Carlos Germosen Polanco
Chemical Engineer
I am a Chemical Engineer who helps clients find, optimize, and automate engineering and scientific solutions to their problems so they can increase revenew and reduce cost.
Research Projects
View selected projects below. More information can be found at carlosgermosen.com/projects.
First author. Properties of Crystalline Polyethylene-like Materials Under Industrially Relevant Processing Conditions
Polyethylene-like materials with in-chain acetal units (-O-CH2-O-) precisely spaced by long methylene runs (between 12 and 26 CH2), crystallize from the melt in four different crystallographic forms (polymorphs) depending on the depth of undercooling. The polymorphs were characterized via wide angle X-ray diffraction as disordered, hexagonal, Form I, and Form II phases with increasing crystallization temperature. Classical differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that the transition from Form I to Form II occurs in a narrow temperature range (< 1°C). At the transition, there is a minimum in the crystallization rate and extremely low levels of crystallinity. The latter recovers at temperatures above the transition. Because the disordered and hexagonal phases of these long-spaced polyacetals develop at large undercooling, not accessible by DSC, in the present work we have used fast scanning calorimetry (FSC) to obtain isothermal crystallization rates and heats of fusion of these samples. All polyacetals display inversions in the crystallization rate and low heat of fusion at the transition temperature between the disordered and hexagonal form, as well as in the transition between hexagonal and Form I polymorphs. These results, which indicate a general behavior of precision polyethylene-like materials reveal critical structure-property relationships needed for tuning industrial melt processing conditions of these and similar sustainable polymers.
Download thesis abstractCo-author. Assessing effective medium theories for conduction through lamellar composites
In this study, we developed a numerical finite-difference model for 2D transient diffusion in lamellar structures. The explicit application is heat transfer, but it could equally be applied to dielectric constants, magnetic susceptibilities, electron/ion conduction, and mass diffusion as well. The control volume contains two phases A and B. The phases have different transport parameters. The modeling aims to evaluate the effect of grain size, grain boundaries, and phase contrast on apparent transport properties of composite materials, such as laminates, polycrystalline materials, and block copolymers, by examining a progression of increasingly complex structures. To validate the model, effective transport parameters of parallel and perpendicular structures from the numerical model are compared to analytical expressions. Effective Medium Theory provides an analytical expression in the limit of many, small, randomly oriented grains. The impact of coarse grains on transport is investigated. Specifically, the model is used to examine how the apparent transport parameters trend from the limit of a homogeneous material to small randomly oriented grains containing two different phases. The effective thermal conductivity (averaged over many random structures) was found not to be a function of grain size. However, the standard deviation decreased exponentially with decreasing grain size, reaching less than 2% variation for transport through 15 grains. Thus, the appropriate Effective Medium prediction is reliable for a surprisingly few number of grains, and connectivity of the more conducting phase is important only in coarse grains with significant contrast.
View publicationRaspberry Pi Based ECL Device
In this project, I designed a compact electrochemiluminescence (ECL) platform utilizing Raspberry Pi as a portable, affordable, and structurally sound data acquisition device to detect low levels of dopamine in a solution complex. The reaction chamber was designed in SolidWorks, and algorithms were implemented using Python to optimize data analysis of the ECL signal. The prototype can reliably detect dopamine concentrations as low as 250 nM. At the end of the project, I presented it as part of my senior design project at Andrews University, and donated the ECL device to the chemical engineering department for future research.
Work Experience
My work experience encompasses scientific research, teaching assistanship to graduate and undergraduate courses, tutoring in STEM, as well as sales and accounting.
Research Assistant
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
01/2020-12/2021
I have three years of experience as a research assistant (RA) from which two are at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. As an RA I worked in three different projects:
- Cristallinity and thermal properties of biodegradable polymers. Primary Investigator: Dr. Rufina G. Alamo.
- Simulation of transport properties (heat, mass, and momentum) in copolymer systems. Advisor: Dr. Daniel Hallinan.
- Investigation of polymer vitrimer networks. Advisor: Dr. Ralm G. Ricarte.
Responsabilities:
- Investigated the properties of crystalline polyethylene-like materials (i.e., polyacetals, polyesters) at cooling rates up to 2000 °C/s using FSC. Other instruments used were the classical DSC, SAXS, and WAXS.
- Lead undergraduates in scientific projects.
- Developed The Ricarte Lab website.
- Investigated the properties of polymer vitrimer networks. For more information visit The Ricarte Lab.
Education
Florida State University - Tallahassee, FL
GPA: 3.7
Thesis Topic: “Properties of Crystalline Polyethylene-like Materials Under Industrially Relevant Processing Conditions.”
M.S., Chemical Engineering, 2021
Awards:
- Adelaide D. Wilson Graduate Student Success Fund
Andrews University - Berrien Springs, MI
GPA: 3.8
B.S., Engineering with focus in Chemistry, 2019
Awards:
- Cum laude
- Engineering Excellence Award
- Zirkle Engineering Award
- Andrews Partnership Scholarship