James Baird, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry,
Physics,
& Chemical Engineering

Contact

301 Sparkman Drive
Materials Science Building
Room 115
Huntsville, AL 35899
Campus Map

256.824.6441
james.baird@uah.edu

Biography

My efforts, which are largely theoretical, are directed toward questions on the border between chemistry and materials science. Since experiment is the final arbiter of the success of theory, I work closely with students who are interested in experiments. Although some students concentrate solely on experiment, others combine both theory and experiment, and all students are encouraged to analyze data and form conclusions based on their own findings. Recent research problems have included solid state diffusion, crystal growth, and critical phenomena involving chemical reactions in binary liquid mixtures with a consolute point.

Curriculum Vitae


Education

  • Ph.D., Chemical Physics, Harvard University, 1969
  • M.A., Physics, Harvard University, 1965
  • B.S. Summa Cum Laude, Chemistry, Yale University, Chemistry, 1963

Expertise

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Materials Science
  • Protein Crystal Growth
  • Fundamental Mechanisms

Recent Publications

  • J. K. Baird, S. Huang, and R. A. Frederick Space Charge Limited Conduction in Polyvinyl Alcohol + Hydroxylammonium Nitrate Solid Propellant Journal of Propulsion and Power 36, 479 -484 (2020)

  • James K. Baird, Joshua R. Lang, Xingjian Wang, Anusree Mukherjee, and Pauline Norris Phase Rule and the Universality of Critical Phenomena in Chemically Reacting Liquid MixturesJ. Phys. Chem. B 123, 5545 –5554 (2019)

  • James K. Baird, Xingjian Wang, Joshua R. Lang, and Pauline Norris Phase Rule Classification of Physical and Chemical Critical Effects in Liquid Mixtures Chem. Phys. Lett. 729, 73 -78 (2019)

  • J. K. Baird, J. R.Lang, X. Wang, S. Huang, Anusree Mukherjee Anomalous Solubility of an Inert Solid in a Binary Liquid Mixture with a Critical Point of SolutionJ. Phys. Chem. B 122, 2949 –2956 (2018)

  • J. K. Baird and C.-H. SuAcoustic Vibration Effects in Classical Nucleation TheoryJ. Crystal Growth 48765 -71(2018)

  • J. S. Chen, K.-T. Yeh, D.-Y. Kao, and J. K. BairdToward a Better Determination of Infrared Molar Absorptivities and Dimer Formation Constants in Self-Association through Hydrogen Bonding: 3-Ethyl-2-Methyl-3-Pentanol in Tetrachloroethylene as an ExampleJ. Chinese Chemical Society 641156 -1163 (2017)

  • J. K. Baird and J. R. Lang Theory of First Order Chemical Kinetics at the Critical Point of SolutionJ. Phys. Chem. A 121, 8048 –8052 (2017)

  • J. K. Baird, J. R. Lang, A. T. Hiatt, and R. A. Frederick, Jr.Electrolytic Combustion in the Polyvinyl Alcohol + Hydroxylammonium Nitrate Solid Propellant Journal of Propulsion and Power 33, 1589 –1590 (2017)

  • J. D. Savoy, J. K. Baird, J. R. Lang Ion Exchange at the Critical Point of Solution, Journal of Chromatography A 1437,58 –66 (2016)

  • J. D. Ng, J. K. Baird, L. Coates, J. M. Garcia-Ruiz, T. A. Hodge, and S. Huang Large Volume Protein Crystal Growth for Neutron Macromolecular CrystallographyActa Crystallographica F 71, 358 –370 (2015)