Joseph Teprovich

EDUCATION

Ph.D Chemistry, Lehigh University, 2008
B.S. Chemistry, DeSales University, 2003
B.S. Environmental Science, DeSales University, 2003

POSTDOCTORAL APPOINTMENT

Savannah River National Laboratory, 2009-2011
Lehigh University, 2008-2009

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Sandia National Lab (Livermore, CA) Visiting Faculty (via DOE-Visiting Faculty Program), 2021
Savannah River National Laboratory, Principal Scientist, 2011-2017

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

University of South Carolina – Aiken, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Adjunct Professor, 2014-2017
DeSales University, Chemistry Department, Adjunct Professor, 2008-2009

COURSES TAUGHT AT CSUN

Chemistry 101/L, General Chemistry I and lab
Chemistry 102/L, General Chemistry II and lab
Chemistry 321/L, Analytical Chemistry I and lab
Chemistry 543, Chemistry of Energy
Chemistry 595S, Chemistry of Energy lab

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Material development for energy storage and conversion devices

Students will gain hands-on experience with a variety of analytical instrumentation and techniques related to energy storage and conversion including: UV-vis, fluorometer, potentiostat / electrochemistry, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, FTIR microscopy, dynamic light scattering, X-ray diffraction, inert atmosphere glovebox operation, battery cell assembly and testing, and general laboratory protocols/practices.

1. Weakly coordinating anion electrolytes – Current lithium ion batteries are a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, however, there is an inherent safety risk associated with their use.  This is due to the poor stability of the flammable organic electrolyte solution utilized to shuttle the lithium ions between the anode and the cathode during charging and discharging.  The goal of this project is to evaluate new electrolyte salts contains weakly coordinating anions (WCA) such as the closo-borate family of salts.  Due to their extreme thermal and chemical stability they can be readily incorporated into common liquid, composite, and solid-state electrolyte formats.

2.  Fluorescent carbon nanomaterials – Due to the unique nature of carbon it can adopt many different structural allotropes:  3-D (diamond, graphite), 2-D (graphene), 1-D (nanotube), or 0-D (fullerene).  Each of these allotropes have unique photophysical properties allowing them to interact with various wavelengths of light. This has led to their utilization in various applications from biological imaging to fluorescent polymers.  This lab is working to develop novel carbon based nanocomposite materials that can be utilized as multimodal imaging agents in biological systems and for energy down conversion devices such as LEDs.

3.  Department of Energy (DOE) Research - In support of various DOE missions and projects we have collaborated with Savannah River National Lab and Sandia National Lab through subcontracts on various projects including:  non-platinum group metal fuel cell catalysts, lanthanide hydride super conductors, perovskite solar cells, and solar batteries.

10 MOST RECENT PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS (out of 39)

1. “Synthesis and Characterization of Amorphous Lawsone Polymer Dots for Fluorescent Applications” J. Hernandez, A. Robb, S. Servera,  N. Bedrosian, O. Gomez, Z. Duca, M.B. Thomas, D. Tamae, P.L. Fischhaber, S.J. Garrett,  P.A. Ward, J.A. Teprovich Jr, ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2023, 6, 20639-20651.
2. “Spectroscopic Investigation of the Electronic and Excited State Properties of Para-Substituted Tetraphenyl Porphyrins and Their Electrochemically Generated Ions” L. Hanna, E. Movsesian,# M. Orozco,# A. Bernot,+ M. Asadinamin, L. Shenje, S. Ullrich, Y. Zhao, N. Marshall, J. Weeks, M. Thomas, J.A. Teprovich Jr.,* P. Ward* Spectrochimica Acta Part A, 2022, 78, 121300.
3. “Closo-borate gel polymer electrolytes with remarkable electrochemical stability and a wide operating temperature window” M. Green, K. Kaydanik, M. Orozco,  L. Hanna, M. Marple, A. Fessler, W.B. Jones, V. Stavila, P.A. Ward, J.A. Teprovich Jr. Advanced Science, 2022, 9, 2106032.
4. “Influence of Solvent System on the Electrochemical Properties of a closo-borate Electrolyte Salt” M. Green, H. Simonyan, K. Kaydanik, J.A. Teprovich, Jr. Applied Science, 2022, 12, 2273.
5. “Synergistic effect of nanoionic destabilization and partial dehydrogenation for enhanced ionic conductivity in MBH₄-C₆₀ (M = Li⁺, Na⁺) nanocomposites” J.A. Santos, P. Simon, A.R. Bernot Jr., C. Babasi, P.A. Ward, S. Hwang, R. Zidan, J.A. Teprovich, Jr., J. Soid State Electrochem. 2021, 25, 1441-1452.
6. “Time-Resolved Shadowgraph Photography of Laser-Heated Plasmonic Gold Nanoparticles in Water” D. Stavich, B. Nestoiter, D. Gonzalez, A. Freund, X. Buelna, K. Wang, J.A. Teprovich, Jr., J. Eloranta, J. Phys Chem C, 2020, 124, 14022-14029.
7. “Hydrogenated C₆₀ as high-capacity stable anode materials for Li-ion batteries”, J.A. Teprovich Jr., J.A. Weeks, P.A. Ward, S.C. Tinkey, C. Huang, J. Zhou, R. Zidan, P. Jena, ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2019, 2, 6453-6460.
8. “Electrochemical extraction of hydrogen isotopes from Li/LiT mixtures”, J.A. Teprovich Jr., H.R. Colon Mercado, L. Olson, P. Ganesan, D. Babineau, B. L. Garcia-Diaz, Fusion Eng. Des., 2019, 139, 1-6.
9. “Stability and Phase Formation in the (Li/Na)₆C₆₀–H Systems Studied by Neutron Scattering”  S. Sartori, M.N. Guzik, K.D. Knudsen, M.H. Sørby, J.A. Teprovich, Jr., R. Zidan, B.C. Hauback, J. Phys. Chem. C, 2018, 122, 18346-18355.
10. “High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage in CaAl2” P.A. Ward, J.A. Teprovich Jr., J. He, Y. Lu, R. Zidan, J. Alloys Compd., 2018, 735, 2611-2615.

PATENTS

1. R. Zidan, J. A. Teprovich, T. Motyka, “Two Step Novel Hydrogen System Using Additives to Enhance Hydrogen Release from the Hydrolysis of Alane and Activated Aluminum”, Patent No.:  US 9,199,844 B2; issued December 1, 2015.
2. A. L. Washington II, J. A. Teprovich Jr., R. Zidan “Enhanced Superconductivity of Fullerenes”, Patent No.: US 9685600; issued June 20_, 2017.
3. R. Zidan, J. A. Teprovich Jr., H. Colon-Mercado, S.Greenway “Solid State Electrolyte Composites Based on Complex Hydrides and Metal Doped Fullerenes/ Fulleranes for Batteries and Electrochemical Applications” Patent No.:  US 9,959,949 B2; issued May 1, 2018.
4. A.L. Washington II, M.G. Serrato, J.A. Teprovich Jr. “Reinforced Radiological Containment Bag” Patent No.:  US 10,157,689 B2; issued December 18, 2018.
5. B. L. García-Díaz, H. Colon-Mercado, J.A. Teprovich Jr., D. Babineau, and L. C. Olson, “Recovery of Tritium from a Molten Lithium Blanket,” US 10,450,660 B2; issued October 22, 2019.

M.S. THESES

Jesus Hernandez, Spring 2023:  Synthesis and characterization of lawsone based polymer dots for intracellular imaging
Matthew Green, Spring 2023:  Closo-borate electrolytes for improved performance and safety in next generation battery systems
Katty Kaydanik, 2021:  Novel Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Lithium-Ion Batteries
Osma Gomez, 2021:  Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) as Probes of Biological Systems
Anthony R. Bernot Jr., 2021:  Photophysical Properties of Fullerene Derived Nanostructures