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Alexander Rabinovich

Associate Director of C. & J. Nyheim Plasma Institute
Research Professor, Associate Director of Drexel Plasma Institute and Director of Energy Lab.

Alexander Rabinovich

Contact

Email: Alexander.Rabinovich@drexel.edu
Phone: 215.895.1485

Biography

Dr. Alexander Rabinovich is a prominent academic researcher, innovator, and Research Professor specializing in plasma physics and engineering. He currently serves as the Associate Director of the C. & J. Nyheim Plasma Institute at Drexel University.

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Rabinovich has concentrated his research on the scalable, practical applications of plasma technology. His major areas of expertise include plasma processes, hydrocarbon gas reformation, and hydrogen production. His work heavily explores the use of plasmatrons to engineer sustainable energy solutions, particularly in converting hydrocarbon fuels into clean energy alternatives. Before joining the faculty at Drexel University, Dr. Rabinovich advanced his foundational research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he co-authored extensive studies on fuel conversion, emission reductions, and advanced combustion systems.

At Drexel, Dr. Rabinovich continues to push the boundaries of "green" plasma engineering. He plays a central role in collaborating on high-impact projects, such as using plasma fields for eco-friendly chemical manufacturing, gasification, and advanced sterilization technologies. An accomplished scholar with a prolific publishing history, his body of work includes nearly 100 academic papers and thousands of citations, underscoring his vital contributions to modern energy infrastructure and applied plasma sciences.

Research Interests

Publications

  1. Surace, M. J., Murillo-Gelvez, J., Shaji, M. A., Fridman, A. A., Rabinovich, A., McKenzie, E. R., Fridman, G., & Sales, C. M. (2023). Plasma-Assisted Abatement of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Thermodynamic Analysis and Validation in Gliding Arc Discharge. Plasma, 6(3), 419-434. https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma6030029.
  2. Shaji, M., Rabinovich, A., Surace, M., Sales, C., & Fridman, A. (2023). Physical Properties of Plasma-Activated Water. Plasma, 6(1), 45-57. https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma6010005.
  3. He, J., Waring, M., Fridman, A., Rabinovich, A., Bailey, C., Fridman, G., & Sales, C. M. (2022). Plasma-generated reactive water mist for disinfection of N95 respirators laden with MS2 and T4 bacteriophage viruses. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 19944. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23660-5.
  4. He, J., Rabinovich, A., Vainchtein, D., Fridman, A., Sales, C., & Shneider, M. N. (2022). Effects of Plasma on Physical Properties of Water: Nanocrystalline-to-Amorphous Phase Transition and Improving Produce Washing. Plasma, 5(4), 462-469. https://doi.org/10.3390/plasma5040034.
  5. He, J., Rabinovich, A., Vainchtein, D., Fridman, A., Sales, C., & Shneider, M. N. (2022). Theory and modeling of nanocrystalline-amorphous transition in liquids. U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information. https://doi.org/10.2172/1891882.
  6. Rabinovich, A., Nirenberg, G., Kocagoz, S., Surace, M. J., Sales, C. M., & Fridman, A. (2021). Scaling Up of Non-Thermal Gliding Arc Plasma Systems for Industrial Applications. Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing, 42(1), 35-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11090-021-10203-5.
  7. Lewis, A. J., Joyce, T., Hadaya, M., Ebrahimi, F., Dragiev, I., Giardetti, N., Yang, J., Fridman, G., Rabinovich, A., Fridman, A. A., McKenzie, E. R., & Sales, C. M. (2020). Rapid degradation of PFAS in aqueous solutions by reverse vortex flow gliding arc plasma. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 6(4), 1044-1057. https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EW01050E.
  8. Fridman, A., Rabinovich, A., Dobrynin, D., Chernets, I., & Liu, C. (2019). Direct incorporation of natural gas into hydrocarbon liquid fuels. U.S. Patent 10,308,885.
  9. Shenoy, S. B., Rabinovich, A., Fridman, A., & Pearlman, H. (2019). Process optimization of methane reforming to syngas using Gliding Arc Plasmatron. Plasma Processes and Polymers, 16(4), 1800159. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201800159.
  10. Sales, C., Fridman, A., Rabinovich, A., Fridman, G., McKenzie, E., Hammouri, R., ... (2019). Investigating the application of non-equilibrium cold plasma technologies for the degradation of poly-and perfluoroalkyl substances in aqueous solutions. Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 257.
  11. Cho, Y. I., Fridman, A., Cho, D. J., & Rabinovich, A. (2019). System and method for disinfection and fouling prevention in the treatment of water. U.S. Patent 10,167,209.
  12. Ranieri, P., McGovern, G., Tse, H., Fulmer, A., Kovalenko, M., Nirenberg, G., Miller, V., Rabinovich, A., Fridman, A., & Fridman, G. (2018). Microsecond-Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma-Treated Mist for Inactivation of Escherichia coli In Vitro. IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 47(1), 395-402. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2018.2878971.
  13. Ercan, U. K., Sen, B., Brooks, A. D., & Joshi, S. G. (2018). Escherichia coli cellular responses to exposure to atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma-treated N-acetylcysteine solution. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 125(2), 383-397. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.13777.
  14. Pearlman, H., Demydovych, M., Rabinovich, A., & Shenoy, S. (2018). A non-thermal gliding arc plasma reformer for syngas production. Proceedings of the Thermal and Fluids Engineering Summer Conference 2018, 301-308.

Education

A.J. Drexel Plasma Institute Research Professor (2007- present)
NanoEnergy Group Ltd, Technical Director (2005-2007)
MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Research Engineer (1993-2005)
Moscow State Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, Senior Research Scientist (1978-1992)