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Research Interests D.r. Charles J. O'Connor directs the Advanced Materials Research Institute (AMRI), a multidisciplinary materials research institute that combines the interests of academic, government and industrial scientists working on collaborative research projects. Individual projects being studied at AMRI range from the development of novel nanomaterials and nanocomposites, to thin films for use in the development of sensing devices and in biological applications. Research projects in Dr. O'Connor's laboratory are primarily in the area of solid state and materials chemistry, with an emphasis in the synthesis, fabrication, characterization, and investigation of properties of new materials. Current research topics include synthetic routes that lead to the nanophase design of a variety of materials with useful electric and magnetic properties. Nanocrystalline and nanocomposite materials are polycrystalline materials with grain sizes of 100 nm or less. Potential applications of nanophase magnetic materials include ultra high density magnetic recording media and smart materials. Novel synthetic techniques that produce ultra fine grained magnetic particles (e.g., synthesis of nano-ferrite particles in reverse micelles) and the subsequent deposition of these particles on surfaces and in composites will produce new materials with superior electromagnetic properties. Professor O’Connor’s research group also examines and characterizes magnetic behavior in molecular and solid state as well as nanophase inorganic materials. Significant recent accomplishments by Professor O’Connor include development of a summer outreach program at UNO for high-school students, high-school teachers, and underrepresented minority undergraduates; directing an effort at UNO to help develop a Ph.D. program in Materials Science and Engineering as a collaborative program between Louisiana State University, the University of New Orleans, and Southern University Baton Rouge; and securing two large government grants (DARPA, $4.55 M for research in biomagnetic interfacing concepts, and DARPA, $1.6 M for research in nanolithography development of spintronic devices). During the past five years he has co-authored 110 research papers and two review articles which have been published in the peer reviewed scientific literature; has co-authored 95 abstracts for presentations at scientific and technical meetings; has obtained one U.S. patent for the fabrication of unique nanomaterials; and has secured 14 research grants from federal, state and private agencies for a total of $18.3 M in outside funding for research. |
Selected Publications "Hydrothermal Synthesis of a One-Dimensional Bimetallic, Mixed Valence Oxide [{Cu4(terpy) 4(PO4)(H2O) 2}{W10(VI)W2(V)O36(PO4)}]?5H2O, a Material Constructed from {PW12O40}5- and Novel {Cu4(terpy) 4(PO4)(H2O)2}5+ Cluster Building Blocks," E. Burkholder, V. Golub, C.J. O'Connor, and J. Zubieta, Inorg. Chem. Commun., 7(3), 2004, 363-366. "Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Au-Coated Amorphous Fe20Ni80 Nanoparticles," B.L. Cushing, V. Golub, and C.J. O'Connor, J. Phys. Chem. Solids, 65(4), 2004, 825-829. "Hydrothermal Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Organically-Templated Copper Vanadium Phosphates: The Two-Dimensional [{Cu2(bisterpy)}V3O5(HPO4) 2(PO4)] (1) and The Three-Dimensional [{Cu2 (bisterpy)}V2O5(HPO4)2] (2) (bisterpy=2,2':4',4'':2'',2'''-quarterpyridyl, 6',6''-dipyridine)," B.-K. Koo, W. Ouellette, E.M. Burkholder, V. Golub, C.J. O'Connor, and J. Zubieta, Solid State Sci. 6(5), 2004, 461-468. "Design, Characterization and Modelling of Molecule-Based Magnetic Materials," (eds. P. Rabu, C. Massobrio, C.J. O’Connor, and N. Masciocchi), European Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, Vol. 153, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 2004. "Hysteretic Metamagnetic Quantum Criticality in Triple-Layer Ruthenate Sr4Ru3O10," M. Zhou, J. Hooper, Z. Mao, V. Golub, and C.J. O'Connor, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Preprint Archive, Condensed Matter, 2004, 1-15. "Preparation and Characterization of (-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles in SBA15 Host Material," J.-S. Jung, K.-H. Choi, Y.-K. Jung, S.H. Lee, V.O. Golub, L. Malkinski, and C.J. O'Connor, J. Magn. Magn. Mater., 272-276 (Suppl. 1), 2004. "Solid State Coordination Chemistry: Structural Consequences of Variations in Tether Length in the Oxovanadium-Copper-bisterpy-{O3P(CH2)nPO3}4-System, n=1-6 (bisterpy = 2,2':4',4'':2'',2'''-quarterpyridyl-6',6''-di-2-pyridine)," W. Ouellette, B.-K. Koo, E. Burkholder, V. Golub, C.J. O'Connor, and J. Zubieta, Dalton Trans., 10, 2004, 1527-1538. "Recent Advances in the Liquid-Phase Synthesis of Inorganic Nanoparticles," B.L. Cushing, V.L. Kolesnichenko, and C.J. O’Connor, Chem. Rev., 104, 2004, 3893-3946. "Synthesis and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Zinc Ferrite Films Prepared by Liquid Phase Deposition," G. Caruntu, G.G. Bush, and C.J. O'Connor, J. Mater. Chem., 14(18), 2004, 2753-2759. "Functionalized Metal Oxide Clusters: Synthesis, Characterization, Crystal Structures, and Magnetic Properties of a Novel Series of Fully Reduced Heteropolyoxovanadium Cationic Clusters Decorated with Organic Ligands-[MVIV6O6-{(OCH2CH2)2N(CH2CH2OH)}2]X (M = Li, X = Cl-LiCl; M = Na, X = Cl-H2O; M = Mg, X = 2Br-H2O; M = Mn, Fe, X = 2Cl; M = Co, Ni, X = 2Cl-H2O)," M.I Khan, S. Tabussum, R.J. Doedens, V.O. Golub, and C.J. O'Connor, Inorg. Chem., 43(19), 2004, 5850-5859. |
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