Y.C. Jerry Jean

Curators’ Professor of Chemistry and Physics

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Current Research Interests

Our research interest is in the area of material sciences and physical chemistry. Our research goal is to look for better materials that are important for the current chemical, life science, and electronic industries.

Our research involves three approaches: (1) material preparation and synthesis, (2) chemical, medical, and physical characterization, and (3) theoretical understanding. We are particularly interested in novel materials possessing high technological importance with application to the chemical and life science industry. Materials of interest include oxide superconductors, charge-transfer organic conductors and superconductors, C₆₀ and nano-structural compounds, non-linear optical polymers, multi-layer polymer coatings, polymer-oxide composites, zeolite-base catalysts, organic/polymer crystals, the skin, drug-delivery polymers, and cancerous cells.

The major emphasis of our research approach is on the characterization of physical, chemical, biological, and engineering properties of materials. We have focused our instrumental development, specializing in nanoscopic (i.e., in angstrom level), in-situ, non-destructive, non-invasive, and non-conventional investigations. At UMKC, we have developed an innovative nuclear technique, positron annihilation spectroscopy, which involves using the anti-particle of the electron--the positron, and gamma-ray spectroscopy. The unique information from this method includes: local electronic density, momentum density, atomic level defect at ppm level, Fermi surface, cavity, free volume, hole, and pore distribution from 0.1-2 nm. We also employ other analytical techniques for complete materials characterizations, such as FTIR, DSC, NMR, ESR, SAN, X-rays, AFM, ICP, and SEM instruments. In our quest for better materials, we employ quantum mechanical methods—ab initio and band structure—to understand material properties, to interpret the experimental results and to gather feedback.

Our recent research projects are:

1. Characterizing atomic defect and surface properties of aircraft coatings (AFOSR).
2. Analysis of physical and chemical deterioration of polymeric coatings for structural steel (NSF).
3. Predicting long-term performance from nano-molecular degradation for polymeric coatings (NIST).
4. Positron annihilation with skin cancer (RIF-UMKC).
5. Paint durability and degradations (Chemical Industry).
6. Plastic performance and gas separations (Chemical Industry).
7. Zeolite-based catalysts (Chemical Industry).