Dr. Hickman became fascinated by general chemistry and organic chemistry while taking classes with Dr. Dexter Squibb at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. After receiving his B.S., he moved to Clemson University and earned a Ph.D. working in the laboratories of Dr. Darryl DesMarteau. His research in DesMarteau’s group was primarily focused on the synthesis of room temperature ionic liquids, yet diverse in the sense that the ionic liquids prepared were not just novel compounds; they had specific applications in mind. Low viscosity ionic liquids containing asymmetric perfluorinated anions were prepared with the intent of providing improved conductivity for lithium ion batteries. Polymeric ionic liquids were also designed as potential proton exchange membranes for fuel cells. The possibility of using these ionic liquid monomers as permanently fixed plasticizers was also considered. Dr. Hickman teaches Introduction to Chemistry (CH 105) and General Chemistry (CH 101).
