Allen R. Siedle began his career in a home laboratory and received his PhD in inorganic chemistry from Indiana University in 1973. He spent 4 years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) first as an NRC postdoctoral fellow and then two years as member of staff. In 1977, he moved to the 3M Corporate Research Laboratories. In 2012, he retired and was appointed Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at I.U.
Research is in the broad field of synthetic inorganic and materials chemistry as exemplified by 151 publications and 48 patents. Disordered/amorphous systems are of great interest because they offer bountiful opportunities for innovative science and practical applications with the further advantage that they attract relatively little competition. Carbon- and carbon-fluorine chemistry is the most recent area of research. It has recently led to discovery of a new form of nonbenzenoid carbon. A critical theme is collaboration with other scientists who contribute sophisticated computational, analytical and characterization techniques that enable deeper insight and understanding of new materials created in the laboratory. This is illustrated by some recent publications.
C-F Bond Activation in the Solid State. Functionalization of Carbon through Reactions of Graphite Fluoride with Amines, J. Phys. Chem. C, 125, 10326 (2021)
Synthesis and Laser Ablation Mass Spectrometry of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Materials, J. Phys. Chem. C, 125, 1570 (2021)
Cyanographite, J. Phys. Chem. C, 126, 3001 (2022)