Juan Antonio Vazquez Marquez

Department: Chemistry

Faculty Advisor: Alshakim Nelson

My current research in professor Al Nelson’s lab is focused on utilizing photoinitiated base-catalyzed polymerizations in vat photopolymerizations. Photobase generators could enable the use of a broader scope of monomers in vat photopolymerization. The resin I am currently developing uses an ionic liquid as the diluent which imparts the printed object ionic conductivity. This ionic conductivity allows for the material to function as a separation membrane in batteries. In the future, I plan to incorporate lithium salts to use this material in a semi-solid lithium battery. Developing new energy storage systems is important for the transition towards a clean energy grid.