Dept of Engineering Physics
Email: Alex Li
Ph.D., Materials Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1990
M.S., Materials Science, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1987
B.S., Materials Science, Changchun University of Science and Technology, 1982
Dr. Li's current research interests include the development of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) techniques for materials characterization, particularly nanometer-scale thermal, elastic, and electrical properties of semiconductors, composites, and biomaterials. He invented a novel AFM nano-patterning technique for producing sub-100 nm nanostructures in polymers. Other research involves characterizing surface morphology of glasses, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, nano-carbon composites, and biological spores using SEM, TEM, optical interferometer, and optical microscopes; identifying and analyzing chemical compositions and structures using FTIR, Raman (micro-Raman), photoluminescence, EPR, XPS, ESCA, SEM, TEM, and XRD; and sol-gel processing of nanomaterials. Dr. Li taught AFIT graduate courses in Materials Characterization (MATL 680) and Materials Processing and Selection (MATL 685). He has published over two dozens of journal articles.
ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY
SPECTROSCOPY
MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION
NANOMATERIALS AND NANOPATTERNING
SOL-GEL PROCESSING
LASER MATERIALS PROCESSING
Selected peer-reviewed articles:
19. “Glass tranaitions in small heated volumes in thin polystyrene films”, Alex G. Li and Larry W. Burggraf, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 81, 123707 (2010).
18. “Surface stress influences on nanopatterns formed in polystyrene films using a force-modulated nanohammer,” G. Li and L.W. Burggraf, Nanotechnology 19, 095301, 2008.
17. “Controlled patterning of polymer films using an AFM tip as a nano-hammer,” G. Li and L.W. Burggraf, Nanotechnology 18, 245302, 2007.
16. “Atomic force microscopy of Bacillus spore surface morphology,” Ruth A. Zolock, Guangming Li, Charles Bleckmann, Larry Burggraf, and Douglas C. Fuller, Micron 37, 363, 2006.
15. “High power photoconductive switches of 4H SiC with Si3N4 passivation and n+ -GaN subcontact,” Zhu, K., Johnstone, D., Leach, J., Fu, Y., Morkoc, H., Li, G., and Ganguly, B., Superlattices and Microstructures 41, 264, 2007.
14. “Effect of n+-GaN subcontact layer on 4H-SiC high-power photoconductive switch,” Zhu, K., Dogan, S., Moon, Y.T., Leach, J., Yun, F., Johnstone, D., Morkoc, H., Li, G., andGanguly, B., Applied Physics Letters 86, 261108, 2005.
13. “Effect of hydrogen etching on 6H-SiC studied by temperature-dependent current-voltage and atomic force microscopy,” D. Dogan, D. Johnstone, F. Yun, S. Sabuktagin, J. Leach, A.A. Baski, H. Morkoc, G. Li, and B. Ganguly, Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 1547, 2004.
12. “Photothermal spectroscopy using multilayer cantilever for chemical detection,” Guangming Li, Larry Burggraf, and William Baker, Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 1122, 2000.
11. “High-temperature photoluminescence in sol-gel silica containing SiC/C nanostructures,” Guangming Li, Larry Burggraf, James Shoemaker, DeLyle Eastwood, and Albert Stiegman, Appl. Phys. Lett. 76, 3373, 2000.
10. “Influence of heat treatment and humidity on protonic conduction in the sol-gel derived amorphous titanium phosphate films,” Guangming Li, Masayuki Nogami, and Yoshihiro Abe, Solid State Ionics 83, 209, 1996.
9. “Superprotonic Conduction in Glassy Zirconium Phosphates,” Yoshihiro Abe, Guangming Li, Masayuki Nogami, Toshihiro Kasuga, and Larry Hench, J. Electrochem. Soc. 143(1), 144, 1996.
8. “Defect formation and evolution in TeO2-containing borosilicate glass films derived from a sol-gel process,” Guangming Li, Masayuki Nogami, and Yoshihiro Abe, Phys. Rev. B 51, 14930, 1995.
7. “Preparation and optical properties of sol-gel derived ZnSe crystallites doped in glass films,” Guangming Li and Masayuki Nogami, J. Appl. Phys. 75(8), 4276, 1994.
6. “Preparation by a sol-gel process of borosilicate glasses containing Microcrystals of Te and ZnTe,” Guangming Li, Masayuki Nogami, and Yoshihiro Abe, J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 77(11), 2885, 1994.
5. “Formation of quantum-size PbTe microcrystals in sol-gel derived silica and borosilicate glasses,” Guangming Li and Masayuki Nogami, J. Sol-Gel. Sci. Tech. 1, 79, 1993.
4. “Temperature and compositional dependence of optical absorption edge in glasses containing heavy-metal oxides PbO and TeO2,” Guangming Li, Masayuki Nogami, and Yoshihiro Abe, J. Mater.Res. 9(9), 2319, 1994.
3. “Crystallization kinetics of glasses in BiO1.5-Ca0.5O-CuO quasiternary oxide system,” Fuxi Gan and Guangming Li, in Physics of Non-Crystalline Solids. Editor(s): Pye, L.D., La Course, W.C., Stevens, H.J., Taylor & Francis, London, United Kingdom, 1992. p. 406-10.
2. “Glass ceramic for high-Tc superconductors,” Fuxi Gan and Guangming Li, J. Non-Cryst. Solids 130 (1991) 67.
1. “Hydrogen Ion (Proton) Conductor,” Yoshihiro Abe, Guangming Li, Koichi Kawashima, Japanese Patent (JP8119612).
Selected conference proceedings and presentations:
10. “Tunneling Atomic Force Microscopy Characterization of Cuprous Oxide Thin Films”, Brett Castle, Alex Li, Ron Coutu, Jr., Robert Hengehold, and Joseph Van Nostrand, The IEEE NANO 2011 Conference, Portland, Oregon,August 15-18, 2011.
9. "Bidirectional reflectance distribution of a 2D thin-film photonic crystal patterned using an atomic-force microscope", Nicholas Herr, Michael A. Marciniak, Alex G Li, and Larry W. Burggraf, SPIE Optics + Photonics 2010, 1 - 5 August 2010, San Diego, California, USA.
8. "Nano Processing and Characterizing of Polymers Using Atomic Force Microscopy”, Alex G. Li, Michael A. Marciniak, and Larry W. Burggraf, 2010 NanoTechnology for Defense Conference, 5/3/2010 - 5/6/2010, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
7. “Nanometer-scale elastic modulus of surfaces and thin films determined using an atomic force microscope”, Alex G. Li, Larry W. Burggraf, and David Phillips, 2009 IEEE Nanotechnology Materials and Devices Conference, June 2-5, 2009, Traverse City, Michigan.
6. “Developing a sensor, actuator, and nanoskin based on carbon nanotube arrays,” YeoHeung Yun, Vesselin N. Shanov, Swathi Balaji, Yi Tu, Sergey Yarmolenko, Sudhir Neralla, Jag Sankar, Shankar Mall, Jay Lee, Larry W. Burggraf, Guangming Li, Volodymyr P. Sabelkin, and Mark J. Schulz, SPIE 6174, 61743Z, 2006.
5. “Photothermal spectroscopy based on a multilayer reed probe for chemical detection,” William Baker, Guangming Li, and Larry Burggraf, SPIE 4036-31, 2000.
4. “Infrared detection of volatile compounds from microorganisms,” Larry Burggraf, Charles Bleckmann, Guangming Li, Christopher Leonard, Heather Mitchell, James Reynolds, and DeLyle Eastwood, SPIE 4036-18, 2000.
3. “Photothermal interferometric NIR detection using sol-gel materials,” Larry Burggraf and Guangming Li, SPIE 3082, 30, 1997.
2. “Laser processing of sol-gel coatings for infrared applications,” Guangming Li and Larry Burggraf, SPIE 3136, 257, 1997.
1. “Novel fast cuprous ion-conducting glasses in the CuI-Cu2O-WO3 system,” Guangming Li and Fuxi Gan, C-MRS Internal ’90 Proceedings, Vol. 1, pp. 38 (1991), Elsevier Science Publisher, B.V. (North-Holland).