Tequila A. L. Harris
Assistant Professor
Education
- Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2006
- M.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2003
- B.S., Lane College, 2000
Research Areas and Descriptors
- Manufacturing and Fluid Mechanics; Polymer processing, mechanical system design, fluid flow, and mechanical and physical property characterization of thin film.
Background
Began at Tech in October 2006 as an Assistant Professor.
Research
The global demand for power is exponentially increasing as countries become more modernized, however the fossil fuels used to harvest the energy are disproportionately decreasing. In addition, the release of high volumes of pollutants from refining and consuming fossil fuels is arguably causing Earth's atmosphere to change irreversibly. As such, alternative renewable environmentally friendly, efficient, and cost effective methods to produce energy are required.
Dr. Harris' research interests are in electrochemical systems, in particular fuel cells and their application to polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) and microbial fuel cell (MFC), key for the development is to simultaneously improve their durability, performance, and cost. Her research projects investigate fundamental science and technology of electrochemical systems to understand energy harvesting, fluid transport, materials processing and design issues. She has experience in developing systematic design and manufacturing methodologies for complex energy systems which directly involve material characterization, tooling design and analysis, computational and analytical modeling, experimentation, and system optimization.
Dr. Harris is actively investigating PEMFCs, which are electrochemical devices that convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity with byproducts of heat and water, with specific applications to transportation and portable devices. She is researching how manufacturing leads to premature degradation of conductive polymer membrane thin film, through experimental analysis and numerical analysis as shown in Figure 1. Pin-holes and rupture due to embedded stresses and/or inadequate manufacturing causes rapid failure of the membrane film and such defects become more prevalent during mass production. This research aims to fundamentally understand the initiation and propagation of these defects, which directly relates to membrane durability. Dr. Harris also investigates novel stack designs and assemblies for PEMFCs, for which a host of challenges are present due primarily to the number of components that make up a fuel cell and holds it together, that is, electrolyte, cathode, anode, end plates, bipolar plates, cooling plates, seals, and gaskets. Her research involves developing new and innovative stack designs and manufacturing methods that will limit the number of components required to assemble a stack, as well as help reduce overall system cost and manufacturing and production time.
 
Dr Harris also investigates MFCs, which are bio-electrochemical devices that
convert chemical energy to electrical energy by the catalytic reaction of
microorganisms, with specific applications to sensors and waste water treatment. The
objective of this research is to MFC performance by investigating (1) microbial
communities in combination with various substrate compounds (e.g., glucose,
lactate) and (2) the architectural design of the MFC for both batch and
continuous systems. Figure 2, illustrates a batch system microbial fuel
cell.
Distinctions
- 1969 Teaching Fellow, 2007 - 2008
- National Science Foundation/Integrated Graduate Education and Research Trainee, 2005-2006
- United Negro College Fund Young Alumnus Award of the Year, 2005
- Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Fellow, 2003-2004
- The Henry Luce Foundation Clare Luce Booth Fellow, 2002-2003
- General Electric Faculty of the Future Fellow, 2000-2001
Representative Publications
- T. Harris and K. Bhamidipat. 2007. Detection of Mechanical Failure in Polymer Electrolyte Membranes. ECST, in print.
- T. A. L. Harris and D. Walczyk. 2006. Development of a Casting Technique for Membrane Material Used in High-Temperature PEM Fuel Cells. Journal of Manufacturing Processes 8(1), 8-20.
- T. A. L. Harris, D. Walczyk, R. Puffer, and R. ODonnell. 2004. Design of an Experimental Test Bed for Depositing Membrane Material for High Temperature Fuel Cells. 2004. Proceedings of the 2004 SME North American Manufacturing Research Conference, 431-438.
- T. A. L. Harris, R. Mukherjee, and D. Walczyk, D. 2003. A New Method of Patterning Fluids Onto Substrates Using a Variable Lip Slot Die. Walter Lincoln Hawkins Conference Proceeding, 15-21.
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