Connor Bilchak

Dr. Bilchaks research at Manhattan College spans many different aspects of materials engineering, and how these topics can be best conveyed to his students and the broader community. His current research interests are:

1) Impacts of Additive Manufacturing on Chemical Manufacturing: Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, has created opportunties to manufacture products unhindered by the restrictions of conventional means. Dr. Bilchak is investigating how Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) structures, which can be easily fabricated using SLA-based manufacturing tools, can revolutionize the chemical manufacturing and separations industries by improving efficiency while also reducing costs. Dr. Bilchak and his research team have built a one-of-a-kind separation column as part of this work, which will also be used as a teaching tool to expose senior chemical engineering students to gas scrubbing via different tray and packing materials.

2) Green Manufacturing in the Personal Care Industries: Formulating and manufacturing products in an environmentally responsible, sustainable manner is one of our greatest challenges in the fight to reduce pollution and combat climate change. Dr. Bilchak is interested in how these principles apply to various personal care and cosmetics products, from emulsifiers to sunscreens. Dr. Bilchak operates the consumer products and cosmetics lab, a unique facility where students can learn the principles of cosmetics manufacturing and formuations to prepare them for career pathways in industry.

PUBLICATIONS                                                                                                       

1) Shawn M. Maguire, J. Brandon McClimon, Connor R. Bilchak, Russell J. Composito, et al., “Nanoscale Structure–Property Relations in Self-Regulated Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Composite Structures”, ACS Appl. Mater. Inter., 2023

2) Shawn M. Maguire, John Derek Demaree, Connor R. Bilchak, et al., “Surface Enrichment of Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles in a Miscible Polymer Nanocomposite”, Macromolecules, 2022.

3) Connor R. Bilchak, Mayank Jhalaria, et al. “Understanding Gas Transport in Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Assemblies”., Macromolecules, 2022

4 Shawn M. Maguire, Nadia M. Krook, Connor. R. Bilchak, et al. “Interfacial Compatibilization in Ternary Polymer Nanocomposites: Comparing Theory and Experiments”. Macromolecules, 2021

5) Shawn M. Maguire, Connor R. Bilchak, et al., “Effect of Nanoscale Confinement on Polymer-Infiltrated Scaffold Metal Composites”. ACS Appl. Mater. Inter., 2021

6) Shawn M. Maguire, Connor R. Bilchak, et al., “Grafted Nanoparticle Surface Wetting during Phase Separation in Polymer Nanocomposites Films”. ACS Appl. Mater. Inter., 2021

7) Connor R. Bilchak, Zahra Fakhraai, Russell J. Composto. “Kinetic Monitoring of Block Copolymer Self-Assembly Using In-Situ Spectroscopic Ellipsometry”. ACS Macro. Lett., 2020

8) J. Wes Barnett, Connor R. Bilchak, Sanat K. Kumar. “Designing Exceptional Gas-Separation Polymer Membranes using Machine Learning”. Sci. Adv., 2022

9) Connor R. Bilchak, Sanat K. Kumar, Christopher J. Durning, Brian C. Benicewicz, et al. “Tuning Selectivities in Gas Separation Membranes Based on Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles”. ACS Nano, 2020

10) Connor R. Bilchak, Christopher J. Durning et al. "High-Frequency mechanical behavior of pure polymer-grafted nanoparticle constructs." ACS Macro Letters, 2019

11) Connor R. Bilchak, et al. "Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Membranes with Controllable Free Volume." Macromolecules, 2017

12) Dustin W. Janes, Connor R. Bilchak, and Christopher J. Durning. "Decoupling energetic modifications to diffusion from free volume in polymer/nanoparticle composites." Soft Matter, 2017

13) Connor R. Bilchak and J. Patrick Abulencia. “Environmental Awareness in the Material and Energy Balances Course” Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Educations 123th Annual Conference and Exposition, 2016

14) E.T. Partlan, David A. Ladner, Connor R. Bilchak “Interactions of Super-Fine Powdered Activated Caron and Graphene Adsorbents with Microfiltration and Ultrafiltration Membranes” Proceedings of the Water Quality Technology Conference, 2013

15) Jaclyn R. Ellerie et al. "Comparing graphene, carbon nanotubes, and superfine powdered activated carbon as adsorptive coating materials for microfiltration membranes." J. Haz. Mat., 2013

PATENTS                                                                                                                

1) Kumar, S. K., Benicewicz, B.C., & Bilchak, C.R. (2022). “Gas Separation Membranes from Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles”. U.S. Patent No. US20220258131A1 (Pending)

2) Kumar, S. K., Durning, C. J., Buenning, E., & Bilchak, C.R. (2016). “Grafted Polymer Nanocomposite Materials, Systems and Methods”. U.S. Patent No. 10112143B2