His group at the Nanoengineered Systems and Transport (NEST) Lab develops tools to characterize thermal transport across several orders of scale for this purpose. Dr. Cola’s research interests also include scalable fabrication of organic and organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures for novel uses. Applications for this research include thermal interface materials, thermo-electrochemical cells, optical rectennas, carbon nanotube metal composites, and materials that can be tuned to regulate the flow of heat.

Overall, Dr. Cola's research involves theoretical and experimental components. He seeks to develop solutions related to clean energy through direct conversion and the efficient utilization of energy via optimal thermal management. His work also has applications in major industrial segments, such as consumer electronics, enterprise services (e.g., the cloud supporting infrastructure), transportation, and lighting.

Research Goals 

• Optical rectennas: Doubling insulation in optical rectennas to harvest heat for powering Internet of Things (IoT) devices

• Aligned carbon nanotubes: Exploring metal composites that control thermal stress and heat removal in electronic devices, improving performance and reliability

• Thermoelectric devices: Enhancing thermal management in thermoelectric devices and metal/semiconductor materials

Activities 

• Characterizing thermal transport: Optimizing energy conversion in nanostructures and devices, particularly those based on nanotubes or polymers

• Fabricating hybrid nanostructures: Developing scalable organic and organic-inorganic hybrid nanostructures for use in thermal interface materials, thermo-electrochemical cells, and other tunable technologies

• Scalable production: Designing scalable techniques for the industrial production of energy-efficient materials and devices

Leadership 

• Director, NEST Lab, Georgia Tech

• Founder & CEO, Carbice Corporation