These recently developed ultra-lightweight carbon-based materials have self-organized hierarchical structure from atomic, to nano-, to micrometer level, approaching the utmost physical limit of composite solid. The proposed technology virtually avoids structural damage to the growing dielectric by plasma discharge or incident particles, thus minimizing the probability of structural defect trap formation. Proposed novel dielectric materials possess thermal conductivity that greatly exceeds thermal conductivity of polymers or glass, a record high thermal shock resistance and thermal-electrical shock resistance with respect to other dielectrics, and usually increases such characteristics of the substrate materials. Also, a controllable variation of electrical conductivity is available in these materials doped with metals over the entire range from metallic to dielectric state in a monolithic synergetic carbon matrix. In addition, the proposed materials may be deposited upon an assembled capacitor thus providing effective, virtually weightless, encapsulation of the device. Perhaps most important, a multilayer structure with alternating dielectric and conducting (doped) synergetic carbon may be produced, and with an appropriate design of the inter-layer connections capacitor devices with nano-thick dielectric approaching the physical limit of energy density can be fabricated. Theoretically, this limit may be estimated to about 2 KJ/g, while a practical limit of about 0.1 to 0.2 KJ/g should be eventually achieved. Under this Phase I program, the effectiveness of the proposed dielectrics by producing and testing specific specimens will be demonstrated, as well as the economic feasibility of the process.

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Professor Egon Matijevic' Assists Clarkson in Collaborations with South Eastern European Universities

Clarkson University President Anthony G. Collins and Clarkson Distinguished Professor Egon Matijevic' receive the flag of Slovenia after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Ljubljana, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, to promote academic collaboration between the two universities. From left: Dr. Zorica Crnjak Orel, Dr. Stane Pejovnik, Clarkson University President Anthony G. Collins, Distinguished University Professor Egon Matijevic' , University of Ljubljana Rector Joze Mencinger, and Dr. Marjan Veber.

Clarkson University President Anthony G. Collins, accompanied by his wife, Karen, and Clarkson's Distinguished University Professor Egon Matijevic', recently returned from Europe after completing Memoranda of Understanding with both the University of Ljubljana and the Jozef Stefan International Postgraduate School in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and with the University of Zagreb in Croatia. According to the terms of these agreements, the universities will work together to further their mutual interests in teaching, research and other forms of academic collaboration.

The documents also mean that campuses on both sides of the Atlantic may soon benefit from the new cultures, as Clarkson's students and faculty travel to Europe for study or work exchanges while scholars from Slovenia and Croatia make their way to Clarkson's campus.

The idea of collaborating with these European universities was put forth by Egon Matijevic' (the Victor K. LaMer Chair in Colloid and Surface Science). He received his Dr. Habil. and Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Zagreb and holds Honorary Doctorates from both the University of Ljubljana and the University of Zagreb. "I am certain part of the reason we were treated so graciously on our trip is due to the admiration and esteem in which Egon is held by the administration and faculty at these universities," said Clarkson University President Collins.

The Memoranda of Understanding call for the universities to provide mutual assistance in the preparation of seminars and conferences; exchange academic publication materials; cooperate in training projects for specific areas of development; and look for other areas of cooperation, such as award and non-award courses. Clarkson University faculty will also collaborate on research with the European institutions.