Dieter Gruen

Dieter Martin Gruen (born November 21, 1922) is a German-born American scientist, who was a senior member of the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. He received B.S. (1944, cum laude) and M.S. (1947) degrees in chemistry from Northwestern University and the Ph.D. (1951) in chemical physics from the University of Chicago.

Gruen made contributions in a broad range of topics in the chemistry of materials: the definitive establishment of the 5f character of the actinides by the measurement and ligand field interpretation of magnetic moments at low temperatures; the creation of a solution chemistry in fused salts using spectroscopy to determine oxidation states, complex ions, and coordination equilibrium of transition metal ions; the elucidation of the interactions of reactive molecular and atomic species with noble gas matrixes; the rational design of metal alloy hydrides for energy storage and heat pump applications; the determination of the energetic and depth of origin of sputtered species; ultra sensitive detection of atoms and molecules using laser Fluorescence and resonance ionization mass spectrometry; the discovery and development of a new chemical vapor deposition process for the synthesis of phase-pure nano-crystalline diamond films and the development of graphene-based photo voltaic cells.

The following provides more detail on his lifetime of work as a scientist in chemistry, materials science and energy science.

Manhattan project

Member of the scientific team at Oak Ridge site that developed the Uranium bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Gruen’s work focused on the development of a novel chemical method to separate isotopes of Uranium. This enabled the separation of Uranium 235 from Uranium 238. U-235 was then concentrated for use in the A bomb.

Actinide radioactive elements research

Gruen’s work over 15 years led to these element’s definitive characterization as 5F in the Periodic Table. This was crucial to their use in nuclear reactors and nuclear power packs used in cardiac pacemakers.

Safer nuclear reactor design research

Gruen’s work enabled the creation of designs for safer nuclear reactors. Instead of producing trans-plutonium waste, much less toxic U233 would be produced. As opposed to Chernobyl and Fukushima, these newer reactors, using Thorium as fuel, would be much safer and the radioactive waste disposal would be much easier.

Sputtered species research

Gruen developed ultra-sensitive ion measurement techniques using laser spectroscopy, the method still used today to determine meteorite isotopic composition. Meteorite composition analysis contributes to the formulation of theories about the evolution of the universe including the stellar nuclear-synthesis theory.

Fusion research

Gruen used ultra-sensitive ion measurement techniques for his research on nuclear fusion reactors. Plasma cloud containment remains a fundamental hurdle in fusion research. Dr. Gruen developed an approach of coating the cloud containment vessel walls with a self-removing copper/lithium compound. This enables the plasma cloud to remain contained longer, a key step toward eventually enabling a fusion reaction to occur.

Metal hydride research

Gruen performed heat pump technology research including a solar powered heat pump. This technology is commercialized and is currently being used for hydrogen “getters,” which absorb hydrogen produced in various industrial processes.

Material research

Diamond films

Gruen invented a radically new method for making diamond films by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). He researched and patented this process for deposition from a plasma cloud of very smooth, very thin (mono-atomic layers) aligned carbon atoms in a diamond molecular structure. This is known as an Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) film. These films are doped to make them semi-conductors. They form a structure similar silicon and can be made as either P or N types for use in diodes to conduct electricity. Applications include improved micro-electronics which has been commercially developed for medical applications including as an electrode in an artificial retina. These diamond films can also be used for mechanical processes that require low friction and low wear such as ultra-long-lasting pump seals. This has been commercially developed for water purification pumps. In addition, UNCD is used for a process that produces hydrogen for use in a fuel cell.

Graphene Solar Cells

Gruen’s current research involves creating a graphene-based photovoltaic (PV) cell. He has now produced, with a team of scientist at the University of Illinois, Chicago, a prototype graphene PV that has the highest voltage of any PVs available today (2019) and holds the US and foreign patents for graphene PVs and for their use in cogeneration. These cells will have a significant advantage over today’s silicon-based cells because, unlike silicon, they will continue to produce electricity when subjected to the very high temperatures present within solar collectors. Adding these graphene PVs to large-array solar collectors' focal points, will double the electrical output thereby enhancing the ability to store the reserve high-gradient heat energy within molten salts. Cogenerating graphene solar cells’ direct electricity output with the indirect production of electricity from steam turbines, plus molten salt energy storage in large scale power plants (hundreds of megawatts), will create a total solution for producing lower cost electricity both when the sun shining and when it is not. When fully developed, this technology, has the potential to solve the world’s energy problems.

Gruen's wife Dolores, a psychologist who received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, died on March 19, 2015, at the age of 90. The Gruens had been married for 66 years at the time of her death. Dr. Gruen has two daughters, Erica and Karen, and a son, Jeffery. Dr. Gruen also has nine grandchildren (Daniel, Miriam, Anna, Lev, Zohara, Micah, Aleya, Benjamin, and Moshe Aaron) and two great-grandchild, Julia Devorah and Samuel Lewis.

Memberships

Gruen was a visiting scientist at the invitation of Nobel laureate Glenn T. Seaborg at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, a delegate to the United Nations Conference on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, and a visiting professor at both the Norwegian Technical University and the Hebrew University. He was on the board of the Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science and on visiting committees for the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. He has been on the editorial boards of the Annual Review of Materials Science, the Journal of Applied Physics, and Applied Physics Letters. Gruen is a frequently invited lecturer at national and international conferences and has been the organizer of numerous conferences and symposia. Gruen is the author or co- author of more than 350 publications and editor of several books and monographs. He holds approximately 30 U.S. patents. Among those that have been licensed are some in the nanocrystalline diamond film area and one concerning the use of intense ultraviolet laser radiation for the ablation of biological tissue. The process is used worldwide for the treatment of certain cardiovascular diseases.