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Neal M. Abrams
Assistant Professor

422 Jahn Lab
1 Forestry Dr.
Syracuse, New York 13210

Phone: (315) 470-4723/470-6855
Email: nmabrams@esf.edu

Courses taught 

• General Chemistry Laboratory I and II (FCH 151/153)
• Introduction to Chemistry Laboratory
• Project SYNAPSE laboratory
• Renewable Energy (ENS 335/535)
• Introduction to Renewable Energy (FCH 496-18)
• Solar Power as Renewable Energy (ESF SPARE)
• Advanced Training in Alternative Energy (FCH 496/696)

Education and Training

• B.S., 2000, Ithaca College (Chemistry)
• Ph.D., 2005, The Pennsylvania State University (Chemistry)
• Postdoctoral researcher, 2005 - 2007, Cornell University (Fuel Cell and Solid State Chemistry)
• Lecturer, 2006 – 2007, Cornell University (Chemistry)

Research Interest

Neal Abrams’s interests lie in the areas of materials and inorganic chemistry, encompassing areas of alternative energies such as energy storage, photovoltaics, and fuel cells. Many issues in these research areas have been dominated by engineering solutions and rarely by chemistry applications. Dr. Abrams explores low-temperature synthesis routes towards solid-state oxide and oxynitride materials. This works is currently supported by a grant from the ACS-PRF. He also collaborates with colleagues in the areas of energy storage and delivery for fuel cell applications.

On the education side, Dr. Abrams has a long history of teaching and education, including high school, college, and various forms of community outreach. As the instructor for General Chemistry labs at ESF, he develops interactive, guided inquiry experiments to the laboratory with a focus on energy and the environment. These laboratory experiences help develop critical thinking and organizational skills, essential for students in General Chemistry. Dr. Abrams is also an active member of the Outreach community at ESF, highlighted by an annual summer Workshop in Alternative Energy for school teachers sponsored by NYSERDA.

Selected Publications

• A Simple, Semi-Quantitative Device for Liquid-Liquid Separations. Logan, S. Joy; Abrams, Neal M. J. Chem Ed. 10.1021/ed300086k, 2012.

• Combining cloud networks and course management systems for enahnces Analysis in teaching laboratories. Abrams, Neal M, J. Chem. Ed., 2012, 89, 482-486.
• Utilization of direct and diffuse sunlight in a dye-sensitized solar cell-silicon photovoltaic hybrid concentrator system, Barber, Greg D.; Hoertz, Paul G.; Seung-Hyun Anna Lee; Abrams, Neal M.; Mikulca, Janine; Mallouk, Thomas E.; Liska, Paul; Zakeeruddin, Shaik M.; Gratzel, Michael; Ho-Baillie, Anita; Green, Martin A. J. Phys. Chem. C, 2011, 2, 581-585.
• Novel oxynitride compounds from cellulose biotemplates, Levine, A.; McEnaney, J.M; Abrams, N.M. Abstracts of Papers, 240th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, United States, August 22-26, 2010.
• Coupling of Titania Inverse Opals to Nanocrystalline Titania Layers in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells. Lee, S-H. A.; Abrams, N.M.; Hoertz, P.G.; Barber, G.D.; Halaoui, L.I.; Mallouk, T.E. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2008, 112,14415-14421.
• Highly Crystalline Inverse Opal Metal Oxides via a Combined Assembly of Soft and Hard Chemistries. Orilall, Christopher M.; Abrams, Neal M.; Lee, Jinwoo; DiSalvo, Francis J.; Wiesner, Ulrich. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2008, 130, 8882-8883.
• Self-assembled colloidal crystals: Visualizing atomic crystal chemistry using microscopic analogues of inorganic solids. Abrams, N.M.; Schaak, R. E. J. Chem. Ed. 2005, 82, 450-452.
• Increasing the conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized TiO2 photoelectrochemical cells by coupling to photonic crystals. Halaoui, L. I.; Abrams, N.M.; Mallouk, T.E. J. Phys. Chem. B, 2005, 109, 6334-6342.
• Standing wave enhancement of red absorbance and photocurrent in dye-sensitized titanium dioxide photoelectrodes coupled to photonic crystals. Nishimura, S.; Abrams, N.; Lewis, B. A.; Halaoui, L. I.; Mallouk, T. E.; Benkstein, K.D.; van de Lagemaat, J.; Frank, A. J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 6306-6310.

Grants and Awards

• 2012 NSF TUES NSF award
• 2010 TACNY Technology Outreach award
• 2009 ESF Seed grant
• 2009 NYSERDA grant
• 2008 ACS PRF grant

If you want more information about the graduate program, please follow this link to a brief form