Nikolaos (Nicholas) Dimakis
Department Chair Physics and Astronomy, Professor
Ph.D. Illinois Institute of Technology, 1997
Office: EPHYS 1.150
Phone: 956-665-8761
Email: Nicholas.Dimakis@utrgv.edu
Teaching
PHYS 3404.01I & 0.2I Optics & PHYS 1402.92L General Physics II
Office hours: T, R, and F: 9.00-5.00 pm
Research
I am a computational material scientist and the focus of my research is the discovery of new materials, which 1) improve fuel cell efficiency and 2) serve as graphene-related peudocapacitors and supercapacitors. More specifically I study the:
- Adsorption and co-adsorption of CO, water, and triflate ions on platinum-based alloys, thus mimicking the anode catalyst of a methanol and hydrogen fuel cell.
- Ionomer membrane spectra characterization for Nafion, SPEEK, and Aquivion membranes, which serve as polymer electrolytes in fuel cells.
- Interaction of Mn, Co, and V oxides on graphene and graphene oxides at hydrated environments.
I have strong collaborations with experimental groups at Northeastern University (Dr. Eugene S. Smotkin), MA and West Kentucky University (Dr. Sanju Gupta).
Publications
- Dimakis, N.,* Flor, F.A., Navarro, N. E., Salgado, A., and Smotkin E. S. “Adsorption of Carbon Monoxide on Platinum–Ruthenium, Platinum–Osmium, Platinum–Ruthenium–Osmium, and Platinum–Ruthenium–Osmium–Iridium Alloys” J. Phys. Chem. 120(19), 10427-10441 (2016).
- Anderson, K., Kingston, E., Romeo, J., Doan, J., Loupe, N., Dimakis, N., Smotkin, E. S. Infrared spectroscopy of ion-induced cross-linked sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone), Polymer, 93(14), 65-71, ISSN 0032-3861, (2016).
- Kendrick, I., Fore, J., Doan, J., Loupe, N., Vong, A., Dimakis, N., Diem, M., Smotkin, E. S., “Operando Raman micro-spectroscopy of polymer electrolyte fuel cells” J. Electr. Soc. 163(4), H3152-H3159 (2016).
- Doan, J., Navarro, N. E., Kumari, D., Kingston, E., Anderson, K., Dimakis, N., Johnson, C, Vong, A., and Smotkin E. S. “Symmetry-based IR group modes as dynamic probes of Nafion ion exchange site structure Polymer” Polymer 73, 34-41 (2015).
- Dimakis, N.,* Navaro, N., Velasquez, J. and Salgado A., “Electronic and Vibrational Properties of Graphene Monolayers with Iron Adatoms: A Density Functional Theory Study”, Applied Surface Science 334, 2-6 (2014).