Assistant Professor
Mary Gilliam
Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering
2224A Academic Building
810-249-4043
Education
B.S. Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, 2001
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, 2006
Work Experience
Exatec, Division of Sabic Innovative Plastics, Wixom, MI, 2006 – 2011
After graduating in 2006, Dr. Gilliam took a position at Exatec, a division of Sabic Innovative Plastics, as the Plasma Technology Leader, supervising global technology programs and directing international R&D teams to develop next-generation coated polymer products targeting new applications.
Courses
CHME 435 Process Control (developed)
CHME 436 Process Control Laboratory (developed)
CHME 401 Mass Transfer Operations Laboratory
Research Statement
The focus of the research program is around plasma processes and material development, including the application of high deposition rate processes and atmospheric pressure plasmas, which offer considerable decrease in working cost requirements over traditional plasma processes. Plasmas can be applied to modify very thin surface layers or to deposit single or multi-layer coatings without altering the bulk characteristics of materials. Research projects are targeted for commercial application in wind and solar energy, electronic materials, healthcare packaging, lightweight materials for transportation, aircraft, energy-efficient windows, and so on. Investigation work focuses around process characterization, development of coating properties, and tailoring coating performance, including optical qualities, scratch and abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, UV-resistance, barrier properties, and others. Experiments are designed to characterize the reaction behavior, determine the energy domains of the process, and quantify the effects of the process on coating properties. This characterization generates process transfer functions that subsequently provide the basis to tailor the properties of the coating to meet the performance requirements of the targeted applications.
Research Specialties
Plasma process technology, Plasma chemical vapor deposition, Organic and organosilicon coatings, Plastics applications, Polymer surface modification
Select Publications
1. M.A.Gilliam, A.Ritts, and Q.Yu, “The Mesh Disturbance Effects in LTCAT for Surface Modification of LDPE,” Journal of Applied Polymer Science, accepted 2009.
2. M.Gilliam, Plasma Polymerization of Fluorocarbons and Plasma Surface Modification of Polymers, Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany (2009).
3. M.A.Gilliam and S.Gasworth, “Characterization of the Parameter Space in Expanding Thermal Plasma Systems with Organosiloxane and Oxygen Reagents,” Society of Vacuum Coaters Annual Conference (2008), Chicago, IL.
4. M.Gilliam, Q.Yu, and H.Yasuda; Plasma Processes and Polymers, 4 (2007) 165-172.
5. M.A.Gilliam and Q.Yu; Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 105 (2007) 360-372.
6. M.A.Gilliam and Q.Yu; “Low-Temperature Plasma Processes for Polymeric Surface Modification,” in Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing (2007) S.Lee, ed.
7. M.A.Gilliam and Q.Yu; Recent Research and Developments in Applied Polymer Science, 3 (2006) A.Gayathri, ed., p. 13.
8. M.A.Gilliam and Q.Yu; Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 99 (2006) 2528-2541.
9. Q.S.Yu, C.Huang, Y.Chan, M.Gilliam, and H.K.Yasuda, “Glow Characterization in Plasma Deposition Systems,” Proceedings of 17th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry (2005), Toronto, Canada.
10. M.A.Gilliam and Q.Yu, “Modification of Polymeric Surfaces Using Low Temperature Cascade Arc Torch,” American Chemical Society Regional Conference (2003), Columbia, MO.
Patents
1. M. Gilliam and K. Higuchi (2011). U.S. Patent Application, “Organic Resin Laminate, Methods of Making and Using the Same and Articles Comprising the Same,” 2011
2. K. Higuchi and M. Gilliam (2011). U.S. Patent Application, “Organic Resin Laminate,” 2011
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