Dr. Spray’s core competency is inorganic chemistry. He specializes in surface chemistry and structure-property-function relationships of thin film and porous materials with emphasis on applications to lithium-ion battery electrodes and solar energy conversion. Dr. Spray has extensive experience applying electrochemistry, photoelectrochemistry, and a variety of materials characterization techniques to complex energy conversion problems.
Dr. Spray has extensive experience in a variety of electrochemical [voltammetry, impedance, Quartz-Crystal Microgravimetry (QCM)] and photoelectrochemical methods [photocurrent, efficiency (IPCE)]. He is also skilled in a variety of materials characterization techniques for structural and compositional information such as electron microscopy (TEM/ED and SEM/EDS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD and SAXS), N2 Adsorption (BET), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), and various spectroscopy techniques (UV-vis, IR and Raman).
Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Spray worked as a research assistant at Purdue University, where he developed new electrochemical deposition techniques for nanostructured and mesoporous metal oxide films and studied the effects of composition tuning and catalysts toward their applications to photoelectrochemical cells.
Jung Y, Spray RL, Kim JH, Kim JM, Choi KS. Selective polymerization of polypyrrole in silica mesopores using an in situ generated oxidizing agent on a silica surface. Chem Comm 2010; 46; 6566–6568.
Spray RL, Choi KS. Photoactivity of transparent nanocrystalline Fe2O3 electrodes prepared via anodic electrodeposition. Chem Mater 2009; 21(15):3701–3709.
Spray RL, Choi KS. Electrochemical synthesis of SnO2 films containing three-dimensionally organized uniform mesopores via interfacial surfactant templating. Chem Comm 2007; 35:3655–3657.
Ellison MD, Crotty MJ, Koh D, Spray RL, Tate KE. Adsorption of NH3 and NO2 on single-walled carbon nanotubes. J Phys Chem B 2004; 108(23):7938–7943.
Presentations
Spray RL, Choi KS. Photoelectrochemical properties of nanocrystalline α-Fe2O3 electrodes prepared via new electrodeposition route. Oral Presentation, Materials Research Society 2009 Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA, April 2009.
Spray RL, Choi KS. Characterization of transparent nanocrystalline α-Fe2O3 electrodes prepared via new anodic deposition conditions. Poster Presentation, Purdue Indiana Notre Dame Universities (PINDU) Inorganic Symposium, Bloomington, IN, November 2008.
Spray RL, Choi KS. Electrochemical/thermal synthesis of highly transparent, mesostructured hematite electrodes for photoelectrochemical applications. Poster Presentation, Gordon Research Conference on Electrodeposition, New London, NH, July 2008.
Spray RL, Choi KS. Electrodeposition of nanostructured tin and tin oxide using amphiphilic surfactants as structure directing agents. Poster Presentation, Purdue Indiana Notre Dame Universities (PINDU) Inorganic Symposium, Bloomington, IN, December 2005.
Spray RL, Tate KE, Ellison MD. Infrared studies of NH3 and NO2 interactions with single-walled carbon nanotubes. Poster Presentation, ACS Regional Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, October 2003.