My name is Reed Doucette and I am a junior ME major with a business minor.

This summer I worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the Nanoscale Synthesis and Characterization Lab. One of the main projects that the NSCL is working on right now is the development of the targets for the National Ignition Facility laser, that will hopefully create the first controlled fusion reactions on Earth wthin the next 3 years.

Specifically, I was working on the processing and testing of nanoporous gold foams. These foams begin as a gold-silver alloy and through a series of processes and treatments they are turned into foams, that on the nanoscale look like sponges. These foams have several advantageous properties. For the most part, the foams maintain the mechanical properties of the bulk materials pretty well. The foams also have a very high surface area. Also, gold is an inert metal and it is biocompatible.

Two main applications are being explored for these gold foams. The first involves using them as catalysts especially in catalytic converters because they exhibit several properties that make them more desirable than the platinum that is currently used. The second involves using them as a base onto which very small medical devices could be implanted into the body. The porous nature of the foam encourages cell growth throughout the foam and since they are gold, they will not adversely impact that body in any way.

I heard about the internship through materials sent out through the Viterbi Career Center. Viterbi faculty and staff were very helpful through the application process as far as writing letters of recommendation and serving as references.

--Reed Doucette