed of many alternating nanometer-thick layers. Issues of interest are the layer stability, formation of metastable phases, and enhanced mechanical properties.

Associations and Awards

Fellow, American Vacuum Society (AVS), 1998

Department Teacher of the Year, 1993

Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, 1986

Publications

Madsen, B.D., Kobsiriphat, W., Wang, Y., Marks, L.D. & Barnett, S.A., Nucleation of nanometer-scale electrocatalyst particles in solid oxide fuel cell anodes. Journal of Power Sources 166(1), 64-67 (2007).

Zhan, Z., Lin, Y., Pillai, M., Kim, I. & Barnett, S.A., High-rate electrochemical partial oxidation of methane in solid oxide fuel cells. Journal of Power Sources 161(1), 460-465 (2006).

Yuanbo Lin, Zhongliang Zhan and Scott A. Barnett, Improving the stability of direct-methane solid oxide fuel cells using anode barrier layers, Journal of Power Sources, 158, 1313-1316 (2006).

James R. Wilson, Worawarit Kobsiriphat, Roberto Mendoza, Hsun-Yi Chen, Jon M. Hiller, Dean J. Miller, Katsuyo Thornton, Peter W. Voorhees, Stuart B. Adler, and Scott A. Barnett, Three Dimensional Reconstruction of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anode, Nature Materials, 5, 541-544 (2006).

Zhongliang Zhan and Scott A. Barnett, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Operated By Internal Partial Oxidation Reforming of iso-Octane, J. Power Sources, 155, 353-357 (2006).

D.J. Cohen and S.A.Barnett, Properties of Modulation-Doped ZnO-Based Transparent Conducting Oxides, J. Appl. Phys. 98, 053705 (2005)