Robert W. Smith has been on the faculty of the University of Nebraska at Omaha since 1990.  His first year was spent as a visiting assistant professor in the Chemistry Department; he then moved to the Physics Department for seven years and is now back in the Chemistry Department where he has the rank of Professor.  He research efforts are in the synthesis and characterization of solids (with an emphasis on ferroelectric materials) in collaboration with colleagues who make theoretical predictions regarding properties of new materials.  He recently spent time at Naval Research Laboratory where he learned thin-film synthesis by pulsed laser deposition.

Professor
Department of Chemistry
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska 68182-0109
402-554-3592 (phone)
402-554-3888 (fax)
robertsmith@mail.unomaha.edu (e-mail)


Education

Ph.D., Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, 1989
B.A., Chemistry, Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, 1979


Employment

Academic
1990-present Professor, University of Nebraska at Omaha
1989-1990 Research Associate, Northwestern University
1985-1989 Research and Teaching Assistant, Oregon State University
1979-1980 Research and Teaching Assistant, University of Texas, Austin

Military
1985-2002 Commissioned Officer, U.S. Naval Reserve
1980-1985 Commissioned Officer, U.S. Navy

Other
Summer 2000 ASEE Summer Faculty Research Associate, Naval Research Laboratory


Refereed Publications

J. Liu, C. G. Duan, W. G. Yin, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Large Dielectric Constant and Maxwell-Wagner Relaxation of Bi2/3Cu3Ti4O12," Physical Review B, submitted.

C. Duan, W. N. Mei, J. Liu, W. G. Yin, J. R. Hardy, R. W. Smith, M. J. Mehl, and L. L. Boyer, "Electronic Properties of NaCdF3: A First-Principles Prediction," Physical Review B 69, 033102 (2004).

W. G. Yin, C. Duan, W. N. Mei, J. Liu, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the Order-Disorder Phase Transition in Solid NaNO2," Physical Review B 68, 174106 (2003).

J. Liu, C. Duan, W. G. Yin, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Dielectric Permittivity and Electric Modulus in Bi2Ti4O11," Journal of Chemical Physics 119, 2812-2819 (2003).

J. Liu, C. Duan, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Polymorphous Transformations in Alkaline-Earth Silicates," Journal of Chemical Physics 116, 3864-3869 (2002).

J. Liu, C. Duan, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Order-Disorder Structural Phase Transitions in Alkali Perchlorates," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 163, 294-299 (2002).

J. Liu, C. Duan, M. M. Ossowski, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Phase Transition in AgNO3," Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 63, 409-414 (2002).

J. Liu, C. Duan, M. M. Ossowski, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "High Temperature Phase Transition in TlN3," Materials Research Bulletin 36, 2035-2041 (2001).

J. Liu, C. Duan, M. M. Ossowski, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Simulation of Structural Phase Transitions in NaNO3 and CaCO3," Physics and Chemistry of Minerals 28, 586-590 (2001).

J. Liu, C. Duan, M. M. Ossowski, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, and J. R. Hardy, "Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Structural Phase Transitions in RbNO3 and CsNO3," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 160, 222-229 (2001).

C. Duan, W. N. Mei, R. W. Smith, J. Liu, M. M. Ossowski, and J. R. Hardy, "Order-Disorder Phase Transitions in KNO2, CsNO2, and TlNO2 Crystals: A Molecular Dynamics Study," Physical Review B 63, 144105 (2001).

M. M. Ossowski, J. R. Hardy, and R. W. Smith, "Molecular Dynamics Study of Phase Transitions in Alkali Thiocyanates," Physical Review B 62, 3136-3141 (2000).

R. W. Smith, W. N. Mei, J. W. Flocken, M. J. Dudik, and J. R. Hardy, "Polymorphic Phase Transitions in Mixed Alkali Magnesium Fluoride Solid Solutions," Materials Research Bulletin 35, 341-349 (2000).

M. M. Ossowski, J. R. Hardy, and R. W. Smith, "Molecular Dynamics Study of Phase Transitions in Alkali Azides," Physical Review B 60, 15094-15099 (1999).

A. Mehta, D. Berliner, and R. W. Smith, "Structure of Yttrium Cobaltate from Neutron Diffraction," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 130, 192-198 (1997).

R. W. Smith, M. A. Kennard, and M. J. Dudik, "Structure and Properties of the Noncentrosymmetric Oxide Borate K2Ga2O(BO3)2," Materials Research Bulletin 32, 649-656 (1997).

R. W. Smith and D. A. Keszler, "Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of the Noncentrosymmetric Pyroborate BaCuB2O5," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 129, 184-188 (1997).

J. W. Flocken, R. W. Smith, J. R. Hardy, E. S. Stevenson, and J. Swearingen, "Phase Transitions in Mixed Alkali Calcium Trifluoride Solid Solutions," Materials Research Bulletin 31, 1093-1099 (1996).

R. W. Smith, "Cs2Ga2O(BO3)2," Acta Crystallographica, Section C 51, 547-549 (1995).

R. W. Smith and L. J. Koliha, "A New Noncentrosymmetric Orthoborate [Ba2Zn(BO3)2]," Materials Research Bulletin 29, 1203-1210 (1994).

R. W. Smith, J. L. Luce, and D. A. Keszler, "Framework Alkali Metal Zinc Orthoborates AZn4(BO3)3, A = K, Rb, and Cs," Inorganic Chemistry 31, 4679-4682 (1992).

R. W. Smith and D. A. Keszler, "The Noncentrosymmetric Orthoborate BaZn2(BO3)2," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 100, 325-330 (1992).

P. D. Thompson, J. Huang, R. W. Smith, and D. A. Keszler, "The Mixed Orthoborate Pyroborates Sr2Sc2B4O11 and Ba2Sc2B4O11; Pyroborate Geometry," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 95, 126-135 (1991).

R. W. Smith and D. A. Keszler, "Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of the Orthoborate SrCu2(BO3)2," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 93, 430-435 (1991).

R. W. Smith and D. A. Keszler, "Structure of Ba2Cu(BO3)2," Acta Crystallographica, Section C 46, 370-372 (1990).

R. W. Smith and D. A. Keszler, "Syntheses and Crystal Structures of the a- and b-forms of the Orthoborate Sr2Cu(BO3)2," Journal of Solid State Chemistry 81, 305-313 (1989).

R. W. Smith and D. A. Keszler, "The Pentaborate Ba2LiB5O10," Materials Research Bulletin 24, 725-731 (1989).

A. D. Payton, E. J. Amis, M. S. Showell, R. W. Smith, and B. D. Koplitz, "Concentration Dependence of Thermoelectric Powers in Aqueous Sulfamic Acid and Aqueous Perchloric Acid Using Hydrogen Electrodes," Journal of the Electrochemical Society 127, 2157-2162 (1980).


Publications in Proceedings

M. M. Ossowski, J. R. Hardy, and R. W. Smith, "Structural Transitions in NaCN and KCN," Fundamental Physics of Ferroelectrics 2000 , AIP Proceedings, 332-337 (2000).


Presentations

"Thin Film Synthesis of a New Metastable Ferroelectric NaCaF3," Fundamental Physics of Ferroelectrics, Aspen, Colorado, February 2000.

"Synthesis of a New Non-oxide Ferroelectric by Pulsed Laser Deposition," University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, Nebraska, April 1999.

"Supercell Structure of Na2Ga2O(BO3)2 from X-ray and Neutron Diffraction Data," 108th Nebraska Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, Lincoln, Nebraska, April 1998.

"A Comparison of Calculated and Experimental Phase-transition Temperatures in Fluoroperovskite Solid Solutions," 32nd American Chemical Society Midwest Regional Meeting, Osage Beach, Missouri, November 1997.

"Nonlinear Optical Materials in the BaO·ZnO·BO3/2 Phase Diagram," 30th American Chemical Society Midwest Regional Meeting, Joplin, Missouri, November 1995.

"Experimental Confirmation of First Principles Theoretical Predictions of the Transition Temperatures for K1-xRbxCaF3 Solid Solutions," Midwest Solid State Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, July 1995.

"The Noncentrosymmetric Pyroborate BaCuB2O5," 44th American Chemical Society Northwest Regional Meeting, Reno, Nevada, June 1989.