Kuotian Liao
Department: Materials Science & Engineering Faculty Advisor: Eleftheria Roumeli I am a third year PhD student in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. I work with professor Eleftheria Roumeli in developing novel bio-based polymeric materials that are both lower in life-cycle emission than traditional polymers and are biodegradable from fully-renewable biomass feedstocks. My research aims to understand the interactions and bonding between different constituents of biopolymer and biocomposite systems and to unlock the underlying correlations between raw materials, processing conditions and the properties of the final product....
Xuetao Ma
Bulk materials at the 2D limit can host untrivial electronic properties. My research works on exfoliating bulk topological materials, building those materials into nanodevices, and studying their transport properties under extreme conditions such as low temperature, high pressure, and strain. I have developed techniques that can apply pressure or strain to 2D nanodevices that are compatible with low-temperature measurements. Those techniques provide new tuning knobs to transport measurements so we can tune the strength of existing untrivial states and discover new states. Advisors: Jiun-Haw Chu, Matthew Yankowitz...
Anthony Gironda
Once-through nuclear fuel cycles leave thousands of metric tons of spent nuclear waste to be disposed of -approximately 80,000 tons in the US alone. The enduring proposal for disposal are geological repositories, deep facilities that store waste in crystalline rock or clay where they can safely decay without escaping into the biosphere. To ensure this, engineered barrier systems encapsulate the waste container, forming an additional boundary between waste and the biosphere. The time scale for disposal is ~1M years, with the first 100,000 years being the most critical. My work uses x-ray spectroscopy to characterize different concretes proposed for use in barrier systems to...
Shuai Zhang
Research Assistant Professor, Materials Science & Engineering Email | Web Site CEI-related research interests: Shuai Zhang's research interests mainly focus on utilizing in-situ high-resolution and high-speed atomic force microscopy (AFM) and 3D Fast Force Mapping (3DFFM) to understand the structure, dynamics, and function of bio-macromolecular self-assembly at solid-liquid interfaces, inorganic minerals, clays and oxides, and further integrating these observations with simulation and deep learning (DL) to describe the corresponding models and adaptively control the synthetic outcomes. In addition, he is interested in how hydration water layer affects the structure, dynamics, and function of bio-macromolecule and how environmental stimuli modulate them. Third, Dr. Zhang is working on...
Juan-Carlos Idrobo
Idrobo is a material physicist, with expertise in experimental electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). He is interested in pushing the boundaries and applications of EELS in STEM to study materials at the atomic and nanometer scale. His research synergistically combines analytical electron microscopy with first-principles methods to reveal the structure-property relationships in a plethora of material physics problems, in particular the influence of point and extended defects on macroscopic properties. Email...
Yifei He
Conjugated polymers (CP), a solution-processable and mass-producible semiconducting material, are a promising candidate in the application of organic solar cells. One important factor that determines the light-electricity conversion efficiency of CPs is the morphology. My research will thus primarily investigate the method to control the microstructure of the thin films via accurate copolymerization. The ultimate goal of my project is to establish the knowledge about the relationship of molecular structure-morphology-optoelectronic performances, which contributes to the future design of high performance polymers in solar cells that could be mass manufactured. Advisor: Christine Luscombe - Materials Science & Engineering...
Daniel Zhou
Thermoelectric materials, or materials that can convert waste heat into electricity are promising sources for renewable energy. For a thermoelectric material to be efficient, it must have low thermal conductivity and high electrical conductivity. Prime candidates for these materials are Zintl phases which are semiconductors that can exhibit metallic conductivity due to the contributions of ionic and covalent character. Both the cationic and anionic sites of these compounds can be manipulated to tune the electronic and thermal properties. The Velian group has developed redox-active nanoclusters that can be tuned electronically with the addition of different transition metals. I plan on linking these nanoclusters with inorganic...
Ying Xia
The focus of my research will be interface-assisted solution-synthesis of two-dimensional metal-porphyrin monoatomic layers (2D-PML), which are of great interest due to the tunability of their properties. I will use two methods to synthesize metal-porphyrin monoatomic layer structures, one is the hydrothermal method, the other is the water-oil interface assisted method. AFM will be the main characterization method to analyze nucleation and growth mechanisms during the synthesis procedure. Then clean energy applications such as catalysts for hydrogen evolution and electrical capacitance will be studied. Advisor: Jim De Yoreo and Jun Liu - Materials Science & Engineering...
Julia White
Advances in energy storage are a critical aspect of the effort to convert the world to clean energy sources as electrification increases. For applications such as electric vehicles, lithium ion batteries are the best technology available but need to be improved upon further to meet energy density and power demands. Anode-less lithium batteries are extremely promising for drastically increasing energy density and rate capabilities, yet dendrite formation leading to rapid failure remain an obstacle in their implementation. My research will focus on designing ultrathin (<50 micron) 3D current collectors, altering both geometry and chemistry, and examining the mechanism of lithium electrodeposition. The findings will...
Xiaoxiao Jia
Layered vanadium oxides have proven to be the most promising electrode materials for aqueous rechargeable batteries on account of their multiple valence states of vanadium and large interlayer spacing. However, capacity decay due to vanadium dissolution and structural instability remains a great challenge. Our prior research has revealed these problems can be mitigated by chemical pre-intercalation of metal cations with much enhanced power and energy densities as well as much improved energy conversion efficiency. But fundamental understandings are yet to be achieved, my next-step work includes a detailed study on effects of coordination, valences, electronegativity of those preinserted ions on the electronic and crystal...
Daphne Garcia
The focus of my research is to develop new electrode materials for energy storage devices by improving current chemical processes of dealloying brass sheets to create three-dimensional nanoporous copper structures. By controlling the dealloying process, a more even distribution of pores that are all less than a micron in diameter and greater surface area in the structure will be achieved. These structures will function as current collectors in lithium-ion batteries, with the potential for higher energy density, increased cyclic performance and rate kinetics. Variables such as dealloying chemical composition, brass composition, and sheet thickness will be analyzed to identify the ideal conditions for achieving...
Diwash Dhakal
Rechargeable batteries are among the candidates that can fulfill the evolving energy storage needs and are being researched extensively. My research focuses on the application of X-ray spectroscopy techniques to better understand the critical processes in rechargeable Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs). Specifically, I am looking at the local chemical environment and coordination complex in electrolytes and ion pairing in the electric double layer at electrode interfaces. Such a study will lead to a better understanding of the role of ion pairing on both structure and dynamics at the electrode-electrolyte-interface, a key question for ZIBs and many other battery systems. Advisors: Gerald T. Seidler, Guozhong Cao -...