Room: 303.102
Phone: +61 8 9266 7806
E-mail

Dr Thomas Becker

Research Fellow

Fields of Interest

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Nanotechnology, Nanocharacterisation, Nanofluidics, Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA), Physics

Biography

1994-2000: Study of physics at the University of Ulm, Germany
2000-2001: Diploma thesis at the department of Applied Physics (University of Ulm, Germany)
“Investigation of Fluid Nanostructures with an AFM”
2001-2005: PhD (University of Twente)
“Collapse Dynamics of Confined Liquid Films”
Since 08/2005: Research Fellow (Dept. of Applied Chemistry, Curtin University of Technology)
Scanning Probe Microscopy

Research Publications

R. De Marco, Z.T. Jiang, T. Becker, G. Clarke, G. Murgatroyd, K. Prince
“Response Mechanisms and New Approaches with Solid-State Ion-Selective Electrodes: A Powerful Multitechnique Materials Characterization Approach”
Electroanalysis 18(13-14), p. 1273-1281 (2006)

H. Yanliang, B. Kinsella, T. Becker
„Sensitisation Identification of Stainless Steel to Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking by Atomic Force Microscopy”
Materials Letters 62 (12-13), p. 1863-1866 (2008)

Y. Xu, C. Xu, A. Shvarev, T. Becker, R. De Marco, E. Bakker
“Kinetic Modulation of Pulsed Chronopotentiometric Polymeric Membrane Ion Sensors by Polyelectrolyte Multilayers”
Analytical Chemistry 79(18), p. 7154-7160 (2007)

T. Becker and F. Mugele:
“Nanofluidics: Molecularly thin lubricant layers under confinement”
Molecular Simulation 31(6-7), p.489-494 (2005)

T. Becker and F. Mugele
“Mechanical properties of molecularly thin lubricant layers: Experimental methods and procedures”
J. Phys.: Cond. Matt. 17(9), p. S319-332 (2005)

T. Becker and F. Mugele
“Nanofluidics: Viscous dissipation in layered liquid films”
Phys. Rev. Lett. 91 (16), p. 166104-1-4 (2003)

T. Becker, F. Mugele
“Collapse of molecularly thin lubricant layers between elastic substrates”
J. Phys.: Cond. Matt. 15, p. S321-S330 (2003)

S. Zilberman, T. Becker, F. Mugele, B.N.J. Persson, and A. Nitzan
“Dynamics of squeeze-out: Theory and experiments”
J. Chem. Phys. 118(24), p. 11160-11167 (2002)

F. Mugele, T. Becker, R. Nikopoulus, M. Kohonen, and S. Herminghaus
“Capillarity at the Nanoscale: an AFM view”
J. Adhes. Sci. Techn. 16(7), p. 951 (2002)

F. Mugele, T. Becker, A. Klingner, and M. Salmeron:
“Two-dimensional observation of drainage and layering transitions in confined liquids”
Coll. Surf. A 206, p. 105-113 (2002)

Other publications

"AFM imaging of liquid structures: from droplet profiles to molecular interactions in thin films: Preparation, characterization, applications"
T. Becker, F. Mugele, T. Pompe, and S. Herminghaus
(Eds. M.P. Soriaga, J. Stickney); Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers (2002)

Hobbies/Interests

Fencing, Fishing, Sports, Nature, Motorbikes & Cars