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RAMASAMY (SAMY) PALANIAPPAN

1730 Vintner Way, San Jose, CA 95124 Tel: (740)-274-5383 Email: samy512@gmail.com SUMMARY
Ten years of hands-on experience from, material synthesis, characterization, electroanalytical testing and analysis to process design and development of electrochemical systems (electrolyzers, fuel cells, etc.,) Established a novel polyacrylic acid based ammonia electrolytic cell design which enhanced the conversion of ammonia by 10% and the current efficiency by 5% for a project funded by the National Science Foundation Demonstrated that bimetallic electrocatalysts exhibited higher activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in the presence of ammonia with the trend Pt-Ir>Pt-Rh>Pt-Ru>Pt-Ni>Rh>Pt>Ru>Ni Technical in-charge for Solartron 1287 potentiostat and trained students to use electrochemical instruments. Mentor for Chem-E-Car team, awarded Inherent Safety in Design at 2010 AIChE national conference. EDUCATION Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering GPA: 3.6/4.0 Russ College of Engineering and Technology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA Dissertation Title: Improving the Efficiency of Ammonia Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production Bachelors of Technology in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering, May 2005 GPA: 7.9/10.0 Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Anna University, Chennai, India

WORK EXPERIENCE
I. Research Assistant March 2006-Present Center for Electrochemical Engineering Research, Ohio University 1. Proficient in Design of Experiments (DOE), Electroanalytical Testing and statistical process control Optimized the cathode surface composition of Pt-Ir electrodes for maximum HER to be 70:30 using full factorial surface response DOE and statistical analysis (ANOVA, t-tests, and F-tests) Responsible for process control of a 50 W urea electrolyzer prototype. Optimized operating parameters, prepared process control charts, Pareto charts, root cause analysis and design improvement reports Estimated the active surface area and catalytic activity of materials using electroanalytical techniques such as impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and galvanostatic methods Demonstrated that ammonia has a detrimental effect on the cathodic HER on Pt, Ru, and Ni electrodes and proposed the mechanism of HER in the presence of ammonia 2. Hands-on Experience with Material Synthesis and Characterization Techniques Experienced in CVD, tape casting, screen-printing, sputtering, air brushing, drop coating, and hot pressing techniques to synthesize materials for alkaline electrolyzers, batteries, and fuel cells Complete theoretical and experimental knowledge in characterization techniques including XRD, SEM, EDX, XPS, AES, UV-Visible, Raman spectroscopy, TGA, gas chromatography, ammonia ISE, and pH electrodes Characterized the particle size, bulk composition, crystallinity, and strain of bimetallic alloys using XRD 3. Advanced Technical Knowledge in Mathematical Modeling and Programming Developed a model in MATLAB to evaluate the kinetic rate constants for HER from equivalent circuit parameters obtained by simulating the impedance behavior using EIS and LSV data. Advanced knowledge in AutoCAD, MS Excel, MATLAB, FORTRAN, Maple, C++, and Minitab

R. PALANIAPPAN

samy512@gmail.com

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May 2004-February 2006

II. Production Engineer Best & Crompton Green Tech Limited, Chennai, India

Responsible for the maintenance of aluminum lamp cap production line and PCB production line and testing PCB- Green Chip assembly for CFL lights for the production of 3000 parts per hour, in addition to performing troubleshooting, prepared process reports and providing feedback to production managers III. Research Fellow Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Anna University Investigated the corrosion rate of mild steel and its inhibition using surfactants Synthesized and tested Fe and Co doped LiMnO2 materials via sol-gel technique for lithium-ion batteries Investigated the discharge characteristics for novel alkaline primary batteries during my internship. August 2001-April 2004

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
R. Palaniappan and G. G. Botte. (2013). Effect of Ammonia on Pt, Ru, Rh, and Ni Cathodes during the Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 117 (34), p17429. R. Palaniappan and G. G. Botte. (2013). Efficacy of Potassium Poly(Acrylate) Gel Electrolyte as a Substitute to Aqueous Electrolytes for Alkaline Ammonia Electrolysis. Electrochimica Acta, 88 (15), p772. R. Palaniappan, D. C. Ingram, and G G. Botte. (2013). HER kinetics on Electrodeposited Ptx-M1-x (M = Ir, Ru, Rh, and Ni) Catalysts for Ammonia Electrolysis. (Submitted to Journal of Electrochemical Society). B. R. Babu, A. K. Parande, and P. L. Ramasamy(R. Palaniappan). (2006). Effect of CTAB and OPD on the Corrosion Inhibition of Carbon Steel in 1M HCl. Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 84 (12), p1658. R. Palaniappan, and G. G. Botte. Effect of Pt-Ir Electrodeposition Parameters on the Performance of the Cathode for Ammonia Electrolysis. (In Preparation) SELECTED PRESENTATIONS Identifying and Adapting a Solid Polymer Electrolyte for Ammonia Electrolysis, Ramasamy Palaniappan and Gerardine Botte, 218th ECS meeting, October 2010, Las Vegas, NV (Abstract 269) Optimization of the Cathode for the Production of Hydrogen through Ammonia Electrolysis II, Ramasamy Palaniappan and Gerardine Botte, 213th ECS meeting, May 2008, Phoenix, AZ (Abstract 7)

AWARDS
Winner in student poster session, Research and Creative Activity Expo, Ohio University Recipient of Innovation Award at Research and Creative Activity Expo, Ohio University Recipient of Student Enhancement Award, Ohio University 2010, 2011 2008 2008

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE Ohio University Chapter) The Electrochemical Society (Treasurer for Student Chapter from May 2010 to September 2011)

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