Prof makes strides in carbon research

Stronger than diamonds and more expensive than gold, nanotubes are becoming the new face of technology, thanks to Penn professor David Luzzi. Last evening, Luzzi -- a professor in the department of Material Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science -- received the George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research. The award was presented to him at the end of the Fourth Annual Penn Engineering Research Symposium. "This is a grand occasion for us," Engineering School Dean Eduardo Glandt said. The award was given in recognition of the novelty of Luzzi's work on bionanotechnology and to emphasize its impact on research. As part of the event, Luzzi -- who has been investigating nanotechnology since 1990 -- held a lecture entitled "Peapods: Tunable Materials for Nanoscience and Technology" in which he discussed his research with nanotubes. Nanotubes are single-wall sheets of graphite molecules -- a form of carbon -- which can be rolled up to form pods. These structures possess a strength superior to that of diamonds. "This is probably the strongest material that will ever be made," Luzzi said. When filled with molecules, these nanotubes are called peapods. Under these conditions, nanotubes become excellent thermoconductors. In some cases, they conduct electricity as well. Nanotechnology "is really in its infancy," he added. "But the progress has been enormous." Luzzi is now continuing to investigate new ways to work with nanotechnology. "We are searching for new, interesting functionality designs," Luzzi said. Concluding his lecture, the professor expressed the goal he and his colleagues hold for the employment of peapods in future research. "Peapods will be a nanomaterial technology platform with the potential to expand the functionality and applications of single-wall carbon nanotubes," Luzzi said. After the lecture ended, the professor entertained a few questions from the audience, one of which concerned the current availability of nanotechnology. "The bulk of production of nanotubes is still a challenge because it is very expensive -- more than gold," Luzzi said. "But the price is going down." Luzzi's lecture was warmly received by an audience of about 200, made up mostly of faculty members, students and the professor's collaborators. Engineering junior Gregory Le May, a material science and engineering major, attended the lecture because he had Luzzi as a professor. "We liked him a lot, so we came to see what his research was," he said. Le May thought that it was "definitely interesting to just know that he's on the cutting edge of things."