Prof. Gideon Grader's Talk

Jul 16, 2018 - 16:00

Jul 16, 2018 - 17:00

Room No. 240 first floor next to Chem. Engg. deptl. office

Seminars

Prof. Gideon Grader Technion Israel

Abstract: Ceramic nanofibers provide advantageous chemical and physical properties beneficial for many applications including heterogeneous catalysis. Electrospinning is a simple and effective technique to produce ceramic and composite fibers with controlled diameters and morphologies. We recently obtained ceramic nanofibers with unique elongated lamellar-like porous structure using a single nozzle electrospinning process followed by controlled thermal treatment. A general mechanism for the formation of this morphology is suggested where the final structure depends greatly on the heating stage chemical composition of the metal oxide precursors and polymer matrix. The proposed mechanism suggests that this structure is possible in the presence of a metal-organic component with a low melting point and high volatility below the polymer main decomposition temperature. The proposed route was investigated in a second system of titanium-based nanofibers where integration of aluminium produced porous structure. Changing the aluminium content influence the obtained morphology from non-porous to porous. The presented mechanism for porous nanofibers formation is promising in material research especially in applications requiring an accessible high surface area open porous media.Bio: Joining the Technion Faculty of Chemical Engineering in 1989 Professor Gideon S. Grader has served as the department’s Dean since 2016. In 2007 he became the Founding Director of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP) a position he held until 2015. The Center aims to ensure the university’s role as a key player in energy research. Prof. Grader’s research focuses on the development of ceramics for energy applications combustion of non-carbon fuels and hydrogen generation. His recent research centers on creating new ways to produce hydrogen from water by advanced electrolysis methods. In cooperation with Prof. Rothschild from the Material Science department he developed an innovative way to simplify the process and save about 30% in the energy required to produce the hydrogen. Their results were patented and published in Nature Materials in 2017. A new Technion startup company called H2Pro was launched recently to commercialize this promising technology. In the ceramics area Prof. Grader examines the synthesis and processing of ceramics based on sol-gel chemistry. His research on ceramic films enhances the production of high quality ceramic coatings fibers and porous materials. Ultralight ceramic foams developed by Prof. Grader are used commercially for high- temperature insulation in numerous industrial applications. These novel materials which are both safe and environmentally friendly can become an economical substitute for asbestos and other potentially harmful ceramic fibers now in use. The foams are produced by CUMI an Indian company that licensed the technology and took over a Technion startup company Cellaris which developed the product. Born in Jerusalem Prof. Grader received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California Berkeley where he graduated first in his class in 1982. He received his doctorate in chemical engineering from California Institute of Technology in 1986. From 1987 to 1989 he was a member of the technical staff of the Ceramic Materials Department at the AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey where he also spent a sabbatical year as a visiting scientist in 1996. Prof. Grader’s work has been recognized with a number of awards including the Kenneth T. Whitby Award an Alon grant the Goldberg Prize for Excellence in Research the Hershel and Hilda Rich Technion Innovation Award and the Henry Taub Prize for Excellence in Research.