1. Who am I? Jerzy Leszczynski Professor of Chemistry and
President’s Distinguished Fellow
Jackson State University

2. In Search of Novel Materials for Naval Applications
Effect of Interface Reconstruction on the Mechanical Properties of Al/Al2O3 Multilayers
Objective
Investigation of electronic structure and
mechanical properties of Al/Al2O3 composite
Prediction of effect of interfacial orientation
on the physical properties of composite
Accomplishment
Obtained the most energetically favorable
α-Al/γ- Al2O3 interfacial atomic structure
based on computed decohesive energies
using DFT
The improved thermo-electric conversion
efficiency of Al/Al2O3 interface has been
explored by employing non-equilibrium
green function (NEGF) formalism coupled
with DFT
Variation of thermoelectric figure of
merit (ZT) and Seebeck coefficient (S)
with Fermi energy (EF )
at different temperatures
Current-Voltage Characteristics
Scientific Impact/ Results
Results
The proposed thermo-electric generator based on α-Al/γ-Al2O3
interface shows an improved efficiency that can be utilized for the
cooling of electronic devices as well as for electrification of ships,
submarines, and land vehicles
Optimized structure
of Al/Al2O3 interface
The analyses of differential potential, difference density, and
density of states manifest a significant charge transfer across
the interface
Electrostatic
differential potential
Strong orbital overlapping plays the pivotal role in attaining low
resistance
The interface induces ultralow phonon thermal conductivity
Electron
difference density
The enhancement of temperature increases the ZT value which
mainly originates from the increased power factor of the device

3. Why do I think I was successful in the proposal submission process?
I carefully read the BAA
Contacted Program Director
Look for Info Related to Navy Needs and Challenges
Contacted Researcher at the Navy Lab
Discussed his Research and my Expertize
Established Area of Common Interest and Navy Relevance
Developed Pre-proposal
Contacted Again Program Director
Obtained Letter of Support from the Navy Lab and Submitted Pre-proposal
After Receiving Feed-back on Pre-proposal Used all Comments to Prepare Final Proposal