Obituary of Peter Clay Eklund

Condensed matter physics lost a major figure when Peter Clay Eklund passed away from cancer on August 15, 2009. Peter was world famous for his experiments on fullerenes, nanotubes, and graphene. His group discovered the optically induced polymerization of fullerenes, demonstrated that the radius of a carbon nanotube could be measured by Raman scattering, and first observed surface optical phonons, twinned superlattices, the antenna effect, and stimulated Raman scattering in nanowires. He also pioneered methods of growing and purifying carbon nanotubes, founding Carbolex, Inc., a major supplier of nanotubes for scientific research. His group helped identify the phonons responsible for superconductivity in alkali-doped fullerides. With collaborators at MIT, they demonstrated the utility of vibrational spectroscopy in characterizing several classes of carbon materials, including fullerenes and nanotubes.

Peter was born in New York City on June 7, 1945 to Harry Nils Eklund (an émigré from Sweden) and Vera Clay. He grew up in California, where his father worked for the Lear Corporation. In 1967 he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in physics. After a year at Lockheed Missile and Space Co. in Sunnyvale, CA, he began graduate study at Purdue University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Solid State Physics on the synthesis and electrical transport of crystalline transition metal oxides under Professors J. M. Honig and L. L van Zandt. In his post-doctoral training at MIT under the guidance of Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus and Dr. Gene Dresselhaus, Peter investigated Raman scattering and optical reflectance in graphite intercalation compounds. He also studied the magneto-reflection of graphite, magneto-catalysis, and electron transport in Mott-Hubbard insulators (NiS2).

In 1977, Peter Eklund joined the University of Kentucky as an Assistant Professor in Physics; he became a Full Professor in 1986. He was awarded the University of Kentucky Research Professorship in 1998 for his contributions to graduate education and research in carbon materials. The next year he joined Penn State University as a Professor of Physics, becoming Distinguished Professor in 2007. In 2002, he also joined the department of Materials Science and Engineering. Peter mentored 23 Ph.D. thesis students, most of whom are employed in industrial R&D or university faculty positions in the United States and abroad.

Peter Eklund co-authored the first comprehensive research monograph on fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, The Science of Fullerenes and Carbon Nanotubes (Academic Press, 1996), with Mildred and Gene Dresselhaus. He co-edited (with former student Prof. A. M. Rao) the research monograph Fullerene Polymers and Fullerene Polymer Composites (Springer-Verlag, 2000). Eklund co-founded businesses on computer-generated camouflage patterns (PhotoStealth), laser-driven synthesis of nanoparticles and coatings (ICMR), and the large-scale production of single-walled carbon nanotubes (CarboLex). ICMR moved from Lexington, Kentucky to Silicon Valley and evolved into Nanogram, which recently reorganized as NeoPhotonics. Both CarboLex and NeoPhotonics are still actively engaged in the development of new nano-materials.

A former student, Qihua Xiong, wrote “Peter was a great mentor to me. He knows how to help students build self-esteem and stimulate them to explore their full potential. Students could knock on his door with questions or new data any time. I once designed a mask adapter to transfer the vacuum between a 3-inch mask and a 4-inch mask holder. The design looked beautiful and machine shop did a perfect job. Unfortunately, I made a stupid mistake: the central opening was slightly larger than the vacuum grooves behind the mask holder and as a result, it leaked. I was very disappointed in myself, as I not only wasted grant money but also delayed our experiment. Peter patted my shoulder, picked up a sharpie, and wrote on the mask adapter frame, ‘Even Great People Make Mistakes, But They Learn’. We machined another one, and it worked very well. Now, this failure piece still stands on my bookshelf. It encourages me to be a supervisor like Peter.”

Eklund co-authored over 250 manuscripts in refereed journals and more than 20 chapters in research monographs. With co-inventors, he has three U.S. Patents and 5 U.S. patents pending. He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the American Carbon Society, the Materials Research Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was awarded the Japan Carbon Award for lifetime achievement, and the American Carbon Society Graffin Award. Professor Eklund is survived by his wife Karen and their two sons Gregory and Bryan.