Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Iowa State University, 1979;
M.S.  Chemistry, University of Arizona, 1973;
B.S.  Chemistry, Cum Laude and With Honors, University of Washington, 1971.

Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Washington State University. 1980-present.

Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Montana State University. 1979-1980.

Electroploymerization and characterization of conducting polymers.

Electrodeposition of thin layer magnetic materials; novel methods for redox or electrode kinetics and mechanisms; convective diffusion models.

Novel methods for redox or electrode kinetics and mechanisms.

Convective diffusion models.

Tank waste handling and processing.

Mineral reactions.

Models for reactive flow in geologic media.

Metal ion separations.

(1992-present):

Z. Nagy, N.C. Hung, K.C. Liddell, M. Minkoff and G.K. Leaf, "Applicability of dc Relaxation Techniques to Multi-Step Reactions." J. Electroanal. Chem. 421, 33-44 (1997).

Z. Liu and K.C. Liddell, "Electrodeposition of Thin Multilayer Magnetic Materials." In Aqueous Electrotechnologies: Progress in Theory and Practice. D.B. Dreisinger, Ed., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 443-453 (1997).

K.C. Liddell, "Mixing Cell Models for the Separation and Recovery of Metals: Flow with Multiple Reactions in Porous Media." In Emerging Separation Technologies for Metals II. R.G. Bautista, Ed., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 35-47 (1996). Invited review.

J.F. Brantner and K.C. Liddell, "Role of Ion Exchange Reactions in the In Situ Leaching of Uraninite by NH₄HCO₃ - (NH₄)₂CO₃ - H₂O₂." In Light Metals 1996. W. Hale, Ed., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 1169-1172 (1996).

K.C. Liddell and R.G. Bautista, "Simulation of In Situ Uraninite Leaching. Part II: The Effects of Ore Grade and Deposit Porosity." Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 26B, 687-694 (1995).

K.C. Liddell and R.G. Bautista, "Simulation of In Situ Uraninite Leaching. Part III. The Effects of Solution Concentration." Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 26B, 695-701 (1995).

K.C. Liddell and R.G. Bautista, "Concentration Histories and Wave Fronts in the In Situ Leaching of Uraninite by Peroxide-Carbonate-Bicarbonate Solution: Effects of Component Concentrations." In Extraction and Processing of Trace and Reactive Metals. R.G. Reddy and B. Mishra, Eds., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 207-219 (1995). Also in Light Metals 1995. J.W. Evans, Ed., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 1357-1363 (1995).

K.C. Liddell, "Changes in Chemical Speciation during Reactive Transport of Heavy Metals." In Metals and Materials Waste Reduction, Recovery and Remediation. K.C. Liddell, R.G. Bautista and R.J. Orth, Eds., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 101-110 (1994).

K.C. Liddell and R.G. Bautista, "Simulation of In Situ Uraninite Leaching. Part I: A Partial Equilibrium Model of the NH₄HCO₃ - (NH₄)₂CO₃ - H₂O₂ Leaching System." Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 25B, 171-183 (1994).

K.C. Liddell and R.G. Bautista, "Modeling the Coupling Between Solution Flow and Mineral Reactions in the Solution Mining of Uraninite." In Actinide Processing: Methods and Materials. B. Mishra and W.A. Averill, Eds., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 375-386 (1994).

K.C. Liddell, "Ion Interaction Models for Co, Ni, Cu, Fe and Zn." In Extractive Metallurgy of Copper, Nickel and Cobalt. Vol. I: Fundamental Aspects. R.G. Reddy and R.N. Weizenbach, Eds., The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, pp. 757-786 (1993). Invited review.

V. Srinivasan, R.S. Parikh and K.C. Liddell, "Comparison of the Anodic Dissolution Behavior of Butte and Transvaal Chalcocite." Metall. Trans. B, 23B, 879-881 (1992).

V. Srinivasan and K.C. Liddell, "Rate Laws for the Anodic Dissolution of Butte Chalcocite in Dilute CuCl₂ Solution." Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 31, 509-515 (1992).

Books Edited (1992-present):

K.C. Liddell, R.G. Bautista and R.J. Orth, Eds., Metals and Materials Waste Reduction, Recovery and Remediation. The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 1994.

Electropolymerization and Characterization of Conduction Polymners

    Conduction polymers have great promise for applications as diverse as sensors, semipermeable membranes and batteries.  The porosity of a conducting polymer fiml is critical in determining the specific uses it might have and depends in part on how the material has been processed.  Preparation of copolymers with graded composistion is under study as a route to combining desirable electronic properties with controlled morphology.  Aniline copolymer films are grown in a novel continuous flow fluidized bed electropolymerization reactor, and their structrue and properties characterized by microscopic, electrochemical, impedance and optical techniques.  Models for reactor scale-up are in development.

    For purposes of comparison with the electropolymerized materials, plasma polymerized films are also being made in collaboration with a team of WSU electrical engineers.  Efforts center on fabrication of thin-film capacitors and diodes.  The substrate influences the film's roughness and prorsity, and in addition the growth mode depends on film thickness.  Early results suggest that the optical properties of plasma-polymerized films may differ from those of films made by other synthetic routes.  These effects are being investigated systematically so that film growth models can be obtained.

Electrodeposition of Thin Layer Magnetic Materials

    In work related to magnetic data storage, we are electrodepositing layered alloy films and characterizing their morphology and properties.  Typical model systems consist of alternating layers of ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic metals, for example, Ni/Cu/Ni trilayers or Co/Cu/Co multilayers.  When the thickness of the individual layers is comparable to the mean free path of a conduction electron in a metal, i.e., several nanometers, the films have novel magnetic properties that make them attractive candidates for new generation data storage materials.  The roughness of the interface between ferromagnetic and adjacent nonmagnetic regions can be controlled by choosing the deposistion conditions and appears to affect the film's magnetic properties.  Our work on electrodeposisted ultrathin films is aimed at elucidating the connnections between the electrodeposistion process variables, the nanoscale film morphology, and the properties of the films.  We are using a combination of experiments and modeling to study the processing, structure, and properties of these films.

President, WSU Chapter of Sigma Xi, 2001-Present

Chair, Engineering Foundation Conference on Metal Separation Technologies, 1999.

U. S. Department of Energy Efficient Separations and Processing Crosscutting Program review team, 1996-1997

Board of Directors, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society, 1994-1997

Board of Review, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B (formerly Metallurgical Transactions B). 1986-present.