Borca-Tasciuc Examines Effects of Heat and Energy Transfer at the Nanoscale

Troy, N.Y. - Theodorian Borca-Tasciuc, director of the Nanoscale Thermophysics and Energy Conversion Laboratory (NanoTEC) and assistant professor of mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Borca-Tasciuc will use the $451,413 grant to study heat transport and energy conversion in materials and electrical devices at the nanoscale.

Borca-Tasciuc is merging science and engineering capabilities at Rensselaer to develop new techniques for measuring electric current and heat transfer properties across various types of nanojunctions where nanotube fibers and metals connect. As computer chips and other electronic devices get smaller and smaller, the flow of heat and energy becomes a more important variable in how efficiently they operate.

Borca-Tasciuc's research may be applied to the future design and development of nanoelectronics and highly efficient thermoelectric energy conversion devices. One example is temperature control of next-generation computer chips - a task that becomes all the more difficult as the size of computer chips decrease.

"The flow and conversion of energy in nanostructured materials is an unexplored domain which is becoming increasingly important as these materials make their way into electronic devices," said Arthur Sanderson, vice president for research at Rensselaer. "Borca-Tasciuc's research will play a fundamental role in understanding thermal and thermoelectric transport properties in nanoscale materials leading to new devices such as microscale heating and cooling units and commercially viable thermoelectric power generators."

Borca-Tasciuc's research will be incorporated into the classroom at Rensselaer through a combination of course materials, laboratory demonstration experiments, and interactive learning modules. He will also use his research to develop hands-on exhibits in collaboration with the Junior Museum of Troy and create outreach programs with schools throughout New York's Capital Region.

The CAREER Award is given to faculty members at the beginning of their careers and is one of the NSF's most competitive and prestigious awards, placing emphasis on high-quality research and novel education initiatives.

Borca-Tasciuc joined the Rensselaer faculty in 2001. He is a collaborator on nanotechnology research associated with Rensselaer's Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures, one of only six NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers in the United States. Borca-Tasciuc earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering in 2000 from the University of California at Los Angeles and a bachelor's in physics in 1995 from Bucharest University, Romania.

Contact: Mary Cimo
Phone: (518) 687-7174
E-mail: cimom@rpi.edu