Our Team

Dr. Jeffrey R. Alston

Dr. Jeffrey Alston holds a degree in Nanoscale Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he studied under Dr. Jordan Poler. It was during this time that he began his career studying the interfacial science of nanomaterials. After graduation he was recruited at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. There he engineered high pressure gear pumps to extrude polymers with high weight percent nanoparticle loading for on-demand 3D printing of tires. After several years in industry, Dr. Alston received the National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Air Force Research Lab - Rocket Lab in Edwards, CA, where he studied the effects of surface energy and nanoscale hierarchical textures on a variety of applications ranging from heat exchanger fouling release to oil-water separation to advanced high temperature interfacial science and surface interactions to enhance propellant and fuel delivery.

Dr. Alston is now an Associate Professor at North Carolina A&T and the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. He leads a research program focusing on the fundamental and applied aspects of nanomaterial and biopolymer interfaces. As Dr. Alston puts it, "We functionalize nanoparticles for integration into interesting materials for cool applications." The group currently focuses on the development of three broad material platforms; functionalized boron nitride nanoparticles (f-BN), low-density multifunctional nanostructures, and ionic liquids (including a new class of paramagnetic ionic liquids). Within these broad materials categories, we work closely with NASA and the AFRL, several industry partners, and address various challenges aligned with DoD interests.

Researcher IDs:
Web of Science ResearcherID S-8736-2017

ORCID 0000-0002-4177-0648