Dieter M. Gruen

Professional experience

• 1983-2000: Associate Director, Materials Science Division
• 1947-present: Scientist and, since 1960, Senior Scientist and Group Leader, Chemistry and Materials Science Divisions
• 1944-1946: Scientist, Manhattan Project on Separation of Uranium Isotopes
• 1973: Visiting Professor, Norwegian Technical University, Trondheim
• 1969: Visiting Professor, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
• 2006-present: Adjunct Professor, Michigan State University, East Lansing

Education

• University of Chicago, Ph. D., 1951
• Northwestern University, B.S. cum laude, 1944; M. S.,1947

Awards

• Materials Research Society 2000 Medal for the synthesis and characterization of ultrananocrystalline diamond films
• Energy 100 Award for the 308-nm excimer laser system for cardiovascular applications as one of the top scientific contributions during the Department of Energy's history
• University of Chicago Award for Distinguished Performance at Argonne National Laboratory
• Northwestern University Career Merit Award
• R&D 100 Award for innovation in surface analysis by resonance ionization of sputtered atoms
• R&D 100 Award for in situ studies of growing films by ion scattering and recoil ion mass spectroscopy
• R&D 100 Award for large area microwave ultrananocrystalline diamond deposition system
• Basic Energy Science Award for the development of high-sensitivity methods in photoionization mass spectroscopy
• Basic Energy Science Award for pioneering research that resulted in the discovery of ultrananocrystalline diamond films, an important new material with many potential applications
• Inventor of the Year 1988 Award from the Patent Law Association of Chicago

Scientific activities

• Editorial Board Member, Annual Review of Materials Science
• Editorial Board Member of Journal of Applied Physics
• Editorial Board Member of Applied Physics Letters
• Member, Visiting Committee, Chemistry and Materials Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Member of the Board of the Glenn T. Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science
• Visiting Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
• United States Delegate to the Second International Conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy
• Editor, “The Chemistry of Fusion Technology”, Plenum Press (1972)
• Co-Editor, "Ultrananocrystalline Diamond”, William Andrew Publishers (2006)
• Co-Editor, “Synthesis, Properties and Applications of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond”, NATO Science Series, Springer Verlag (2005)
• Editor, MRS Bulletin, Special Issue on Diamond Films
• Organizer of conferences and symposia on selected topics, such as NATO Conference, St. Petersburg, Russia (2005) and Symposium at NanoSMAT Conference, Algarve, Portugal (2007) on Synthesis and Properties of UNCD
• Frequent plenary and invited lecturer at national and international conferences
• Mentor and advisor to numerous post-doctoral appointees as well as graduate students who received Ph.D.s from major universities under his supervision
• Ongoing research collaborations with colleagues at Argonne and several universities in the U.S. and abroad

Research contributions

• Definitive establishment of the 5f character of actinide compounds by the measurement and ligand field interpretation of magnetic moments at low temperatures
• Discovery of fluorescence spectra of trivalent actinides in anhydrous crystals
• Determination of the redox potentials and solvent extraction behavior of the actinides in fused salts
• Creation of a solution chemistry of ionic liquids using spectroscopy to determine oxidation states, complex ions and coordination equilibria of transition metal ions
• Elucidation of the interactions of reactive molecular and atomic species with noble gas matrices
• Synthesis by design of metal alloy hydrides for energy storage and solar heat pump applications
• Determination of the energetics and depth of origin of sputtered species
• Deployment of matrix isolation spectroscopy for the identification and quantitative determination of sputtered species
• Ultrasensitive detection of sputtered or laser desorbed atoms and molecules using laser fluorescence and resonance ionization mass spectroscopy
• Development of 308-nm excimer laser system for removal of biological tissue (licensed patent being used worldwide for a variety of surgical procedures)
• Discovery and development of a chemical vapor deposition process for the synthesis of ultrananoscrystalline diamond (UNCD) films from fullerene precursors
• Development of UNCD films for use as electrochemical electrodes, high temperature diodes, rotating shaft seals, efficient electron emitters, retinal implants, biosensors and other applications resulting in the establishment by Argonne of a spinoff company based on patented UNCD technology
• Discovery and elucidation of the mechanism of transport in highly n-type conducting UNCD films
• Recognition of the potential for efficient thermoelectric energy conversion from bulk UNCD-nanocarbon composites using heat inputs from fossil, nuclear and solar power plants

Selected publications on UNCD (from more than 400 career publications and more than 40 patents)

• "Diamond nanowires and the insulator-metal transition in ultrananocrystalline diamond films," Phys. Rev. B. 75, 195431 (2007), R. Arenal, P. Bruno, D. J. Miller, J. Lal, M. Bleuel, D. M. Gruen
• "Nanocrystalline Diamond Films," Annu. Rev. Mater. Science, 29, 211, D. M. Gruen
• "Effect of nitrogen on the electronic properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond grown on quartz and diamond substrates," P. Achatz, O. A. Williams, P. Bruno, D. M. Gruen, J. A. Garrido, M. Stutzmann, Phys. Rev. B., 74, 155429 (2006)
• "On transport properties of ultrananocrystalline diamond films," Phys. Rev. B, 75, 235434 (2006), I. S. Beloborodov, P. Zapol, D. M. Gruen, L. A. Curtiss
• "Tight-binding molecular-dynamics simulation of impurities in ultrananocrystalline diamond grain boundaries," P. Zapol, M. Sternberg, L. A. Curtiss, T. Frauenheim, D. M. Gruen, Phys. Rev. B, 645, 045403 (2001)
• "N-type conductivity in ultrananocrystalline diamond films," O. A. Williams, S. Curat, J. E. Gerbi, R. B. Jackman, Appl. Phys. Lett., 85, 1680 ( 2004)
• "Ultrananocrystaline diamond in the laboratory and in the cosmos," D. M. Gruen, Mat. Res. Soc. Bulletin, 26, 771, (2001).
• "Chemical grafting of biphenyl self-assembled monolayers on ultrananocrystalline diamond," S. Q. Lud, M. Steenackkersd, R. Jordan, P. Bruno, D. M. Gruen, P. Feulner, J. A. Garrido, M. Stutzmann, J.A.C.S. 128,16884, (2006)