David Carroll
Director, Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials | Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC, UNITED STATES
Carroll and his research team aim to provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.
Biography
Using technology at a nanoscopic scale, David Carroll and his research team aim to provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems: the need for affordable “green” or alternative energy sources and reliable treatments for deadly cancers.
In the green technology field, Carroll’s research has yielded a new class of flexible, affordable solar cells; several replacements for energy-burning incandescent and dangerous compact fluorescent light bulbs; and a fabric that can power a cell phone using the caller’s body heat. In the medical field, Carroll has developed nanotechnology that heats tumors until they die. Another nano-scale treatment helps surgeons regulate pressure in arms and legs during reconstructive surgery – greatly reducing the risk of amputation. He holds 12 patents and has been quoted in Discover magazine, the Raleigh News & Observer and WFDD.
Areas of Expertise (11)
Nanotechnology
Green Technology
Solar/photovoltaic cells
“Green” lighting/light bulb alternatives
Thermoelectrics
Nanotechnology and medicine/tumor eradication
Environmental/health effects of carbon nanotubes
Biomedical nanotechnologies
Thermoelectric Power Felt
Organic solar cells
Nanocomposite-based display and lighting technologies
Media
Publications:
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Videos:
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Links (1)
Accomplishments (1)
Innovation Award (professional)
Recipient of the Innovation Award in 2015, presented by Wake Forest Innovations, for research achievements and contributions in the field of alternative energy.
Education (4)
Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung: Research Associate, Physics
University of Pennsylvania: Postdoctoral Associate, Physics
Wesleyan University: Ph.D., Physics
North Carolina State University: B.S., Physics
Affiliations (3)
- Engineering (Journal) : Editor-in-Chief
- Journal of Biosensors and Bioelectronics : Board Member
- Current Organic Synthesis (Journal) : Board Member
Media Appearances (6)
Game Changers
Winston-Salem Monthly Magazine
2015-08-28
Carroll was interviewed about his work, in particular a revolutionary invention called Power Felt, a thin material that feels like wool and generates power.
The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation: Cloth electricity
CBS News
2014-12-16
Carroll was interviewed for this segment that focused on Power Felt, a thermoelectric device that can potentially turn body heat into an electrical current. "I see power as mobile, power is dynamic, power is you; your motion, the heat that you generate," he said.
‘Power Up’ summer camp builds world’s first solar/thermal generator
WGHP
2013-08-07
Wake Forest University researchers and students at Hanes Magnet School are the first to build and install the world's first solar/thermal generator called a HySterE panel. Dr. David Carroll, Wake Forest Physics Professor and Director of the Center for Nanotechnology, said the camp has many purposes.
Nanomedicine, commercialization focus of Winston-Salem nanotech conference
North Carolina Biotechnology Center
2013-04-17
When it comes to the nanotech industry in North Carolina, big things have come from small beginnings. A decade ago, only a handful of companies in the state were commercializing nanotechnologies. Today, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the state is home to more than 100 nanotech companies and more than 25 research and development and education organizations working with nanotechnology.
Professor invents the best new lightbulb in 30 years
Business Insider
2013-01-22
Lighting accounts for about 12 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. Part of the reason the figure is so high is that traditional incandescent bulbs (Edison's filament bulb) eat up a lot of power to produce light: 90 percent of the energy is wasted as heat.
'Power Felt' could charge cell phones using body heat
The Huffington Post
2012-03-05
Charging your cell phone may soon require only two items: a simple piece of fabric and your body. Researchers at Wake Forest University have developed a "Power Felt" that uses thermoelectric technology to charge devices such as cell phones, according to a press release issued by the school.
Articles (5)
High-efficiency photovoltaic devices based on annealed poly (3-hexylthiophene) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6, 6) C61 blends
Applied Physics Letters
The effects of annealing and fullerene loading in regioregular poly (3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) and 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6, 6) C 61 (PCBM) based bulk heterojunction photovoltaics have been investigated. Under specific loading ...
Carbon nanotube doped polyaniline
Advanced Materials
Polyaniline/multiwalled carbon nanotube composite films have been fabricated. It is shown that the nanotubes affect the free N–H environment and quinoid units along the polymer backbone. A 10-fold increase in conductivity is observed and elemental analysis indicates ...
Synthesis and characterization of truncated triangular silver nanoplates
Nano Letters
Truncated triangular silver nanoplates have been synthesized in large quantities using a solution phase method in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles. The obtained particles have an average edge size of 68 nm, thickness of 24 nm, and the ...
Strong luminescence of solubilized carbon nanotubes
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Since their discovery in 1991, carbon nanotubes have attracted significant scientific attention. Many potential applications of carbon nanotubes require an understanding of their photoexcitedstate properties, but the insolubility of nanotubes in any solvent has ...
A Composite from Poly (m‐phenylenevinylene‐co‐2, 5‐dioctoxy‐p‐phenylenevinylene) and Carbon Nanotubes: A Novel Material for Molecular Optoelectronics
Advanced Materials
A novel material for molecular optoelectronics consisting of a composite of carbon nanotubes and poly (m-phenylenevinylene-co-2, 5-dioctoxy-p-phenylenevinylene)(PmPV) is reported. Incorporation of the nanotubes is demonstrated to increase the electrical ...