Richard S. Potember

Last updated
Richard Stanley Potember
Born
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Merrimack College (BS) Johns Hopkins University (MA, MS, Ph.D.)
Occupation(s) Scientist and Inventor
Known for Molecular electronics

Nonlinear optics

Biomedical engineering

Biological neural networks

Biotechnology

Richard S. Potember is an American scientist and inventor. He is currently a principal systems engineer at MITRE. Prior to this he was a program manager in the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He has been an instructor at the Whiting School of Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University [1] since 1987. He was a member of the principal professional staff at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, from 1981 to 2015. He served as an adjunct professor at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies from 1995 to 1998. He is best known for his pioneering work in developing electrical and optical materials and devices, as well as for his biomedical and biodefense research.

Contents

Education

Potember was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He completed his B.S. in chemistry from Merrimack College in 1975 and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in chemistry in 1979, where his adviser was Dwaine O. Cowan. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in 1980. He received an M.S. in technical management from the Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University in 1986. [2]

Research

Potember was first known for his groundbreaking work in molecular electronics. [3] [4] He invented the first two-terminal molecular non-volatile memory or memristor [5] [6] [7] [8] as well as an optical disc technology [9] [10] that can store multiple bits of information at one location. He also co-invented a sol-gel processed switchable vanadium(IV) oxide thin film coating for energy conservation applications. [11] [12]

Potember's recent achievements have focused on biotechnology and biomedical engineering. He performed pioneering work that demonstrated individual living nerve cells can be grown into controlled geometric patterns on substrates and these neurons can form true synaptic connections. [13] [14] [15] He also invented a pathogen neutralization technology [16] that can be used to destroy viruses, bacteria and spores real-time in ventilated air, and in heating or air conditioning systems.

Potember has also conducted research and development in the areas of time-of-flight mass spectrometry [17] [18] and solid propellants.

Commercial activities

Potember holds fourteen U.S. patents. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] His inventions have been licensed to industry five times.

Personal life

Potember has two sons and lives with his wife in Maryland.

Awards and achievements

His inventions in the field of biodefense were the basis for the formation of the Biodefense Research Group Inc., (BDRGI). [32] Potember was the recipient of the APL Master Inventor Award in 2007 and the APL Inventor of the Year Award in 2004. [33] [34] He received a commendation from the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in 1989 for his work on optical switching materials. [35]

Community involvement

Potember served as a trustee at Goucher College for a full ten-year term (1996–2005). [36] He served on Howard County, Maryland Economic Development Authority Center for Business and Technology. He delivered hands-on science and engineering lectures to students in the Howard County, Maryland, school system. He served as a youth sailing instructor at the Potapskut Sailing Association, Pasadena, Maryland.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organic electronics</span> Field of materials science

Organic electronics is a field of materials science concerning the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of organic molecules or polymers that show desirable electronic properties such as conductivity. Unlike conventional inorganic conductors and semiconductors, organic electronic materials are constructed from organic (carbon-based) molecules or polymers using synthetic strategies developed in the context of organic chemistry and polymer chemistry.

Photoconductivity is an optical and electrical phenomenon in which a material becomes more electrically conductive due to the absorption of electromagnetic radiation such as visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared light, or gamma radiation.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a ternary composition of indium, tin and oxygen in varying proportions. Depending on the oxygen content, it can be described as either a ceramic or an alloy. Indium tin oxide is typically encountered as an oxygen-saturated composition with a formulation of 74% In, 8% Sn, and 18% O by weight. Oxygen-saturated compositions are so typical that unsaturated compositions are termed oxygen-deficient ITO. It is transparent and colorless in thin layers, while in bulk form it is yellowish to gray. In the infrared region of the spectrum it acts as a metal-like mirror.

Non-volatile memory (NVM) or non-volatile storage is a type of computer memory that can retain stored information even after power is removed. In contrast, volatile memory needs constant power in order to retain data.

Organic semiconductors are solids whose building blocks are pi-bonded molecules or polymers made up by carbon and hydrogen atoms and – at times – heteroatoms such as nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen. They exist in the form of molecular crystals or amorphous thin films. In general, they are electrical insulators, but become semiconducting when charges are either injected from appropriate electrodes, upon doping or by photoexcitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrochromism</span>

Electrochromism is a phenomenon in which a material displays changes in color or opacity in response to an electrical stimulus. In this way, a smart window made of an electrochromic material can block specific wavelengths of ultraviolet, visible or (near) infrared light. The ability to control the transmittance of near-infrared light can increase the energy efficiency of a building, reducing the amount of energy needed to cool during summer and heat during winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organic field-effect transistor</span> Type of field-effect transistor

An organic field-effect transistor (OFET) is a field-effect transistor using an organic semiconductor in its channel. OFETs can be prepared either by vacuum evaporation of small molecules, by solution-casting of polymers or small molecules, or by mechanical transfer of a peeled single-crystalline organic layer onto a substrate. These devices have been developed to realize low-cost, large-area electronic products and biodegradable electronics. OFETs have been fabricated with various device geometries. The most commonly used device geometry is bottom gate with top drain and source electrodes, because this geometry is similar to the thin-film silicon transistor (TFT) using thermally grown SiO2 as gate dielectric. Organic polymers, such as poly(methyl-methacrylate) (PMMA), can also be used as dielectric. One of the benefits of OFETs, especially compared with inorganic TFTs, is their unprecedented physical flexibility, which leads to biocompatible applications, for instance in the future health care industry of personalized biomedicines and bioelectronics.

Chalcogenide glass is a glass containing one or more chalcogens. Polonium is also a chalcogen but is not used because of its strong radioactivity. Chalcogenide materials behave rather differently from oxides, in particular their lower band gaps contribute to very dissimilar optical and electrical properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flow battery</span> Type of electrochemical cell

A flow battery, or redox flow battery, is a type of electrochemical cell where chemical energy is provided by two chemical components dissolved in liquids that are pumped through the system on separate sides and in opposite direction of a membrane. Ion transfer inside the cell occurs through the membrane while both liquids circulate in their own respective space. Cell voltage is chemically determined by the Nernst equation and ranges, in practical applications, from 1.0 to 2.43 volts. The energy capacity is a function of the electrolyte volume and the power is a function of the surface area of the electrodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanadium(IV) oxide</span> Chemical compound

Vanadium(IV) oxide or vanadium dioxide is an inorganic compound with the formula VO2. It is a dark blue solid. Vanadium(IV) dioxide is amphoteric, dissolving in non-oxidising acids to give the blue vanadyl ion, [VO]2+ and in alkali to give the brown [V4O9]2− ion, or at high pH [VO4]4−. VO2 has a phase transition very close to room temperature (~68 °C (341 K)). Electrical resistivity, opacity, etc, can change up several orders. Owing to these properties, it has been used in surface coating, sensors, and imaging. Potential applications include use in memory devices, phase-change switches, passive radiative cooling applications, such as smart windows and roofs, that cool or warm depending on temperature, aerospace communication systems and neuromorphic computing. It occurs in nature, as the mineral, Paramontroseite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallium(III) oxide</span> Chemical compound

Gallium(III) oxide is an inorganic compound and ultra-wide-bandgap semiconductor with the formula Ga2O3. It is actively studied for applications in power electronics, phosphors, and gas sensing. The compound has several polymorphs, of which the monoclinic β-phase is the most stable. The β-phase’s bandgap of 4.7–4.9 eV and large-area, native substrates make it a promising competitor to GaN and SiC-based power electronics applications and solar-blind UV photodetectors. The orthorhombic ĸ-Ga2O3 is the second most stable polymorph. The ĸ-phase has shown instability of subsurface doping density under thermal exposure. Ga2O3 exhibits reduced thermal conductivity and electron mobility by an order of magnitude compared to GaN and SiC, but is predicted to be significantly more cost-effective due to being the only wide-bandgap material capable of being grown from melt. β-Ga2O3 is thought to be radiation-hard, which makes it promising for military and space applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hafnium(IV) oxide</span> Chemical compound

Hafnium(IV) oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula HfO
2
. Also known as hafnium dioxide or hafnia, this colourless solid is one of the most common and stable compounds of hafnium. It is an electrical insulator with a band gap of 5.3~5.7 eV. Hafnium dioxide is an intermediate in some processes that give hafnium metal.

Resistive random-access memory is a type of non-volatile (NV) random-access (RAM) computer memory that works by changing the resistance across a dielectric solid-state material, often referred to as a memristor. One major advantage of ReRAM over other NVRAM technologies is the ability to scale below 10nm.

An electrochromic device (ECD) controls optical properties such as optical transmission, absorption, reflectance and/or emittance in a continual but reversible manner on application of voltage (electrochromism). This property enables an ECD to be used for applications like smart glass, electrochromic mirrors, and electrochromic display devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PEDOT-TMA</span> Chemical compound

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-tetramethacrylate or PEDOT-TMA is a p-type conducting polymer based on 3,4-ethylenedioxylthiophene or the EDOT monomer. It is a modification of the PEDOT structure. Advantages of this polymer relative to PEDOT are that it is dispersible in organic solvents, and it is non-corrosive. PEDOT-TMA was developed under a contract with the National Science Foundation, and it was first announced publicly on April 12, 2004. The trade name for PEDOT-TMA is Oligotron. PEDOT-TMA was featured in an article entitled "Next Stretch for Plastic Electronics" that appeared in Scientific American in 2004. The U.S. Patent office issued a patent protecting PEDOT-TMA on April 22, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transparent conducting film</span> Optically transparent and electrically conductive material

Transparent conducting films (TCFs) are thin films of optically transparent and electrically conductive material. They are an important component in a number of electronic devices including liquid-crystal displays, OLEDs, touchscreens and photovoltaics. While indium tin oxide (ITO) is the most widely used, alternatives include wider-spectrum transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), conductive polymers, metal grids and random metallic networks, carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene, nanowire meshes and ultra thin metal films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conductive atomic force microscopy</span> Method of measuring the microscopic topography of a material

In microscopy, conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) or current sensing atomic force microscopy (CS-AFM) is a mode in atomic force microscopy (AFM) that simultaneously measures the topography of a material and the electric current flow at the contact point of the tip with the surface of the sample. The topography is measured by detecting the deflection of the cantilever using an optical system, while the current is detected using a current-to-voltage preamplifier. The fact that the CAFM uses two different detection systems is a strong advantage compared to scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Basically, in STM the topography picture is constructed based on the current flowing between the tip and the sample. Therefore, when a portion of a sample is scanned with an STM, it is not possible to discern if the current fluctuations are related to a change in the topography or to a change in the sample conductivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pseudocapacitor</span>

Pseudocapacitors store electrical energy faradaically by electron charge transfer between electrode and electrolyte. This is accomplished through electrosorption, reduction-oxidation reactions, and intercalation processes, termed pseudocapacitance.

A plasmonic-enhanced solar cell, commonly referred to simply as plasmonic solar cell, is a type of solar cell that converts light into electricity with the assistance of plasmons, but where the photovoltaic effect occurs in another material.

Richard Magee Osgood Jr. was an American applied and pure physicist. He was Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics at Columbia University.

References

  1. "Richard Potember". 2017-03-06.
  2. "Richard Potember". Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals. 6 March 2017.
  3. Miyasaka, Hitoshi; Campos-Fernández, Cristian S.; Galán-Mascarós, José Ramón; Dunbar, Kim R. (2000). "One-Dimensional Assemblies of Dirhodium Units Bridged byN,N'-Dicyanoquinonediimine Ligands". Inorganic Chemistry. 39 (25): 5870–5873. doi:10.1021/ic0007097. PMID   11151392.
  4. O'Kane, Shannon A.; Clérac, Rodolphe; Zhao, Hanhua; Ouyang, Xiang; Galán-Mascarós, José Ramón; Heintz, Robert; Dunbar, Kim R. (2000). "New Crystalline Polymers of Ag(TCNQ) and Ag(TCNQF4): Structures and Magnetic Properties". Journal of Solid State Chemistry. 152 (1): 159–173. Bibcode:2000JSSCh.152..159O. doi:10.1006/jssc.2000.8679.
  5. Potember, R. S.; Poehler, T. O.; Cowan, D. O. (1979). "Electrical switching and memory phenomena in Cu-TCNQ thin films". Applied Physics Letters. 34 (6): 405–407. Bibcode:1979ApPhL..34..405P. doi:10.1063/1.90814.
  6. Potember, R. S.; Poehler, T. O.; Benson, R. C. (1982). "Optical switching in semiconductor organic thin films". Applied Physics Letters. 41 (6): 548–550. Bibcode:1982ApPhL..41..548P. doi:10.1063/1.93591.
  7. Yamaguchi, Shoji; Potember, Richard S. (1996). "Optical spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy of thin films of the metal-tetracyanoquinodimethane derivatives". Synthetic Metals. 78 (2): 117–126. doi: 10.1016/0379-6779(96)80111-1 .
  8. Potember, R.S.; Poehler, T.O.; Rappa, A.; Cowan, D.O.; Bloch, A.N. (1982). "A current-controlled electrically switched memory state in silver and copper-TCNQF4 radical-ion salts". Synthetic Metals. 4 (4): 371–380. doi:10.1016/0379-6779(82)90007-8.
  9. Hoffman, Robert C.; Potember, Richard S. (1989). "Organometallic materials for erasable optical storage". Applied Optics. 28 (7): 1417–21. Bibcode:1989ApOpt..28.1417H. doi:10.1364/AO.28.001417. PMID   20548672.
  10. "US Patent 4825408A". Google Patents. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  11. "US Patent 4957725A". Google Patents. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  12. Speck, K.R.; Hu, H.S.-W.; Sherwin, M.E.; Potember, R.S. (1988). "Vanadium dioxide films grown from vanadium tetra-isopropoxide by the sol-gel process". Thin Solid Films. 165 (1): 317–322. Bibcode:1988TSF...165..317S. doi: 10.1016/0040-6090(88)90702-X .
  13. Kaku, Michio (1998). Visions : how science will revolutionize the 21st century (1st Anchor Books trade pbk. ed.). New York: Doubleday. p.  113. ISBN   978-0-385-48499-2.
  14. Matsuzawa, Mieko; Potember, Richard S.; Stenger, David A.; Krauthamer, Victor (1993). "Containment and growth of neuroblastoma cells on chemically patterned substrates". Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 50 (2): 253–260. doi: 10.1016/0165-0270(93)90014-I . PMID   8107505. S2CID   3781587.
  15. Matsuzawa, Mieko; Weight, Forrest F.; Potember, Richard S.; Liesi, Päivi (1996). "Directional Neurite Outgrowth and Axonal Differentiation of Embryonic Hippocampal Neurons Are Promoted by a Neurite Outgrowth Domain of the B2-Chain of Laminin". International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience. 14 (3): 283–295. doi:10.1016/0736-5748(96)00014-7. PMID   8842805. S2CID   10905123.
  16. US Patent 20040120845.
  17. Antoine, Miquel D.; Bryden, Wayne A.; Ko, Harvey W.; Scholl, Peter F.; Potember, Richard S.; Cotter, Robert J. (1998). "Real Time Sampling and Analysis of Biological Biomarkers by TOF Mass Spectrometry". SAE Technical Paper Series. Vol. 1. doi:10.4271/981740.
  18. "Miniature Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer - NSBRI". NSBRI. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  19. "Current controlled bistable electrical organic thin film switching device".
  20. "Electrical organic thin film switching device switching between detectably different oxidation states".
  21. "Multistate optical switching and memory using an amphoteric organic charge transfer material".
  22. "Method of fabricating a current controlled bistable electrical organic thin film switching device".
  23. "Optical storage and switching devices using organic charge transfer salts".
  24. "Multistate optical switching and memory apparatus using an amphoteric organic charge transfer material".
  25. "Vanadium dioxide formed by the sol-gel process".
  26. "Optical storage and switching devices using organic charge transfer salts".
  27. "Electron density storage device and method using STM".
  28. "Electron density storage device using a stm".
  29. "Ventriculoperitoneal shunt with pressure responsive element".
  30. "Enhanced optically sensitive medium using organic charge transfer materials to provide reproducible thermal/optical erasure".
  31. "Biocompatible article for the treatment of water and production of energy".
  32. "Press Release".
  33. "Press Release".
  34. "Press Release".
  35. Hoffman, Robert C.; Potember, Richard S. (1989). "Organometallic materials for erasable optical storage". Applied Optics. 28 (7): 1417–1421. Bibcode:1989ApOpt..28.1417H. doi:10.1364/AO.28.001417. PMID   20548672.
  36. "Outcomes Assessment" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-01-23.