Richard Flagan received his B.S.E. from the University of Michigan, S.M. and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He had received the Smoluchowski Award, GAeF; Marian Smoluchowski Award, GAeF; David Sinclair Award, American Association for Aerosol Research.
Our research is a unique blend of atmospheric chemistry and physics, instrumentation and the chemical processing of particulate materials, with a unifying theme of aerosol science. Through a combination of experimental and theoretical studies, we are studying the processes that govern the formation, growth, and structural evolution of aerosol particles. New aerosol instrumentation that has been developed by our group is being used to make detailed measurements of the aerosol size distribution in near real time at greatly enhanced size resolution and to extend to near-molecular levels the range of particle sizes that can be followed. Related methods are also being employed for the size classification of semiconductor nanoparticles, and for the analysis of low-volatility environmental contaminants.
The formation and growth of atmospheric aerosols are being studied in large (6 to 60 m3) outdoor transparent reactors. A smaller (1 m3) indoor reactor is being used to improve our understanding of the mechanisms and kinetics of atmospheric photochemical reactions. The kinetics of aerosol processes are being probed in a variety of laboratory systems. Using our new instrumentation in aircraft-based measurements, we are probing the aerosol processes that act to control cloud formation and albedo over the earth's oceans.
We are applying insights gained in the study of air pollution to the synthesis of particulate materials ranging from pigments to advanced ceramics, nanostructured materials, and quantum confined materials. We seek to understand and, ultimately, to control how refractory particles evolve in reactive systems. Studied of pigments and ceramics focus on the control of the structures of submicron particles. Nanoparticle synthesis techniques are being developed to take advantage of the quantum confinement effects in semiconductor particles and the unique mechanical properties afforded by nanostructured materials.
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