Prof. Alon Hoffman

Faculty:

Chemistry

Main energy field:

Energy conversion by photo enhanced thermionic mission

About:

PhD – 1987 – Technion, Physics

BSc – 1982 – Technion, Physics

Awards:

Joseph Szydlowsky Chair in Sciences

1987: Award of distinction for outstanding research achievements, presented by the President of the Technion, Israel.

1997: David Ben-Aharony award for excellence in research.

2006: Alexander Goldberg award for excellence in research on the subject: “Nucleation and   Growth of Diamond Films”.

Roles, Chairs, prizes etc.

2012-2016: Dean, Schulich  Faculty of  Chemistry, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel.

2007-: Full Professor,  Schulich  Faculty of  Chemistry, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel.

1997 – 2007: Associate Professor, Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel.

1992-1997: Senior Lecturer,  Schulich Faculty of Chemistry Department, Technion, Haifa 32000, Israel.

Research Area in Energy:

Conversion of heat into electric power

Conversion of solar energy into electric power by the use of photo enhanced thermionic emission  from diamond and other carbon surfaces

Selected Publications:

“Visible sub-band gap photoelectron emission from nitrogen doped and undoped polycrystalline diamond films”’S. Elfimchev*, M. Chandran, R. Akhvlediani, A. Hoffman. Appl. Surc. Scince, accepted 2017.

“Nitrogen and hydrogen content, morphology and phase composition of hot filament chemical vapor deposited diamond films from NH3/CH4/H2 gas mixtures”, Sh. Cherf, M. Chandran, Sh. Michaelson, S. Elfimchev, R. Akhvlediani and A. Hoffman*. Thin Solid Films, submitted 2017.

“Fabrication of microchannels in polycrystalline diamond using pre-fabricated Silicon substrates for thermal management applications” Maneesh Chandran*, Sergey Elfimchev Shaul Michaelson, Rozalia Akhvlediani, Orna Ternyak and Alon Hoffman*,  J. App. Physics, submitted, 2017.

Evidence for D2 Dissociative Chemisorption and Electron Affinity Changes of Bare and Ion Beam Damaged Polycrystalline Diamond Surfaces”, Sh. Michaelson, M. Chandran and A. Hoffman, Diamond and Rel. Matt.63 (2016) 26-29.

“Incorporation of Low Energy Activated Nitrogen onto HOPG Surface:Chemical States and Thermal Sability Studies by in-situ XPS and Raman Sectroscopy” M. Chandran, M. Shasha, S. Michaelson and A. Hoffman, Appl. Surf. Science, 382 (2016) 192-201.

“Wear Performance of Diamond Coated WC-Co Tools with a CrN interlayer”, M. Chandran, F. Sammler, E. Uhlmann, R. Akhvlediani and A. Hoffman, Diam. Rel. Mat. In print, december 2016.

“Fabrication of a Nanometer Thick Nitrogen Delta Doped Layer at the Sub-surface Region of (100) Diamond”, M. Chandran*, S. Michaelson, C. Saguy and A. Hoffman1 App. Phys. Let. 109, 221602 (2016).

“Interplay between adhesion and interfacial properties of diamond films deposited on WC-10%Co substrates using a CrN interlayer”, Miriam Fischer, Maneesh Chandran, Rozalia Akhvlediani and Alon Hoffman, Diam. Rel. Materials. 70(2016) 167-172.

“Nitrogen terminated diamond”, Alastair Stacey*, Kane M. O’Donnell, Jyh-Pin Chou, Alex Schenk, Anton Tadich, Nikolai Dontschuk, Jiri Cervenka, Chris Pakes, Adam Gali, Alon Hoffman and Steven Prawer. Adv. Mat. Interfaces   2015, 1500079 (6pp).

“The Influence of Deposition Temperature on the adhesion of diamond films deposited on WC-Co Substrates Using a Cr-N Interlayer”, Miriam Ficher, Maneesh Chandran, Roza Akhveldiani and Alon Hoffman, Phys. Status Solidi A, 2628-2635 (2015) DOI 10.1002/pssa.201532210.

“Dissociative adsorption of molecular deuterium and thermal stability onto hydrogenated, bare and ion beam damaged poly- and single crystalline diamond surfaces”, Shaul Michaelson, Maneesh Chandran, Shimon Zalkind; Noah Shamir; Roza Akhvlediani; Alon Hoffman, Surf. Science. 16-21 (642) 2015.

“Incorporation of nitrogen into polycrystalline diamond surfaces by RF plasma nitridation process at different temperatures: Bonding configuration and thermal stabilty studies by in-situ XPS and HREELS”, Maneesh Chandran *, Michal Shasha, Shaul Michaelson, Roza Akhvlediani and Alon Hoffman, Phys. Status Solidi A, 1-9(2015) DOI 10/1002/pssa/ 201532182.

“Nitrogen Termination of Single Crystal (100) Diamond surfaces by Radio Frequency Plasma Processes: An in-situ X-Ray Photo-emission Spectroscopy and Secondary Electron Emission Study”, M. Chandran, M. Shasha, Sh. Michaelson and A. Hoffman. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2107 111602 (2015).

“Trap Assisted Photo-Enhanced Thermionic Emission from Polycrystalline Diamond Films”, S. Elfimchev, M. Chandran, R. Akhvlediani, and A. Hoffman. Phys. Status Solidi A, 212 (2015) 2583-2588.

“HR-EELS study of Hydrogen Bonding Configuration, Chemical and Thermal Stability of Detonation Nanodiamond Films”,  Sh. Michaelson, R. Akhvlediani, T. Petit, H.A. Girard , J-C. Arnoult and A. Hoffman. Appl. Surf. Science, 305(2014)1609-166.

“Amorphous carbon enhancement of hydrogen penetration into UO2”, S. Zalkind1, N. Shamir, T. Gouder, R. Akhvlediani, A. Hoffman, Appl. Surf. Science, 305(2014)539-543.

“A Near Edge X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure Study of Oxidized Single Crystal and Polycrystalline Diamond Surfaces”, Z. Shpilman, I. Gouzman, T. K. Minton, L. Shen, A. Stacey, J. Orwa, S. Prawer, B. C. C. Cowie and A. Hoffman. Diam. Rel. Matt. 45(2014)20-27.

” The Impact of Surface Hydrogenation on the Thermionic Electron Emission from Polycrystalline Diamond Films”, S. Elfimchev, S. Michaelson, R. Akhvlediani, M. Chandran, H. Kaslasi and A. Hoffman. Phys. Status Solidi A, 1-6(2014) / DOI 10.1002/pssa.201431168

“Dissociative Adsorption of Molecular Deuterium on Polycrystalline Diamond Films Activated by Medium Surface temperatures”, S Michaelson, T. Berkovitz, R. Akhvlediani and A. Hoffman.  . Phys. Status Solidi A, 1-7(2014) / DOI 10.1002/pssa.201431165.

“Using Hydrogen Activated by Microwave Plasma vs. Molecular Hydrogen for Storage in Tungsten Disulfide Inorganic Nanotubes”, A. Laikhtman, Sh. Michaelson, A. Hoffman, T.K. Kim, H.R. Moon and A. Zak. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 39(2014) 9837-9841.

“The effect of low energy ion-beam induced amorphization on the thermionic electron emission properties of polycrystalline diamond films”, O. Reinharz Bar-Hama and A. Hoffman, Diam. Rel. Matt. 32 (2013) 61–65.

“The interaction of H2O with the surface of polycrystalline gadolinium at the temperature range 300-570 K”. S. Cohen, A. Abramovich, S. Zalkind, M.H. Mintz, I Jacob, R. Akhvlediani, M. Segev, A. Hoffman, N. Shamir. Surf. Sci. (2013) DOI: doi: 10.1016/j.susc.2013.07.007.

“Diamond CVD film formation onto WC-Co substrates using a thermally nitride Cr diffusion barrier”.  E. Hojman, R. Akhvlediani, A. Layyous and A. Hoffman, Diam. Rel. Matt. 39 (2013) 65-72.

“Correlation of Optical and Chemical Properties of Silicon Niride Films Deposited by Plasma and Low Pressure CVD”,  Sh. Michaelson, , R. Akhvlediani, A. Hoffman, A. Itah, A. Gladkih, R. Shima-Edelstein, A. Fenigstein, M. Lisisansky and Y. Roizin, TOWER-JAZZ TECHNICAL JOURNAL, 4 (2013) 71-76.

“The Impact of H/D Substitution on the Structure, Composition and Thermal Stability of Grain Boundaries in Sub-Micron Diamond Films Deposited on Silicon”, I.Y.Koenka, A. Stacey, R. Akhvlediani, S.Prawer and A.Hoffman., Diam. Rel. Matt. 22(2012) 59-65.

“Evidence for preferential reactivity of the atomic oxygen with hydrogenated diamond (111) facets”, Sh. Michaelson, R. Akhvlediani, L. Tkach, A. Hoffman, , Surf. Science, 606(17–18) (2012) L79-L81.

“The effect of HfO2 overlayer on the thermal stability of SiGe substrate”, Sh. Michaelson, R. Akhvlediani, I. Milshtein, A. Hoffman, B. Meyler, J. Salzman, E. Lipp, R. Shima-Edelstein, Y. Roizin, Electrochemical Society – Solid State Letters, 1(2012) N7-N12.

“Preferential adsorption of thermally activated oxygen onto annealed polycrystalline diamond films studied by high resolution electron energy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies”, R. Akhvlediani, Sh. Michaelson, L. Tkach and A. Hoffman, , Phys. Stat. Sol. A. 1–7 (2012).

“Depletion of Nitrogen vacancy Color Centers in Diamond Via Hydrogen Passivation”, A. Stacey, T.J. Karle, L.P. McGuinness, B.C. Gibson, K.Ganesan, S.Tomljenovic-Hanic, A.D.Greentree, S. Prawer, R.G. Beausoleil and A. Hoffman. Appl. Phys. Let. 100, 071902(2012)

“Cobalt out-diffusion and carbon phase composition at the WC-10%Co / Diamond film interface investigated by XPS, SEM, Raman and SIMS”, E. Hojman, R. Akhvlediani, E. Alagem and A. Hoffman. Phy. Stat. Sol. A. 209(9) (2012)1726–1731-DOI 10.1002/pssa.201200037.

“The influence of surface conditioning on the thermionic electron emission from polycrystalline diamond films”, O. Reinharz Bar-Hama , R. Akhvlediani and A. Hoffman. Phys. Stat. Sol. A 1–7 (2012) / DOI 10.1002/pssa.201200028.

REVIEW PAPERS

“Diamond Film Deposition on WC-Co and Steel Sustrates with a CrN Interlayer for Tribological Applications”. M. Chandran and A. Hoffman. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 49(2016) 213002 (26pp).

CHAPTERS IN BOOKS.

“HR-EELS Studies of Nano-Diamond Films” M. Michaelson and A. Hoffman, in “ Nanodiamond: Advanced Material Analysis, Properties and Applications”, edt by Jean Charles Arnault 2017

“Bonding and Concentration of Hydrogen and Thermal Stability of Nanocrystalline Diamond Films”, S. Michaelson and A. Hoffman, p247-p290, Ch 8 in the book: ” Ultra-Nanocrystalline Diamond: Synthesis, Properties and Applications” Second Edition, ed. by D.M. Gruen, O. Shenderova. Published by ELSEVIER. 2012