Biographical Sketch

Brian graduated with High Distinction with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois-Urbana in 1986, and received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the U. of Wisconsin-Madison in 1987 and 1991, respectively. Nanostructured materials and materials processing are Brian’s primary research areas of interest. In particular, his research focuses on functionalize nanoparticles and structure-property relationships in novel hybrid nanocomposites. His professional activities have included Chair and Newsletter co-editor for the AIChE Materials Engineering and Science Division (MESD); Chair of the AIChE New Orleans Local Section; and Chair of the AIChE 2004 Spring National Meeting General Arrangements Committee. Material and Energy Balances, Materials Science, Polymer Engineering and Science, and Material and Energy Balances are some of the courses he teaches. His research experiences include an NSF-NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University Karlsruhe, a German Academic Exchange Fellowship at the University of Freiberg/Sachsen and the German Federal Materials Laboratory, and an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship at the German Aerospace Agency. He has also served as an industrial consultant to ExxonMobil, Laitrum, and LLB. In addition to over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings and patents, he is the author of the textbook “Materials Engineering and Science for Chemical and Materials Engineers." Brian has given over 30 national and international presentations, including two dozen presentations to Louisiana elementary school children though the state’s “Speaking of Science” program. 

Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

Research Interests

Nanostructured Materials; Fiber Technology, Materials Processing, Composites

Nanostructured materials are those materials that have some critical dimension on the order of 100 nanometers or less. In the case of semicrystalline and polycrystalline materials, this is often the crystallite size, but may also include particle size. Nanocrystalline ceramics can have interesting bulk properties since their microstructure (or nanostructure) now consists of a large interfacial component. Our work is aimed at understanding the formation of nanocrystalline domains in a variety of materials; including metal oxide ceramics such as mullite, metals such as aluminum, and polymers such as Nafion. Once formed, the manifestation of nanostructure in terms of bulk physical properties such as elastic modulus and thermal expansion is evaluated. In particular, the development of nanocomposites from a combination of various materials is investigated via High Energy Ball Milling and Hot Isostatic Pressing.

Current Graduate Students

• Steffen Hallmann (Functionalization of Silicon Nanoparticles for Biological Applications)
• Ryan Schexnaydre (Solid State Polymer Blends)
• Amanda Moster (Hybrid Nafion/Ceramic Nancomposite Membranes)
• Cindy Hetzer (Environmental Transport of Manufactured Nanoparticles)
• Andrew Heintz (Mechanochemical Synthesis of Surface Functionalized Silicon Nanoparticles)

Right: Nafion membrane produced from solid state processing of polymer pellets.

Teaching

1. Material and Energy Balances (CENG 211)
2. Probability and Statistics (CENG 221)
3. Transport Phenomena II (CENG 333)
4. Unit Operations Laboratory I (CENG 324)
5. Unit Operations Laboratory II (CENG 325)
6. Polymer Engineering and Science (CENG 489/689)
7. Advanced Materials Design (CENG 742)
8. Materials Science and Engineering (ENGR 312)
9. Practice School

Publications

1. Heintz, A.S., J.E. Gonzales, M.J. Fink, and B.S. Mitchell, “Catalyzed Self-Aldol Reaction of Valeraldehyde via a Mechanochemical Method" J. Mol. Catal. A, 304, 117-120 (2009).
2. Moster, A.L. and B.S. Mitchell, “Hydration and Proton Conduction in Nafion®/Ceramic Nanocomposite Membranes Produced by Solid State Processing of Powders from Mechanical Attrition,” J. App. Pol. Sci., 113[1] 243-250 (2009).
3. Moster, A.L. and B.S. Mitchell, “Mechanical and Hydration Properties of Nafion®/Ceramic Nanocomposite Membranes Produced by Mechanical Attrition,” J. App. Pol. Sci., 111[2] 1144-1150 (2009).
4. Schexnaydre, R. and B.S. Mitchell, “Solid State Blending of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) with Polystyrene: Extent of PET Amorphization and Compositional Effects on Crystallization,” J. Pol. Sci. B Pol. Phys., 46[13], 1348-1359 (2008).
5. Schexnaydre, R. and B.S. Mitchell, “Solid State Blending of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) with Polystyrene: Extent of Compatibilization and its Dependence on Blend Composition,” Pol. Eng. Sci., 48[4], 649-655 (2008).
6. Heintz, A., M. Fink and B.S. Mitchell, "Mechanochemical Synthesis of Alkyl/Alkenyl-Passivated Silicon Nanoparticles," Adv. Mat., 19[22], 3984-3988 (2007).
7. Schexnaydre, R. and B.S. Mitchell, "Synchrotron Infrared Microspectroscopy Characterization of Heterogeneities in Solid-State Blended Polymers," Mat. Let., 61, 2151–2155 (2007).
8. Mitchell, B.S., H. Ashbaugh, J. Prindle, and V.T. John, "From Survival to Renewal - Katrina and its Aftermath at Tulane's Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department," Chem. Eng. Ed., Spring, 80-87 (2006).
9. Mitchell, B.S., "Formation and Characterization of Highly Interfacial Hybrid Nanocomposites," Rev. Adv. Mat. Sci., Advanced Center Study, St. Petersburg, Russia, 10[3], 239-242 (2005).
10. De Castro, C.L., and B.S. Mitchell, "Crystal growth kinetics of nanocrystalline aluminum prepared by mechanical attrition in nylon media," Mat. Sci. Eng. A, 396[1-2],124-128 (2005).
11. Mitchell, B.S. and V. J. Law, "Community-Based Presentations in the Unit Operations Laboratory," Chem. Eng. Ed., 39[2], 160-163(2005).
12. Roy, S., I.S. Dubenko, M. Khan, E.M. Condon, J. Craig, M. Ali, W. Liu and B.S. Mitchell, "Magnetic Properties of Perovskite-derived Air-Synthesized RBaCo₂O_5+d(R=La-Ho) Compounds," Phys. Rev. B, 71, 024419-1 (2005).
13. Haynes, S.D. and B.S. Mitchell, "Preparation and Characterization of Ball-Milled Nafion Powders for Membrane Applications," J. App. Pol. Sci., 93[5], 2275–2281 (2004).
14. Hampsey, J.E., C. De Castro, B. McCaughey, D. Wang, B.S. Mitchell and Y. Lu, "Preparation of Micron and Sub-Micron Sized Nanostructured Silica Particles Using High Energy Ball Milling," J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 87[7], 1280-1286 (2004).
15. Decastro, C. and B.S. Mitchell, "The Use of Polymeric Milling Media in the Reduction of Contamination During Mechanical Attrition," J. Mat. Res., 17[12], 2997-2999 (2002).
16. Decastro, C. and B.S. Mitchell, "Nanoparticles from Mechanical Attrition," in Advances in Nanophase Materials and Nanotechnology, M.I. Barton, editor, American Scientific Publishers, 2002.
17. Muller E, D. Kurtenbach, G. Roewer, E. Brendler, and B.S. Mitchell, "Crystallization Kinetics of Polysilane Derived SiC," Key Eng. Mat., 206[2], 55-58, (2002)
18. Zhang, H.Y., N. Maljkovic, and B.S. Mitchell, "Structure and Interfacial Properties of Nanocrystalline Aluminum/Mullite Composites," Mat. Sci. Eng. A, 326[2], 315-321 (2002).
19. Mitchell, B.S., "Nanocrystallinity in Heat-Treated Calcium Aluminate Fibers," Mat. Lett., 48[5], 316-318 (2001)
20. Mitchell, B.S., “MicroRaman Analysis of Calcium Aluminate Fibers Formed by Inviscid Melt Spinning (IMS),” Mat. Lett., 45[2], 138-142 (2000).
21. Xiao, Z. and B.S. Mitchell, "Mullite Decomposition Kinetics and Melt Stabilization in the Temperature Range 1900-2000 C," J. Am. Cer. Soc., 83[4], 761-767, (2000).
22. Zhang, H. and B.S. Mitchell, "A Method for Determining Crystallization Kinetic Parameters from One Non-isothermal Calorimetric Experiment," J. Mat. Res., 15[4], 1000-1007 (2000).
23. Fondeur, F. and B.S. Mitchell, "A Modified Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy Cell for Depth Profiling of Ceramic Fibers" Spectrochim. Acta A, 56, 467-473 (2000).