Acquah, Steve

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Chemistry Research Professor / DML Unit Coordinator
Last Name
Acquah
First Name
Steve
Discipline
Chemistry
Education
Materials Science and Engineering
Expertise
Carbon Nanotubes
Educational Outreach
Fullerenes
Introduction
I completed my doctorate at the University of Sussex (United Kingdom) under the supervision of the Nobel Laureate Sir Harold Kroto, Dr. David Walton and Prof. Dek Woolfson working on a collaboration based on self-assembling alpha-helical coiled coils for tissue engineering. During my time at Sussex, I was the manager of the Chemistry Society, Science Society and the University of Sussex Symphony Orchestra where I also served as principal violist. I moved to Florida State University as a Postdoctoral Associate to direct the Kroto Research Group, focusing on carbon nanotube-based technologies such as hydrogen sensors, piezoelectric devices, and fullerene-based solar cells. Steve was awarded the status of Chartered Chemist (CChem) and Chartered Scientist (CSci) by the Royal Society of Chemistry and The Science Council. The Chartered status is only awarded by Institutions that operate under the Royal Charter by the British Monarch. Steve is director of the Global Educational Outreach for Science Engineering and Technology (GEOSET) which includes a Studio at Florida State University, and coordinates on the technical requirements of the international GEOSET partner institutions. At UMass Amherst my role is to lead the Digital Media Lab and foster collaborations with departments, and organizations outside the university in the development of media projects, 3D Printing research and Virtual Reality technology.
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2016 - 20182
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Structural and Optical Properties of Nanocrystalline TiO2 with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Its Photovoltaic Studies Using Ru(II) Sensitizers
    (2018-01) Delekar, Sagar D.; Dhodamani, Ananta G.; More, Krantiveer V.; Dongale, Tukaram D.; Kamat, Rajanish K.; Acquah, Steve; Dalal, Naresh S.; Panda, Dilip K.
    In this study, the in situ solā€“gel method has been deployed to prepare the titanium dioxide/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (TiO2/MWCNTs) nanocomposite (NCs) powders with varying content of MWCNTs (0.01ā€“1.0 wt %), to construct the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). First, binder-free NCs were deposited on a transparent-conducting F:SnO2 (FTO) glass substrate by a doctor-blade technique and then anchored with Ru(II)-based dyes to either N719 or ruthenium phthalocyanine (RuPc). The structural and optical properties and interconnectivity of the materials within the composite are investigated thoroughly by various spectral techniques (XRD, XPS, Raman, FT-IR, and UVā€“vis), electron microscopy (HRTEM), and BET analysis. The experimental results suggest that the ratio of MWCNTs and TiO2 in NCs, morphology, and their interconnectivity influenced their structural, optical, and photovoltaic properties significantly. Finally, the photovoltaic performances of the assembled DSSCs with different content of MWCNTs to TiO2 films anchored with two different dyes were tested under one sun irradiation (100 mW/cm2). The measured currentā€“voltage (IV) curve and incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency (IPCE) spectra of TiO2/0.1 wt % MWCNTs (T@0.1 C) for N719 dye show three times more power conversion efficiency (Ī· = 6.21%) which is opposed to an efficiency (Ī· = 2.07%) of T@0.1 C for RuPc dye under the same operating conditions.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene as Additives in 3D Printing
    (2016-01) Al-Hariri, Lara A; Leonhardt, Branden; Nowotarski, Mesopotamia; Magi, James; Chambliss, Kaelynn; Venzel, ThaĆ­s; Delekar, Sagar; Acquah, Steve
    3D printing is a revolutionary technology for the consumer and industrial markets. As the technology for 3D printing has expanded, the need for multi-materials that support fused deposition modeling and other forms of additive manufacturing is increasing. 3D printing filaments infused with carbon nanotubes and graphene are now commercially available, with the promise of producing conductive composites. This chapter explores some of the research, products, and challenges involved in bringing the next generation of functional printing materials to the consumer market.