Sara L. Rolfe

Senior Scientist

Sara Rolfe researches nanoparticle preparation and agglomeration for a wide range of commercial applications. Metal nanoparticle agglomerates are prepared for high strength, lightweight alloys, composite nanoparticle agglomerates are used in reactive materials and wear resistant coatings and ceramic nanoparticles and agglomerates are used in a wide range of catalysis and sorbent applications including sulfur sorbents for warm gas cleanup and catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch conversion of syngas to diesel fuel. Her team has invented reactors for solvent-free nanoparticle synthesis and low temperature powder degassing.

Her team has developed a line of inorganic paints and coatings with a wide range of properties including: refractory paint for high voltage, high vacuum plastic insulators; inorganic electronically conductive satellite paint with passive discharge; high temperature, electrically-insulating but thermally-conductive magnet wire and superconductor insulation; and low friction coatings for concrete barriers.
In the areas of gasification and reforming, she has invented a new Catalytic Microwave Assisted Gasification process and catalysts which has shown excellent results for gasifying polymer matrix composites, polymers and biomass. In addition, she led a project which reformed crude glycerol from biodiesel production to syngas and has researched many other gasification catalysts including catalysts for jet fuel and diesel fuel reforming.

Her research history at Eltron includes preparation and characterization of ceramic, metal, and composite (ceramic/metal, ceramic/ceramic, ceramic/polymer, and metal/metal) powders, dense disks and tubes, porous granules and supported thin films for oxygen and hydrogen gas separation, catalysis, fuel cells, and structural materials.

Ms. Rolfe received a M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Iowa State University in 1998 and a concurrent B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Iowa State University in 1998. As a research assistant for Ames Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, she studied the development of a photonic band gap structure using titania sol-gel coating of polystyrene microparticles.