Current Research

     Research in the Eckhardt group centers on organic materials and organic solid-state chemistry. Systems being investigated range over nanotribology, mechanochemistry, energetic materials (propellants and explosives), supramolecules and organic ferroelectrics. The program has both theoretical and experimental components and involves a wide variety of techniques: Brillouin and Raman scattering, UV-Vis emission, reflection and absorption spectroscopy from 4K to 300K, friction force microscopy, contact angle goniometry, very low temperature calorimetry, high pressure spectroscopy using diamond anvil cells and very low frequency FTIR spectroscopy, surface potential, viscosity and pressure measurements, and Brewster angle microscopy.
Currently, the mechanisms of direct conversion of mechanical energy (without thermalization) into chemical processes are being studied. Mechanochemistry relates to the mechanism of detonation, new approaches to formation of new materials, processing of pharmaceuticals and phenomena such as triboluminescence. In the case of energetic materials, the quest is to obtain great stability (low sensitivity) to mechanical shock with great explosive power. Other active research areas involve photonics (development of novel organic ferroelectric materials that have photoinduced phase transitions) and nanotribology (formulation of organic monolayers that have unique frictional properties). Nanosystems are being investigated through supramolecules of inclusion compounds that are important for many medical and industrial applications, control of solid-state reactions and developing new ferroelastic materials.

Prof. Eckhardt is a Fulbright Fellow for 2006.

Recent Key Publications

Haycraft, James J.; DeVries, Christine A.; Garcia Flores, Harry; Lech, Angelika; Hagen, James P.; Eckhardt, Craig J. Experimental Investigation of the Reversible Collapse of a Capped Amphiphile Langmuir Monolayer. Thin Solid Films (2006), In press.

Haycraft, James J.; Stevens, Lewis L.; Eckhardt, Craig J., Single-crystal, polarizaed, Raman scattering study of the molecular and lattice vibrations for the energetic material cyclotrimethylene. Journal of Applied Physics (2006), 100, 053508/1-053508/9.

Haycraft, James J.; Stevens, Lewis L.; Eckhardt, Craig J. The elastic constants and related properties of the energetic material cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) determined by Brillouin scattering. Journal of Chemical Physics (2006), 124(2), 024712/1-024712/11.

Stevens, Lewis L.; Haycraft, James J.; Eckhardt, Craig J. Single-Crystal, Polarized Raman-Scattering Study of the Molecular and Lattice Vibrations for the Energetic Material Cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine, beta -Polymorph (beta -HMX). Crystal Growth & Design (2005), 5(6), 2060-2065.

Stevens, Lewis L.; Eckhardt, Craig J.The elastic constants and related properties of beta -HMX determined by Brillouin scattering. Journal of Chemical Physics (2005), 122(17), 174701/1-174701/8.

Selbo, J. G.; Haycraft, J. J.; Eckhardt, C. J. Elastic and Thermodynamic Properties of Dianin's Inclusion Compounds and Their Guest-Host Interactions. Journal of Physical Chemistry B (2003), 107(40), 11163-11169.

Selbo, Jon G.; Desper, John M.; Eckhardt, Craig J. Structural studies of guest-host interactions in Dianin's clathrates. Journal of Inclusion Phenomena and Macrocyclic Chemistry (2003), 45(1-2), 73-78.

Luty, Tadeusz; Ordon, Piotr; Eckhardt, Craig J. A model for mechanochemical transformations: Applications to molecular hardness, instabilities, and shock initiation of reaction. Journal of Chemical Physics (2002), 117(4), 1775-1785.

Eckhardt, Craig J.; Luty, Tadeusz. A solid-state approach to Langmuir monolayers, their phases, phase transitions, and design. Handbook of Thin Film Materials (2002), 2 685-733.

Recent Graduates and Current Affiliations

· L. L. Stevens, Postdoctoral Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory
· J. J. Haycraft, Research Chemist, Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, CA
· Jon G. Selbo, Staff Scientist, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, St. Louis, MO