Daniel L. Felker, PhD
Research Interests
Reseach Interests: include the study of the surface chemistry of oxide free phosphate surfaces of magnesium, zinc and manganese; thermal decontamination of
Bacillus anthracis spores by inductive heating; simulated nuclear UV-flash effects on automotive paint and aircraft paint; thermogravimetric analysis of the Bacillus anthracis spores to include analysis of their gaseous produces by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and Ion trap mass (IT-MS) spectrum analysis; construction of bio-reactors mimicking wastewater treatment plants; and method development for the analysis of organophosphate compounds using gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ion chromatography (IC).
More recently Dr. Felker has begun research in using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with the aid of gas phase FT-IR and GC-MS on the evolved gas to identify and quantify organophosphate absorbates on water infrastructure materials. He also studies electrochemical detection using peptides of selected organophosphates using a flow through cell with a focus on sensitivity and cost effectiveness.
TGA can be used to study the degradation of materials, including biological materials. This degradation occurs via many different mechanisms including oxidation, which results in a mass gain, or pyrolysis, which is the thermochemical decomposition in the absence of oxygen or a halogen at elevated temperatures.