Natural Sciences Department Faculty Research Dr. Chris Burba

Dr. Chris Burba

Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry
University of Oklahoma

Phone: 918-444-3835
Office: SC 238 (Tahlequah)
Email: burba@nsuok.edu

Research Interests

Dr. Burba maintains an active research program for undergraduate and graduate students, with research topics typically falling within one of the broad areas described below. Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Burba about research opportunities.

Ionic Liquids

Dr. Burba has developed a vibrant research program focused on ionic liquids. We are primarily interested in elucidating structure-property maps to understand the molecular factors that produce materials with high ionic conductivities and low viscosities. This is predominantly accomplished through vibrational spectroscopic studies of cation and anion coordination environments. We have established a number of domestic and international collaborations to support our ionic liquid research efforts.

Electrode and Electrolytes for Energy Storage

Students working in this area investigate cutting-edge materials for lithium ion batteries, fuel cells, and electrochemical capacitors. This includes solid-state electrode materials, polymer electrolytes, and non-aqueous electrolyte solutions. Our efforts in this area concentrate on relationships between materials properties and electrochemical performance.

Phase Behavior of Confined Solutions

Confining a material within a nanoporous host can induce substantial changes in thermal properties of the liquid. Past experimental and theoretical work in our lab examined thermal and transport properties of aqueous and non-aqueous electrolyte solutions trapped in mesoporous silicas. We also used small angle neutron scattering experiments, which were conducted at the NIST Center for Neutron Research, to confirm core-shell phase separation in confined solutions.

Applications of Stable Isotopes to Bat Migration

Bats experience significant population pressures due, in part, to wind energy and white-nose syndrome. This is exacerbated by large-scale migratory movements exhibited for many susceptible species. Unfortunately, there are large gaps in our understanding of bat migration; this partly because it is difficult to apply traditional techniques to study their migration patterns. Stable isotopes might provide a means for addressing this issue. The global distribution of many stable isotopes (e.g., ¹H and ²H) is well known, and bats will imprint a local isotope signature into its tissues (e.g., hair and claws). Thus, it may be possible to infer where the bat grew those tissues by measuring the relative amounts of the stable isotopes. Our laboratory contributes this effort by assessing stable isotope ratios of bat fur and claws with the goal of inferring bat migration patterns. This research project is supported through collaborations with bat ecologists in the Tahlequah area.

Recent Publications

A list of Dr. Burba's publications may be found at his Google Scholar profile page or by clicking the hyperlink above