UM Chemistry/Research/Farhat

Tarek R. Farhat, Assistant Professor

Research

My research interests are a combination of analytical (instrument design) and materials (polymers and colloids) chemistry. Focus is on thin film polymer technology implemented in electrode design, separations, drug delivery, anticorrosion & catalysis, power sources, and detectors.

Apply VB6 programs in computer aided learning.

Research areas:

1- Development of catalyzed thin conducting electrodes for solid state electrochemical devices used on detection and power generation.

2-Use a patented home made "automated flow deposition system" to assemble thin films, powder and cavity coating, and other applications.

3-Use superhydrophobic coatings in the design of miniature analytical devices.

3-Hydrodynamic diffusion systems for analytical and industrial scale separation and purification.

Students are expected to operate home-made instruments, LBL deposition systems, and many analytical methods such as electrochemical (AC Impedance and Cyclic voltammetry), spectroscopic (FTIR, UV-Vis, AAS, ...), surface analysis (SEM, TEM, AFM,...), and chromatography (GC, HPLC, ...). In certain areas students are also expected to do some computer simulation.

Patents and patent pending:

1-T. R. Farhat, P. T. Hammond, "Fabrication of Carbon-Polymer Electrochemical Systems Using Layer-By-Layer Technology" 2004, US Patent Serial No. 10/944.

2-Designing an "Automated Flow Deposition System" for layer-by-layer assembly.

3-"Hydrodynamic Diffusion Systems" for Molecular Separation.

4-A New Concept In Dynamic Hydrogen Fuel Cells: The "Rotary Fuel Cell".

Publications:

1-Farhat, Tarek R.; Hammond, Paula T. Designing a new generation of proton-exchange membranes using layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolytes. Advanced Functional Materials 15(6), 945-954, 2005.

2-Farhat, Tarek R.; Hammond, Paula T. Fabrication of 'Soft' Membrane Electrode Assembly Using Layer-By-Layer Technology, Advanced Functional Materials , 2006,16(3), 433-444.

3-Farhat, Tarek R.; Hammond, Paula T. Engineering Ionic And Electronic Conductivity in Polymer Catalytic Electrodes Using the Layer-By-Layer Technique, Chem. Mater., accepted

4-Farhat, Tarek R. Computer aided learning in chemical education with emphasis on quantitative methods. Abstracts of Papers, 227th ACS National Meeting, Anaheim, CA, United States, March 28-April 1, 2004.

5-Farhat, Tarek R.; Schlenoff, Joseph B. Doping-Controlled Ion Diffusion in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers: Mass Transport in Reluctant Exchangers. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 125(15), 4627-4636, 2003.

6-Farhat, Tarek R.; Schlenoff, Joseph B. Corrosion control using polyelectrolyte multilayers. Electrochemical and Solid-State Letters, 5(4), B13-B15, 2002.

7-Farhat, Tarek R.; Schlenoff, Joseph B. Ion Transport and Equilibria in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers. Langmuir, 17(4), 1184-1192, 2001.