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AARON TAN1533 McIntyre Drive | Ann Arbor, MI 48105 | (734) 565-9971 | [email protected]
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering 2012University of MichiganDissertation topic: Probing charge transport in molecular junctions
B.A.Sc., Engineering Science (Nanoengineering) 2007University of Toronto
EXPERIENCE
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow — PI: Peter Green 2012–presentLaboratory for Complex Materials and Thin Film Research — University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, MI, USA
• Project 1: effect of soft interfaces on the dynamics of polymer thin fi lms• Developed an AFM-based technique called Nanoscale Dielectric Spectroscopy (NDS) to measure dynamics
of poly vinyl acetate (PVAc) thin fi lms confi ned below an upper polymeric fi lm (e.g. PS or TMPC)• Discovered a correlation between the stiffness and interfacial energy of the upper confi ning fi lm and the
dynamics of the underlying PVAc fi lm• Integrated external electronics (lock-in amplifi ers, home-built voltage amplifi er, oscilloscope) and data
acquisition programs (LabVIEW) with AFM to perform NDS measurement
• Project 2: morphology-dependent thermal conductivity of ferroelectric polymer thin fi lms• Built a 3-omega apparatus to study the relationship between semi-crystalline morphology and cross-
plane thermal conductivity of PVDF-TrFE thin fi lms• Characterized polymer chain orientation using FTIR
• Project 3: studying the nanoscale viscoelastic properties of living cells• Utilized an AFM nanoindentation technique to measure the frequency-dependent rheological properties
of blood cells cells and drug delivery systems in liquid• Used viscoelastic properties of blood cells as a platform to optimize rigidity of drug delivery systems
Graduate Student Research Assistant — PI: Pramod Reddy 2007–2012Nanoscale Energy Transport Lab — University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, MI, USA
• Developed a new method to measure the electrical/thermoelectric properties of metal-molecule-metal junctions via the use of a customized AFM (Agilent 5500)
• Related the measured Seebeck coeffi cients of molecules to the electronic structure to determine the alignment of the chemical potential to frontier molecular orbitals in molecular junctions
• Built and utilized ultra-sensitive low-noise electronics to measure nano-/microscale signals• Verifi ed formation and thickness of monolayers using XPS, ellipsometry, SEM, and FTIR• Microfabricated AFM probes with embedded thermocouples for thermal transport measurements
Symposium Co-Chair 2011Engineering Graduate Symposium — University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, MI, USA
• Organized a day-long event showcasing research performed in doctoral and master’s engineering pro-grams at the university, and involving over 500 current and prospective graduate students
• Coordinated poster sessions, departmental visits, industry sponsorships, and featured speakers
Undergraduate Research Assistant 2006–2007Smart and Adaptive Polymers Lab — University of Toronto — Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Synthesized poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA)/silicate nanocomposites using an in-situ suspension polymerization technique
• Confi rmed the dispersion of silicate lamellae throughout the PMMA matrix via TEM• Investigated the effects of additives on properties of polymer foams, such as cell size and cell density• Performed a comprehensive literature review of synthesis methods available for obtaining exfoliated
polymer-silicate nanocomposites• Developed a synthesis route for obtaining exfoliated nanocomposites using surface modifi cation and
polymer blending of PMMA and LDPE
PUBLICATIONS• Tan, A., Green, P. F. “The effect of asymmetrical confi nement on the dynamics of polymer thin fi lms.”
In review.• Tan, A., Zhou, J., Green, P. F. “Thermally induced chain orientation for improved thermal conductivity
of P(VDF-TrFE) thin fi lms.” In review.• B. X. Dong, B. Huang, A. Tan, P.F. Green, “Nanoscale Orientation Effects on Carrier Transport in a Low-
Band-Gap Polymer.” Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 118 (2014)• Tan, A., Balachandran, J., Dunietz, B., Jang, S., Gavini, V., Reddy, P. “Length Dependence of Frontier
Orbital Alignment in Aromatic Molecular Junctions”, Applied Physics Letters, 101 (2012)• Tan, A., Balachandran, J., Sadat, S., Gavini, V., Dunietz, B., Jang, S., Reddy, P. “Effect of Length and
Contact Chemistry on the Electronic Structure and Thermoelectric Properties of Molecular Junctions”, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Communications, 133 (2011)
• Sadat, S., Tan, A., Chua, Y., Reddy, P. “Nanoscale Thermometry Using Point Contact Thermocouples”. Nano Letters, 10 (2010)
• Tan, A., Sadat, S., Reddy, P. “Measurement of Thermopower and Current-Voltage Characteristics of Molecular Junctions to Identify Orbital Alignment”. Applied Physics Letters, 96 (2010)
PRESENTATIONS• Center for Solar and Thermal Energy Conversion Symposium, University of Michigan, 2011• “Thermoelectric Effects in Molecular Junctions”. MRS Spring Meeting. San Francisco, CA, 2011• Graduate Research Symposium, University of Michigan, 2009• Undergraduate Research Day, University of Toronto, 2009
AWARDS• MCubed research grant, University of Michigan, 2015
2-year grant for interdisciplinary research on mechanical properties of biological systems• Graduate Student Research Assistantship, University of Michigan, 2007–2012• College of Engineering – Best GSI of the Year Award, University of Michigan, 2012
for serving as teaching assistant to Introduction to Materials course, MSE 250 • Rackham Graduate School – Outstanding GSI Award nominee, University of Michigan, 2012• College of Engineering – Best GSI of the Year Award nominee, University of Michigan, 2011• College of Engineering – Distinguished Leadership Award nominee, University of Michigan, 2011• Highest score in doctoral exams, Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, 2008• NSERC Undergraduate Student Research Award, University of Toronto, 2006
SKILLS• Materials characterization: AFM, FTIR, UV-Vis, DSC, SEM, EDS, • Profi cient in MATLAB, Mathematica, LabVIEW, Igor• Basic analog circuit design and fabrication• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, Encore)
REFERENCES
Peter GreenDeputy Laboratory Director, Science and TechnologyNational Renewal Energy [email protected]
Pramod Sangi ReddyProfessor, Mechanical EngineeringUniversity of [email protected]
George WynarskyLecturer, Materials Science and EngineeringUniversity of [email protected]
