Tom Lee
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Home Page | Beijing | Nanjing | Meet the Students
Caleb Koch | Alison Hamlin | Chris Frewin | Megan Watkins | Marc Scimonelli
| Tom Lee
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Ø 
Where you’re from: Jacksonville, FL
Ø College: University of Texas at Austin
Ø Major: Chemical Engineering
Ø Year: May 2013
Ø Favorite Story: Despite all the honking and seemingly chaotic driving habits we encountered in China, we were surprised that we never saw any damaged cars or signs of any major accidents. Because of the unpredictability of other vehicles, drivers have to pay extra attention on the road. The closest thing we saw to an accident was on Nanjing University campus, where a man riding a motorized bicycle hit a woman riding a bike. After the woman partially fell off her bike, she dusted herself off, got back on her bike, and rode off. The guy on the motorized bicycle checked to make sure the front of his bike wasn't damaged, and then rode off. I would have expected an argument to break out and threats of lawsuits, but neither one spoke a word to the other one. Instances like this made me realize that at times, the Chinese culture can approach problems in a more calm and patient manner than I ever would have expected.
Ø What I missed from US: Peanut butter
Ø What I will miss in China: Being able to
practice Chinese everywhere
Ø Research Project: Effects of Hydrothermal pH and
Titanium (IV) Isopropoxide Precursor Concentration on
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Phase and Grain Size
Dye-sensitized
solar cell 
(DSSC) technology has grown tremendously
as ongoing research attempts to optimize each component of the cells. Of these
components, the dye-sensitized nanoparticles are one of the most influential
materials in the cells, though little is known about how synthesis conditions
affect the properties of the nanoparticles themselves. This research examines
how hydrothermal pH and the mole ratio of titanium (IV) isopropoxide precursor and water influence the grain size,
morphology, and phase of titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Nanoparticles were
synthesized under nine different pH conditions (1.0, 2.5, 4.0, 5.5, 7.0, 8.5,
10.0, 11.5, and 13.0) and four different precursor:water mole ratios (1:30, 1:79, 1:479, and 1:978). The
nanoparticles were analyzed with powder XRD and SEM to examine the effects
of the synthesis conditions on the nanoparticle properties. The hydrothermal
pH was determined to have significant influence on the phase and grain size
of the nanoparticles, while the precursor:water
mole ratio affected only the phase boundary between anatase
and brookite.