Apparao M Rao is the Robert A. Bowen Endowed

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

in the department of physics and

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

, the founding director of the Clemson Nanomaterials Institute, and a former associate dean for discovery in the college of science at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

. His research in nanoscience and

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

has been cited over 54,600 times in open literature and his

h-index The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with success indicators such as winning t ...

is 98. He is a

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of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

, the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

, the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 201 ...

, and the

Materials Research Society The Materials Research Society (MRS) is a non-profit, professional organization for materials researchers, scientists and engineers. Established in 1973, MRS is a member-driven organization of approximately 13,000 materials researchers from academi ...

. In 2012, he received the Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievements in Research, and has served on the Advisory Panel for the

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and the

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of Research, Clemson University. His research and development efforts led to the establishment of Clemson Nanomaterials Institute, which supports sustainable research and development capacity and competitiveness in the U.S. and the State of

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. The State of South Carolina conferred on him its highest honor - the 2014 Governor’s award for excellence in scientific research. Rao is also an adjunct professor at the

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning is a ''deemed-to-be-University'' located in Sri Sathya Sai District, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a non-profit educational institution founded by Sri Sathya Sai Baba on 22 November 1981. Founded in ...

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where he initiated a nanomaterials program, and directs research projects of

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

and Ph.D. students. Recently, he was the Brahm Prakash Endowed Visiting Chair Professor,

Indian Institute of Science The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a Public university, public, Deemed university, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The ...

, Bengaluru, India.

Accomplishments

Rao has developed a number of technologies for

spectroscopic Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectrosc ...

characterization of nanocarbon

allotropes Allotropy or allotropism () is the property of some chemical elements to exist in two or more different forms, in the same physical state, known as allotropes of the elements. Allotropes are different structural modifications of an element: th ...

, synthesis methods for controlling the morphologies of

carbon nanotubes A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with a diameter in the nanometre range (nanoscale). They are one of the allotropes of carbon. Two broad classes of carbon nanotubes are recognized: * ''Single-walled carbon nanotubes'' (''SWC ...

or CNTs, and scalable nano-manufacturing of CNT-based devices. Rao's research also includes the discovery of novel phenomena in nanocarbon systems, device development for electronics, photonics, and drug delivery. Rao's research includes the following topics: *The photo-induced polymerization of solid C60, photo-enhanced oxidation of solid C60 diameter selective Raman scattering from single walled CNTs, and the demonstration that CNTs can be subjected to redox doping for tunable electronic properties, similar to graphite. *Fullerenes and conducting polymers, synthesis and demonstration of logic functions in branched CNTs. *Raman evidence for renormalized electron and phonon energies near a charged defect in doped CNTs. *Raman evidence for phonon bottle necks in single walled CNTs. *Observation of superconductivity in boron doped CNTs. Rao's Raman spectroscopic studies of fullerenes and CNTs helped make Raman spectroscopy an important tool of nanocarbon research. Rao’s other research includes the synthesis and measurement of electrical and mechanical properties of nonlinear CNT morphologies, such as branched and helical CNT forms which exploit unique functionality at the nanoscale. His group demonstrated double decoupling of

thermoelectric The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage and vice versa via a thermocouple. A thermoelectric device creates a voltage when there is a different temperature on each side. Conversely, when ...

devices with a high

figure of merit A figure of merit (FOM) is a performance metric that characterizes the performance of a device, system, or method, relative to its alternatives. Examples *Absolute alcohol content per currency unit in an alcoholic beverage *accurizing, Accuracy o ...

and compatibility factor. His recent research focuses on energy harnessing (e.g., harvesting near room temperature waste heat) and energy storage (e.g., supercapacitors and batteries) technologies.

Honors & awards

*2020 Fellow, Materials Research Society. *2018 Fellow, National Academy of Inventors. *2016 Recognized by the Board of Trustees as one of the top three faculty members in the College of Engineering and Science, Clemson University. *2014 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research, South Carolina. *2012 Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research, Clemson University. *2011 Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science. *2010 R. A. Bowen Endowed Professor of Physics, Clemson University. *2008 Fellow, American Physical Society. *2007 Panel member for the World Technology Evaluation Center to evaluate carbon nanotube manufacturing capabilities in Europe and Asia. *2006 Faculty Achievement Award, Clemson University, for exemplary leadership in the sciences.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Apparao M American physicists Clemson University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors