Mark Pritzker

Mark Pritzker is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo. His research interests include electrochemical engineering, fuel cells, batteries, nanotechnology and materials science.

In the area of electrochemical engineering, Professor Pritzker and his team for many years has investigated the use of direct current and pulse plating for electrodeposition of metal (Cu, Co, Ni) and alloy (Co-Ni, Fe-Ni) coatings. Their work involves experimental studies and mathematical modelling of deposit morphology, electrode response, surface properties and electrode reaction kinetics for applications such as corrosion protection and fabrication of electronic devices and components. He has also recently collaborated with a colleague Professor Nasser Abukhdeir on the use of atomistic simulation methods such as kinetic Monte Carlo techniques to investigate fundamental aspects of the dynamics of copper electrodeposition and the evolution of the coating microstructure.

For a number of years, Professor Pritzker has also collaborated with colleagues Professor Michael Fowler and Zhongwei Chen, in the Chemical Engineering Department on several research projects concerned with polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFC) and lithium-ion batteries. These include the development of novel Pt-based catalysts for PEMFCs, study of the degradation and evolution of defects in the catalyst layer of PEMFCs and the detailed investigation of the behaviour of lithium iron phosphate electrodes during the charge and discharge of lithium-ion batteries. Professor Pritzker is also conducting research with another colleague Professor Yuning Li on the development of an all-inorganic oxide solar cell. He has also continued his collaboration with Professor Pu Chen, also of the Chemical Engineering Department, aimed at developing nanomaterials based on self-assembling oligopeptides for applications in tissue engineering, drug delivery and biosensors. A recent project was aimed at combining these oligopeptides with normally hydrophobic carbon nanotubes in order to disperse them in aqueous solutions and to form novel hybrid hydrogels with very useful properties.