B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1958; Ph.D., Harvard University, 1965; Postdoctoral, Harvard University, 1964-1966.
Emory Williams Teaching Award (1998), American Institute of Engineering Education-Summer fellow at Naval Research Laboratory, Summer 1982.
Current Research Interests
Chemical Vapor Synthesis of Diamond
Over the past decade there have been tremendous advances in the ability to deposit diamonds and diamond-like coatings onto substrates from gaseous mixture (usually of carbon and hydrogen) at low or ambient pressures. These advances suggest that by the twenty-first century diamond films will find increasing use as extremely hard, low friction, chemically resistant and light-transmitting coatings, with a very high electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity. These properties would be advantageous for coatings on lenses, tools and as heat sinks for a variety of electronic components. Progress has also been made in growing single crystal diamonds with controlled levels of boron and nitrogen dopants, that would be useful as high-performance semiconductor devices.
The major challenges in chemical-vapor diamond synthesis are to grow high-quality diamond films quickly, at as low a temperature as possible, and to grow single-crystal diamonds on a variety of substrates. Much is yet to be learned concerning the detailed mechanism of the diamond growth process. We have performed highly-controlled experiments that have contributed to understanding in this area.
Combustion in halogens
We have had considerable experience investigating flames in which the oxidants are halogens, rather than oxygen. For example, we have used the luminescence from F--2 - H2 -CH4 flames to reveal interesting chemistry occurring in this system. Chlorine-supported flames have been studied as a method for diamond deposition.
Educational areas
In teaching physical chemistry, new approaches for presenting thermodynamics are needed. This is the purpose of Principles of Thermodynamics , a text that is under preparation. This text includes discussion of the steady-state, which is needed to model biological and engineering systems.
In the laboratory of physical chemistry courses, experiments are needed that are simple to operate and maintain, but reveal the fundamental ideas of the subject. A number of experiments adhering to these principles have been developed.
In teaching atmospheric chemistry, many of the systematics of the atmosphere can be revealed by simple computer models of the atmosphere. Experimental projects are being designed to supplement the class work in the atmospheric chemistry course.
Recent Publications
Kaufman, M. "Principles of Thermodynamics" New York: Marcel Dekker. 2002.
Kaufman, M.J. and Trowbridge, C.G. "The Ionization Energy of Helium." J. Chemical Education, 1999, 76, 88.
Kaufman, M. and Tarr, J. "Diamond Film Deposition from the Reaction of Hydrogen Atoms with Acetaldehyde." 1998, 7, 1328.
Kaufman, M.; Moore, C. and Erickson, M. "Luminescence from Hydrogen-Fluorine Flames, Dilute in Methane." Comb. Flame, 1991, 87, 136. |
