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School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences

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PEMS Staff Photo Assoc Prof Ken Harris

Assoc. Prof. Ken Harris

Assoc. Prof./Visiting Fellow
BSc PhD Adel., FRACI, CChem, CPChem, MRSC

School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences
UNSW @ ADFA
Canberra   ACT   2600
AUSTRALIA

Phone: +61 2 6268 8086
Fax: +61 2 6268 8017
Email: k.harris@adfa.edu.au
Location: PEMS Nth, Room 216

Research Interests:

Transport properties of fluids and fluid mixtures; liquid state chemistry; non-equilibrium thermodynamics; measurement of selfdiffusion coefficients in dense fluids by high pressure spin echo NMR; densities and viscosities of fluids at high pressure, transport processes and the structure of aqueous electrolyte, non-electrolyte solutions and ionic liquids.

Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry

Biography

Ken Harris is a graduate of the University of Adelaide, where he obtained his PhD in the Department of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry under the supervision of Peter Dunlop in 1970. Subsequently he has held research positions at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, in the Diffusion Research Unit in the Research School of Physical Sciences at ANU and at the Van der Waals Laboratory, University of Amsterdam (Hij vind nederlands een mooie taal). He has also held lectureships at the former Chelsea College in the University of London, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and the former Phillip Institute of Technology, Melbourne, (now merged with RMIT), where he was appointed as Senior Lecturer in 1986

Ken Harris joined University College in 1987 as a Lecturer, and regained his Senior lectureship in 1988. He became an Associate Professor in 1998 and was Head of the former School of Chemistry from 2001 until its merger with three other Schools in mid 2003 to form the present School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences. A physical chemist, his major research interest is the measurement of thermodynamic and transport properties of fluids and fluid solutions, and in relating these to statistical mechanical theory. In collaboration with Professor H.J.V. Tyrrell, he has published a monograph, Diffusion in Liquids. He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, an affiliate member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, a member of the European Molecular Liquids Group, and a member of theInternational Association of Transport Properties (formerly the Transport Properties Subcommittee of the IUPAC Commission on Thermodynamics). He retired at the end of July 2004, but continues research as a Visiting Fellow.

Teaching

Formerly physical chemistry, general chemistry and materials science.

Research

Ken Harris in Lab

Current Projects

  • Ionic Liquids

We are examining the transport properties of  certain ionic liquids - new materials intended to replace flammable and/or toxic organic liquids in "Green" chemical applications in conjunction with Dr Mitsuhiro Kanakubo of the Research Centre for Compact Chemical Process - http://unit.aist.go.jp/ccp/037_sfa_en.html and Prof. Kazayasu Ibuki, Mr Noriaki Tsuchihashi and Prof. Masakatsu Ueno of Doshisha University, Kyoto. This work has been assisted by exchanges supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Australian Academy of Science.

  • High Pressure Viscometry

High-pressure measurements have been made of the shear viscosity of diisodecyl phthalate, S20, cyclopentane and toluene using a falling-body viscometer. Together with data from other laboratories for other types of viscometer, these results are intended to assist in the development of international standards for high-pressure viscometry for application to industrial and lubricant rheology and to oilfield hydrocarbon evaluation. This is being done in collaboration with the International Association of Transport Properties and laboratories in Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, the UK and the USA. Further work is in progress on a number of highly viscous liquids.

  • Experimental studies of diffusion in amphiphile and electrolyte solutions:

The specific aims are to study water-solute interactions (solution structure) in solutions of amphiphiles (molecules having hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions, e.g. alcohols) by using both high pressure NMR and Taylor dispersion and to investigate the effect of pressure on the self-diffusion of water in electrolyte solutions.

 Extensive measurements have made of the pressure and temperature dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient of water in solutions of MeOH, EtOH, TFE, 2PrOH, TBA, HFIP, and CH3CN, mainly in dilute solution.  

High pressure viscometry measurements are in progress on some of these systems. 

Chemical shift and FTIR studies have been made on a number of the above systems at atmospheric pressure, again in an attempt to interpret solution structure. 

Research Equipment

lab equipment

Group:

  • High Pressure Modified 20 MHz Bruker NMR for Self-diffusion. Measurements in Fluids (p < 400 MPa, -50 < T/°C < 80)
  • High Pressure Falling-Body Viscometer (p < 400 MPa, -15 < T/°C < 50)
  • Anton Paar DMA 5000 Vibrating Tube Densimeter (0 < T/°C < 80)
Shared with School:
  • 400 MHz Varian NMR for Self-Diffusion, Chemical Shift and Relaxation Time Measurements at Ambient Pressure (-10 < T/°C < 100)
  • FTIR with Cylindrical Internal Reflectance Cell (0 < T/°C < 80).
Consultancy

Thermophysical property measurements.

Selected Publications
Books and Reviews
  1. P.J. Dunlop, K.R. Harris and D.J. Young, Experimental Methods for Studying Diffusion in Gases, Liquids and Solids, in B.W. Rossiter and R.C. Baetzold eds., Physical Methods of Chemistry, 2nd ed., Vol. 6, Determination of Thermodynamic Properties, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, 1992. Chapt. 3, p. 175-282.
  2. H.J.V. Tyrrell and K.R. Harris, Diffusion in Liquids, Butterworths, Borough Green, Kent, 1984, 437 pp.
Transport Properties of Ionic Liquids
  1. C. E. Woodward and K. R. Harris, A Lattice-Hole Theory for Conductivity in Ionic Liquid Mixtures: Application to Ionic Liquid + Water Mixtures, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2010, 12, 1172–1176.
  2. K. R. Harris, M. Kanakubo, N. Tsuchihashi , K. Ibuki and M. Ueno, Effect of Pressure on the Transport Properties of Ionic Liquids: 1-Alkyl-3-methylimidazolium Salts, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2008, 112, 9830 - 9840.
  3. K. R. Harris, M. Kanakubo and L. A. Woolf, Temperature and Pressure Dependence of the Viscosity of the Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate: Viscosity and Density Relationships in Ionic Liquids, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2007, 52, 2425–2430.
  4. M. Kanakubo, K. R. Harris, N. Tsuchihashi, K. Ibuki and M. Ueno, Temperature and Pressure Dependence of the Electrical Conductivity of the Ionic Liquids 1-Methyl-3-octylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate and 1-Methyl-3-octylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate, Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2007, 261, 414-420.
  5. K. R. Harris, M. Kanakubo and  L. A. Woolf, Temperature and Pressure Dependence of the Viscosity of the Ionic Liquids 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate and 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis(trifluorosulfonyl)imide, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data , 2007, 52, 1080-1085.
  6. M. Kanakubo, K. R. Harris, N. Tsuchihashi , K. Ibuki and M. Ueno , Effect of Pressure on Transport Properties of the Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2007, 111 , 2062-2069 .
  7. K.R. Harris, M. Kanakubo and L.A. Woolf, Temperature and Pressure Dependence of the Viscosity of the Ionic Liquids 1-Methyl-3-octylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate and 1-Methyl-3-octylimidazolium Tetrafluoroborate, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2006, 51, 1161-1167.
  8. K.R. Harris, L.A. Woolf and M. Kanakubo, Temperature and Pressure Dependence of the Viscosity of the Ionic Liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2005, 50, 1777-1782.
Water
  1. K.R. Harris and L.A.Woolf, Temperature and Volume Dependence of the Viscosity of Water and Heavy Water at Low Temperatures, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2004, 49, 1064-9; correction, 2004, 49, 1851.
  2. K.R. Harris, Isotope Effects and the Thermal Offset Effect for Diffusion and Viscosity Coefficients of Liquid Water, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2002, 4, 5841-5845.
  3. K.R. Harris and P.J. Newitt, The Self-diffusion Coefficient of Water at Low Temperatures and High Pressure, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 1997, 42, 346-349.
  4. K.R. Harris and L.A. Woolf, The Pressure and Temperature Dependence of the Selfdiffusion Coefficient of Ordinary Water and Oxygen-18 Water, Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions I, 1980, 76, 377-385.
Experimental Studies of Aqueous Non-Electrolytes
  1. K. R. Harris and L. A. Woolf, Viscosity of Water + tert-Butyl Alcohol (2-Methyl-2-Propanol) Mixtures at Low Temperatures and High Pressure. Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2009, 54, 581-588; correction, 2009, 54 , 1961-1962.
  2. K.R. Harris and P.J. Newitt, Diffusion and Structure in Water-Amphiphile Mixtures: Water + Acetonitrile, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 1999, 103, 7015-7018.
  3. K.R. Harris and P.J. Newitt, Diffusion and Structure in Water-Alcohol Mixtures: Water + tert-Butanol (2-Methyl-2-Propanol), Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 1999, 103, 6508-6513.
  4. K.R. Harris and P.J. Newitt,  Diffusion and Structure in Dilute Aqueous Alcohol Solutions: Evidence for the Effects of Large Apolar Solutes on Water, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 1998, 102, 8874-8879.
  5. K.R. Harris, P.J. Newitt, and Z.J. Derlacki, Alcohol Tracer Diffusion in Aqueous Ethanol and 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol Solutions, Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions, 1998, 94, 1963-1970. Correction Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2005, 7, 4164.
  6. K.R. Harris, P.J. Newitt, P.J. Back and L.A Woolf, Thermodynamic Property Measurements for 2-Methylpropan-2-ol + Water from the Freezing Surface to 75°C, High Temperatures and High Pressures, 1998, 30, 51-62 (presented at the 14th European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, Lyon-Villeurbane, 16-19 September 1996).
  7. K.R. Harris and H.N. Lam, Mutual-diffusion Coefficients and Viscosities for the Water - 2-Methylpropan-2-ol System at 15 and 25°C, Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions, 1995, 91, 4071-4077.
  8. K.R. Harris, T. Goscinska and H.N. Lam, Mutual Diffusion Coefficients for the Systems Water-Ethanol and Water- 1-Propanol at 25°C, Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions, 1993, 89, 1969-1974.
  9. W.E. Price, K.A. Trickett and K.R. Harris, Association of Caffeine in Aqueous Solution, Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions I, 1989, 85, 3281-3288.
Experimental Studies of Aqueous Electrolytes
  1. W.E. Price, L.A. Woolf and K.R. Harris, Intradiffusion Coefficients for Zinc and Water and Shear Viscosities in Aqueous Zinc (II) Perchlorate Solutions at 25°C, Journal of Physical Chemistry, 1990, 94, 5109-5114.
Self-Diffusion and Viscosity of Molecular Liquids
  1. K. R. Harris, The Fractional Stokes-Einstein Equation: Application to Lennard-Jones, Molecular and Ionic Liquids, Journal of Chemical Physics, 2009, 131, 054503/1 -  054503/8.
  2. K.R. Harris, Temperature and Pressure Dependence of the Viscosities of 2-Ethylhexyl Benzoate, bis(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate, 2,6,10,15,19,23-Hexamethyltetracosane (Squalane) and Diisodecyl Phthalate, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2009, 54 , 2729-2738.
  3. K.R. Harris and S. Bair, Temperature and Pressure Dependence of the Viscosity of Diisodecyl Phthalate at Temperatures Between (0 and 100)oC and at Pressures to 1 GPa, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2007, 52 , 272-278.
  4. K.R. Harris, P.J. Newitt and L.A.Woolf, Temperature and Density Dependence of the Viscosity of Cyclopentane, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data 2004, 49, 138-142.
  5. K.R. Harris, Temperature and Density Dependence of the Viscosity of Toluene, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2000, 45, 893-897.
  6. K.R. Harris, R. Malhotra, and L.A. Woolf, Temperature and Density Dependence of the Viscosity of Octane and Toluene, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 1997, 42, 1254-1260.
  7. K.R. Harris, J.A. Alexander, T. Goscinska, R. Malhotra, L.A. Woolf, and J.H. Dymond, The Temperature and Density Dependence of the Selfdiffusion Coefficient of Liquid n-Octane and Toluene, Molecular Physics, 1993, 78, 235-248.
  8. K.R. Harris, The Selfdiffusion Coefficient and Viscosity of the Hard Sphere Fluid Revisited: A Comparison with Experimental Data for Xenon, Methane, Ethene and Trichloromethane, Molecular Physics, 1992, 77, 1153-1167.
  9. J.H. Dymond and K.R. Harris, The Temperature and Density Dependence of the Selfdiffusion Coefficient of n-hexadecane, Molecular Physics, 1992, 75, 461-466.
  10. J.H. Dymond, P.M. Patterson, K.R. Harris and L.A. Woolf, Diffusion in Molecular Fluids, High Temperatures - High Pressures, 1991, 23, 97-106. (presented at the 12th European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, Vienna, 24-28 September 1990).
  11. K.R. Harris, H.N. Lam, E. Raedt, A.J. Easteal, W.E. Price and L.A. Woolf, The Temperature and Density Dependence of the Selfdiffusion Coefficient and the Shear Viscosity of Liquid Trichloromethane, Molecular Physics, 1990, 71, 1205-1221.
Transport Property Correlations
  1. F. J. P. Caetano, J. M. N. A. Fareleira, A. P. Fröba, K. R. Harris, A. Leipertz, C. M. B. P. Oliveira, J. P. M. Trusler, and W. A. Wakeham, An Industrial Reference Fluid for Moderately High Viscosity, Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 2008, 53, 2003 - 2011.
  2. M. Kandil, K. R. Harris, A.R.H. Goodwin, K. Hsu and K. N. Marsh, Measurement of the Viscosity and Density of a Reference Fluid with a Nominal Viscosity at τ = 298 K and p = 0.1 MPa of 290 mPa·s, at Temperatures between (273 and 423 K) and Pressures below 275 MPa, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 2006, 51, 2185-2196.
  3. M.J. Assael, H. Bauer, N.K. Dalaouti and K.R. Harris, Reference Correlation for the Viscosity of Liquid Cyclopentane from 220 to 310 K at Pressures to 25 MPa, International Journal of Thermophysics, 2004, 25, 13-20.
  4. M.J. Assael, H. Avelino, N.K. Dalaouti, J.M.N.A. Fareleira and K.R. Harris, Standard Reference Data for the Viscosity of Toluene over a Wide Range of Temperatures and Pressures, International Journal of Thermophysics, 2001, 22, 789-799.
  5. K.R. Harris, On the Correlation of Tracer Diffusion Coefficients, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, 1996, 41, 891-894.
  6. K.R. Harris, Correlation of Dense Fluid Self-diffusion, Shear Viscosity and Thermal Conductivity Coefficents, International Journal of Thermophysics, 1995, 16, 155-165. (Presented at the 12th Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, Boulder, Colorado, 19-25 June 1994).
  7. K.R. Harris, Correlation of Dense Fluid Self-Diffusion and Shear Viscosity Coefficents, High Temperatures and High Pressures, 1993, 25, 359-366. (Presented at the 13th European Conference on Thermophysical Properties, Lisbon, 30 August-3 September 1993).
Techniques: Taylor Dispersion
  1. K.R. Harris, On the Use of the Edgeworth-Cramér Series to Obtain Diffusion Coefficients From Taylor Dispersion Peaks, Journal of Solution Chemistry, 1991, 20, 595-606.
Other Papers
  1. K.R. Harris, Comment on "Self-diffusion near the liquid vapor critical point [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 4912 (2001)] " Journal of Chemical Physics, 2002, 115, 6379-6380.
  2. K.R. Harris and P.J. Dunlop, Mutual Diffusion Coefficients for Benzene-Cyclohexene Mixtures at 25°C, Berichte Bunsen-gesellschaft für Physikalische Chemie, 1994, 98, 560-562.
  3. K.R. Harris and P.J. Dunlop, Determination of Potential Functions for Unlike Interactions from Transport Properties of Dilute Gases, Berichte Bunsen-gesellschaft für Physikalische Chemie, 1993, 97, 1061-1062.
Memberships

Royal Australian Chemical Institute (Fellow), Royal Society of Chemistry, International Association of Transport Properties, & European Molecular Liquids Group.