Suresh K. Donthu, Ph.D.

Dr. Donthu uses his expertise in materials science and metallurgical engineering to conduct failure analysis investigations of engineering systems. Dr. Donthu has specific experience with failure analysis of plastics including CPVC sprinkler pipes, evaluation of lead and lead-free solders, stress measurement and microstructural evolution in thin film coatings, ceramic nanoparticle synthesis, MEMS based gas sensing devices, and welding of nickel-based superalloys. He has extensive hands-on experience with advanced characterization techniques such as scanning and transmission electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), scanning probe microscopy (Atomic Force Microscope, Near Field Scanning Optical Microscope), and x-ray diffraction. Dr. Donthu has used these techniques to understand structure-property relations in material systems and perform root-cause failure analysis.

Dr. Donthu developed electron beam lithographic fabrication techniques for ceramic and polymeric nanostructures used as nanoscale devices for gas sensing. He has performed research related to the organic-inorganic composite electrocatalyst supports for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and metal silicide thin films and other materials for microelectronics applications. He is familiar with front-end microelectronics processes (device fabrication, clean room processes) and with various microelectronic packages, packaging materials and processes.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Donthu was a research officer at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) in Singapore, and Center Associate at Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center (NUANCE). He has interned at General Motors Research Center in Michigan and Texas Instruments, Ltd. in Singapore.

Tsuji J, Mowat F, Donthu S, Reitman M. Application of toxicity studies in assessing the health risks of nanomaterials in consumer products. In: Nanotoxicity: In Vivo and In Vitro Models of Health Risks. Sahu S (ed), John Wiley and Sons, in press.

Hoffman J, Reitman M, Donthu S, Ledwith P, Wills D. Microscopic characterization of CPVC failure modes. ANTEC 2009, Society of Plastics Engineers, Chicago, IL, June 2009 (Best paper award).

Donthu S, Cai M, Ruthkosky M, Halalay I. Carbon-titania composite substrates for fuel cell catalyst applications. Chem Commun 2009; 4203.

Donthu S. Nanopatterning of functional oxide ceramics. VDM Verlag, Dr. Muller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG, 2009.

Sun T, Donthu SK, Sprung M, D’Aquila K, Jiang Z, Srivastava A, Wang J, Dravid V. Effect of Pd doping on microstructure and gas sensing performance of nanoporous SnOx thin films. Acta Materialia 2008; 57:1095.

Donthu S, Alem N, Pan Z, Li S, Shekhawat G, Dravid V, Benkstein K, Semancik S. Directed fabrication of ceramic nanostructures on fragile substrates using soft-electron beam lithography. IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology 2008; 7:338.

Donthu S. Nanostructure fabrication using inorganic sols and electron beam lithography. Ph.D. Thesis, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 2007.

Myers B, Pan Z, Donthu SK, Dravid V. Variable-Pressure Soft-Electron Beam Lithography (VP Soft-eBL). Microscopy Microanalysis 2007; 13(Suppl 2):174. Invited Paper.

Mundra MK, Donthu S, Dravid VP, Torkelson JM. Effect of spatial confinement on the glass transition temperature of patterned polymer nanostructures. Nano Letters 2007; 7:713.

Donthu S, Sun T, Dravid V. Fabrication of beaded inorganic nanostructures using softelectron beam lithography (soft-eBL) and their structural characterization. Adv Mat 2007; 19:125.

Mundra MK, Donthu SK, Dravid VP, Torkelson JM. Impact on glass transition temperature of confinement in 1-dimensional patterned polymer nanostructure. Polymer Preprints, ACS Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering 2007; 96:928.

Pan Z, Donthu S, Wu N, Li S, Dravid VP. Directed fabrication of radially stacked multifunctional oxide heterostructures using soft-electron beam lithography (soft-eBL). Small 2006; 2:274.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Myers B, Shekhawat G, Wu N, Dravid V. Facile scheme for fabricating solid-state nanostructures using E-Beam lithography and solution precursors. Nano Letters 2005; 5:1710.

Aslam M, Bhobe R, Alem N, Donthu S, Dravid VP. Controlled large-scale synthesis and magnetic properties of single-crystal cobalt nanorods. J Appl Phys 2005; 98:74311.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Shekhawat G, Dravid V, Balakrisnan B, Tripathy S. Near-field scanning optical microscopy of ZnO nanopatterns fabricated by micromolding in capillaries. J Appl Phys 2005; 98:024304.

Goh GKL, Donthu S, Pallathadka P. Cracking and orientation of solution deposited rutile TiO2 Films. Chem Mater 2004; 16:2857.

Donthu S, Tripathy S, Chi DZ, Chua SJ. Raman scattering probe of anharmonic effects in NiSi. J Raman Spectroscopy 2004; 35:536.

Donthu S, Chi DZ, Tripathy S, Wong ASW, Chua SJ. Micro-raman spectroscopic investigation of NiSi films formed on BF2 +, B+ and non-implanted (100) Si substrates. Appl Phys A 2004; 79(3):637.

Donthu S, Vora MM, Lahiri SK, Thompson CV, Yi S. Activation energy determination for recrystallization in electroplated copper thin films using differential scanning calorimetry. J Electronic Materials 2003; 32:531.

Donthu S. Self-annealing in electroplated Cu thin films. M.Eng. Thesis, Singapore-MIT alliance program, 2001.

Donthu S. Effect of preheat on weldability of INCONEL X-750 superalloys. Accelerated Honors Years Project, BS Thesis, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 1999.

Conference and Seminar Presentations

Hoffman J, Reitman M, Donthu S, Liu D. Laboratory induced ESC of CPVC fire sprinkler pipe. FAPSIG, ANTEC 2009, Society of Plastics Engineers, Chicago, IL, June 2009.

Donthu S. Tailoring internal microstructure of functional inorganic nanopatterns. Seminar at Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Singapore, February 2009.

Donthu S, Cai M, Ruthkosky M. Synthesis of nanostructured composite materials for proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications. ACS Conference, Washington DC, 2007.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Dravid V. Tailoring the internal microstructure of functional inorganic nanopatterns. Materials Research Society Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2007.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Srivastava A, Dravid V. Structural engineering of inorganic nanostructures using Soft-electron Beam Lithography. International Institute for Nanotechnology annual meeting, Chicago, IL, 2007.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Srivastava A, Dravid V. Structural engineering of inorganic nanostructures using Soft-electron Beam Lithography. International Institute for Nanotechnology annual meeting, Evanston, IL 2007.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Aslam M, Srivastava AK, Dravid VP. Site-specific nanopatterning of functional inorganic nanostructures for gas sensing applications. Materials Research Society Spring Meeting, 2006.

Pan Z, Donthu S, Aslam M, Dravid V. Patterning of hierarchical multiferroic oxide nanostructures using soft electron beam lithography (“Soft-eBL”). Materials Research Society Spring Meeting, 2006.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Dravid V. Novel nanopatterning approaches for inorganic materials, International Institute for Nanotechnology annual meeting, Chicago, IL, 2006.

Torkelson J, Mundra M, Donthu S, Dravid V. Modification of glass transition behavior by confinement in 1-dimensional polymer nanopatterns. AICHE annual meeting, November 2006.

Donthu S, Pan Z, Srivastava AK, Chang Y, Dravid VP. Site-specific fabrication of functional inorganic nanostructures. 3rd International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies, Singapore, 2005.

Goh GKL, Donthu S. Hydrothermal epitaxy of I:V perovskite thin films. Materials Research Society Spring Meeting, San Francisco, CA, 2002.

Donthu SK, Mridha S. In search of viable lead-free solders: Zn-Sn system. National Undergraduate Research Program Symposium, Singapore, March 1997.

• Center Associate, NU Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental Center, 2006–2007
• Summer Intern, General Motors Technical Center, 2006
• Research Officer, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Singapore, 2001–2003
• Intern, Texas Instruments Pte Ltd, Singapore, 1997
  

• Society of Plastics Engineers
• National Association for Corrosion Engineers
• Materials Research Society
• American Ceramics Society
• ASM International
• The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society
• IEEE
• American Vacuum Society