Dr. Steve Acquah

 

Director of GEOSET 

Associate Research Professor of Chemistry

DPhil MChem (Hons.) CChem CSci FRSC FRMS FIoN

Email: sacquah@chem.fsu.edu

Personal Website: www.sciencewithacquah.com

Steve Acquah completed his doctorate at the University of Sussex (United Kingdom) under the supervision of the Nobel Laureate Sir Harold Kroto, Dr. David Walton and Prof. Dek Woolfson working on a collaboration based on self-assembling alpha-helical coiled coils for tissue engineering. During his time at Sussex, he was the manager of the Chemistry Society, Science Society and the University of Sussex Symphony Orchestra where he also served as principal violist. Steve then transferred to Florida State University as a Postdoctoral Associate to manage the Kroto Research Group, focusing on carbon nanotube-based technologies such as hydrogen sensors, piezoelectric devices, and fullerene-based solar cells. Steve was recently awarded the status of Chartered Chemist (CChem) and Chartered Scientist (CSci) by the Royal Society of Chemistry and The Science Council. The Chartered status is only awarded by Institutions that operate under the Royal Charter by the British Monarch. Steve also directs the efforts of GEOSET at FSU and coordinates on the technical requirements of the GEOSET partner institutions.

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Achievements, Books, Papers

Research Interests

Exploring the development of a self-assembling fibrous system based on a binary peptide construct. We can selectively recruit small molecules to the ends of the fibres and we have demonstrated polar assembly by using fluorescence imaging. The integration of carbon nanotubes into biological constructs is also being explored.

Carbon Nanotube composites are being developed to take advantage of their unique electrical and mechanical properties. The current research goals focus on producing covalently cross-linked carbon nanotube mats with applications such as conductive paper, photovoltaic devices and flexible batteries.

Achievements

2015 - Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry

2015 - Winner - Enterprise Video Award - Video Maverick

2015 - Center for Undergraduate Research & Academic Engagement's Undergraduate Research Mentor Award Nominee (as of 26th March 2015)

2015 - Explore Filmmaking: National Film and Television School (Course)

2014 - One of the '175 Faces of Chemistry' - Past and Present

Royal Society of Chemistry (http://rsc.li/1pLOEzS). Others in the list include Rosalind Franklin, Adrian V. Stokes, Alfred Nobel, Michael Faraday, Alexander Borodin and Marie Curie.

2014 - Fellow of the Institute of Nanotechnology (FIoN)

2014 - Chartered Scientist (CSci)

2014 - Full Chartered Chemist Status (CChem)

2014 - Joint Winner - Sonic Foundry Enterprise Video Award (Educational Scholarship)

2013 - Financial Certification - FSU

2013 - Working on the development of 'Google Glass' for the hearing impaired.

2013 - Intech (Book Chapter Recognition of 200 downloads [in 10 days])

2013 - Honors - Advancement of NSF ADVANCE-PAID initiative

2011 - Founder of the GEOSET Awards

2010 - SCIFOO Speaker - Google Headquarters - California

 

 

2010 - Sonic Foundry Rich Media Impact Award (Scholastic Achievement)

2009 - Nobel Laureates Meeting (Invited Participant - Lindau (Germany)

 

2009 - Winner - Sonic Foundry Rich Media Impact Award (Global Outreach)

2008 - Finalist - Sonic Foundry Rich Media Impact Award (Global Outreach)

Books

Carbon Nanotubes - Current Progress of their Polymer Composites (2016)

Chapter: Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene as Additives in 3D Printing Steve F. A. Acquah, Branden E. Leonhardt, Mesopotamia S. Nowotarski, James M. Magi, Kaelynn A. Chambliss, Thaís E. S. Venzel, Sagar D. Delekar, Lara A. Al-Hariri

ISBN 978-953-51-4689-6

Syntheses and Applications of Carbon Nanotubes and Their Composites (2013)

Chapter: Interconnecting Carbon Nanotubes for a Sustainable Economy

Acquah S.F.A.*; Ventura D.N; Rustan S.E.; Kroto H. W.

ISBN 980-953-307-536-0

Electronic Properties of Carbon Nanotubes (2011)

Chapter: Strategies to Successfully Cross-Link Carbon Nanotubes

Acquah S.F.A.*; Ventura D.N; Kroto H. W.

ISBN 978-953-307-499-3

Papers

A Synergistic Approach to Light-Free Catalysis Using Zinc Oxide Embedded Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Paper

Yulai Gao^{a, b}, Shengjuan Li^{c, d}, Bingge Zhao^a, Qijie Zhai^a, Adrian Lita^b, Naresh S. Dalal^b, Harold W. Kroto^b, Steve F. A. Acquah^b* Carbon 2014 (Accepted)

Improved sensitivity for Pd nanoparticle embedded MWCNT paper for gas sensors

Yulai Gao ^{a, b,}, Qingguo Bai ^c, Bingge Zhao ^a, Qijie Zhai ^a, Adrian Lita ^b, Naresh S. Dalal ^b, Harold W. Kroto ^b, Steve F. A. Acquah ^b,** (submitted)

Optical Properties of Multi Wall Carbon Naotube Mats (Buckypaper)

Wasan R. Saleh*, Abdulla M. Suhail, Ghuson H. Mohamed, Rajaa H. Mutlk, S.F.A. Acquah* (Draft)

Transport Properties of Cross-Linked Fullerenol-PVA Membranes

Penkova A.*; Acquah S.*; DmitrenkoM.; ChenB.; Semenov K.; Kroto H. Carbon, 2014 

Low Melting Point Nanocrystalline Sn-Ag Solder Synthesized by a Refined Chemical Reduction Method

Zhai Q, Gao Y.*, Acquah S. F. A.*

Chinese Science Bulletin 2014 

1D Nanomaterials 2013

Steve F. A. Acquah*,Renzhi Ma,Raymond L. D. Whitby, Yanqiu Zhu

Journal of Nanomaterials, 2014,2 Pages

Carbon nanotubes on a spider silk scaffold

Stevens E.*, Saleh W. R., Lebedev V, Acquah S. F. A, Laukhin V., Brooks J. S., Nature Communications, 2013, 4, 8 pages

Piezoelectric Enhanced Cross-Linked Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Paper

Gao Y; Zhai Q; Barrett R; Dalal N. S; Kroto H. W.; Acquah S. F. A*

Carbon 2013, 64, 544-547

Investigating the formation process of Sn-based lead-free nanoparticles with a chemical reduction method

Zhang W, Zhao B, Zou C, Zhai Q, Gao Y.*, Acquah S. F. A.*, Journal of Nanomaterials, 2013, 9 Pages.

1D Nanomaterials 2012

Zhu, Y.*; Whitby, R.L.D.; Ma, R.; Acquah, S.F.A, Journal of Nanomaterials, 2012,2 Pages

A flexible cross-linked multi-walled carbon nanotube paper for sensing hydrogen

Ventura D.N., Li S., Baker C. A., Breshike C. J., Spann A. L., Strouse G. F., Kroto H. W, Acquah S.F.A.*, Carbon, 2012, 50, (7), 2672-2674

On Paper the Future is Rosy

Acquah S.F.A.*; Ventura D.N; Kroto H.W. Chemistry & Industry, 2011, 75, (22), 22-24

(Research Highlight)

 

1D Nanomaterials 2011

Zhu, Y.*; Whitby, R.L.D.; Ma, R.; Acquah, S.F.A, Journal of Nanomaterials, 2011,2 Pages

1D Nanomaterials 2010

Zhu, Y.*; Whitby, R.L.D.; Ma, R.; Acquah, S.F.A Journal of Nanomaterials, 2010, 3 Pages

Assembly of cross-linked multi-walled carbon nanotube mats

Ventura, D.N.; Stone, R. A.; Chen, K. S.; Hariri, H. H.; Riddle, K. A.; Fellers, T. J.; Yun, C. S.; Strouse, G. F.; Kroto, H. W.*; Acquah, S. F. A.* Carbon,2010, 48, (4), 987-994.

Direct confirmation that carbon nanotubes still react covalently after removal of acid-oxidative lattice fragments

Wang, Z.; Korobeinyk, A.; Whitby, R. L. D.*; Meikle, S. T.; Mikhalovsky, S. V.; Acquah, S.F.A.; Kroto, H. W. Carbon,2010, 48, (3), 916-918

Black Paper (Paper Thin Carbon)

Acquah, S.F.A*; Ventura, D.N; Kroto, H. W. Education in Chemistry [RSC], 2010, 47, (4), 107-109

(Front Cover Special)

 

Poking the nano world with nano fibres (Short Article)

Acquah, S.F.A. RMS Proceedings, 2005

Polar assembly in a designed protein fiber

Smith, A. M.; Acquah, S. F. A.; Bone, N.; Kroto, H. W.; Ryadnov, M. G.; Stevens, M. S. P.; Walton, D. R. M.; Woolfson, D. N.* Angewandte Chemie-International Edition, 2005, 44, 325-328.

Polyurea-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes: Synthesis, morphology, and Raman spectroscopy

Gao, C.*; Jin, Y. Z.; Kong, H.; Whitby, R. L. D.; Acquah, S. F. A.; Chen, G. Y.; Qian, H. H.; Hartschuh, A.; Silva, S. R. P.; Henley, S.; Fearon, P.; Kroto, H. W.; Walton, D. R. M. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2005, 109, 11925-11932.

Large-scale synthesis and characterization of carbon spheres prepared by direct pyrolysis of hydrocarbons

Jin, Y. Z.; Gao, C.; Hsu, W. K.; Zhu, Y. Q.; Huczko, A.; Bystrzejewski, M.; Roe, M.; Lee, C. Y.; Acquah, S.; Kroto, H.; Walton, D. R. M. Carbon, 2005, 43, (9), 1944-1953.