Molecular Puzzles in Chemical Bathtubs ft. Chris Brewer

In this episode

• How Chris moved from making molecules to surface science, now depositing tin sulfide and iron sulfide from a chemical bath at UT Dallas
• Why depositing materials onto organic layers could matter for flexible electronics
• How volunteering at a science museum in Tampa from age 14 started his path, and the Harry Potter themed potions class he created at the University of Florida
• The project he is proudest of: working out, step by step, how ruthenium molecules break apart under light, to design better precursors for metal films
• Why he once ran his reactions on the roof of the chemistry building, and how curiosity keeps research exciting
• His three wishes: access to any instrument, machine shop skills to build custom setups, and robots to take over routine lab work

Key Takeaways

• Postdoc at UT Dallas who moved from organic synthesis to surface science, now doing chemical bath deposition of tin/iron sulfide onto self-assembled monolayers as a proof-of-concept for area-selective, patternable deposition toward flexible electronics.
• Entered science through a Tampa science museum (volunteer at 14, research project at 16); worked across FSU, USF, University of Florida (created a Harry Potter ‘potions’ class), NC State, UT Dallas.
• Knowing what you don’t want to do (sugar chemistry) is a valuable outcome of trying a field.
• Loves the puzzle-solving and daily variety; a reaction that only worked in direct Florida sunlight meant running it on the building roof.
• Three wishes: access to any characterisation tool, machine-shop skills to build custom setups, and lab robotics so he can focus on analysis and idea exploration.

Listen on

About the guest

Chris Brewer is a Research Associate (Postdoc) at the University of Texas at Dallas, developing chemical bath deposition methods for tin sulfides and iron sulfides on organic surfaces. During his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Florida, he designed ruthenium precursors for photoassisted chemical vapour deposition. He studied Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State University and has a background as a science educator.

Chris Brewer curated the Real Scientists Nano Twitter account (@RealSci_Nano) from October 23 to October 30 2023. Read all of Chris’s tweets from that week.