Margherita Taddei
Today, one of the most pressing issues for our society is to meet the constant increase in energy demand with sustainable alternatives. For this reason, scientists are looking for clean and renewable energy sources. In the solar energy field, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted a lot of attention due to their incredible increase in efficiency from 3.8% to 25.2% in only 10 years of research. The main issues encountered in PSCs are the presence of toxic cations, low efficiency, and stability. Therefore, for future commercialization, it is necessary to develop eco-friendly, stable, and efficient perovskite materials. My work focus on finding new solution-processable environmentally-friendly...
Kaichen Xie
I plan to design and engineer novel two-dimensional quantum materials for future energy harvesting and conversion using computational and theoretical methods. I will continue current research on Janus 2D atomic layers. This work is based on our earlier computational discovery of a unique synthesis route of Janus transition metal dichalcogenides, which enables controlled growth and precise patterning of such Janus structures. In addition, our preliminary study shows strong light absorption and the intrinsic out-of-plane electric polarization of the Janus transition metal dichalcogenides. Based on this knowledge, I plan to explore new photovoltaic applications of these Janus systems, because photoelectrons and photoholes may spontaneously separate...
Kyle Hwangbo
My research will focus on the investigation of the inherent properties and the tunability (by optical and electronic means) of a new intrinsic magnetic semiconductor, NiPS3. This material is the first example of semiconductor quantum well (QW) with intrinsic antiferromagnetic order. As the semiconductor QWs formed the foundation for our modern solid-state device technologies, we envision that these type of new materials with intrinsic magnetic order may lead to new energy efficient spintronic and optoelectronic devices, such as low energy consumption data storage and computing. These application potentials are well in-line with the mission of the Clean Energy Institute and may be an important...
Kacper Lachowski
The design of plasmonic nanoparticles (PNP) is an active area of research in large part due to its exciting potential in solar cells and photocatalysis applications. The performance of these systems can be engineered by controlling the composition, morphology, and arrangement of PNP’s. The goal of my research is to better understand how organic molecules affect the PNP synthesis process when presented in the solution vs. constrained to an interface. Specifically, I am using the liquid-liquid interface of emulsions to perform high throughput combinatorial PNP syntheses in mild conditions. Constraining growth to an interface may inherently produce PNPs with features like high specific surface area and...
Wenqi Cui
Renewable energy sources have brought more uncertainties to the operation of energy systems. Two challenges emerge. Firstly, we generally do not know the exact model and parameters of these energy resources. Secondly, robustly incorporating the uncertainties in operations is intractable using traditional control methods. Machine learning, especially reinforcement learning techniques, can potentially overcome these challenges by interacting with the environment to find good control strategies. Despite its potential, reinforcement learning does not readily apply to critical physical systems with hard constraints. My research focuses on closing these gaps to allow for the robust control of inverter-interfaced devices in energy systems. I will analyze problems with...
Jordan Fonseca
Due to the explosive increase in the amount of information generated throughout our daily lives, one of the key challenges of our society will be storing and manipulating data with high energy efficiency. One promising approach to solving this grand energy consumption challenge is exploring new data storage and computing technologies based on ultra-thin antiferromagnetic materials. The promise of antiferromagnetism lies in the absence of net magnetization, which increases the achievable density of storage, while the large exchange interactions could enable operation speeds in the terahertz regime. Supported by the CEI award, I will apply a variety of optical techniques to probe the exotic...
Florence Dou
The world’s current energy demands are primarily met through fossil fuels. The consumption of this finite fuel source leads to emissions that are extraordinarily harmful for the environment. Solar energy presents itself as a renewable source that can be harvested by state-of-the-art photocatalysts and converted to chemical energy in a clean fashion. Specifically, semiconductor quantum dots synthesized from earth-abundant elements can be utilized as efficient photocatalysts due to their easily tunable redox potentials. My research will focus on using quantum dots as photocatalysts in the selective synthesis of organic compounds, such as hydrocarbon fuels and pharmaceutical drugs. I will also study the functionalization of...
Emerson Chen
I will focus on organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs), which are often soft polymers or polymer blends with conjugated structure. They are promising candidates for supercapacitor and battery electrodes as they have great ionic-electronic coupling property and decent capability of ion and electron transportation. Also, the fabrication could be easily scaled up using roll-to-roll printing as most OMIECs are solution processable. In specific, I will synthesize PEDOT or Polythiophene with carboxybetaine/sulfobetaine zwitterionic side chains via chemical polymerization. EIS and OECT will be applied to characterize the synthesized materials for capacitance and kinetics studies. Higher specific capacitance and charging rate are expected as the zwitterion...
Doris Hung
My research focuses on developing a computational artificial intelligence framework for 3D lithium-ion batteries. Conventional battery manufacturing only considers monolithic, planar electrode architectures that have a fundamental trade-off between power and energy density. 3D batteries overcome this trade-off by enhancing ion transport with their engineered electrode architectures. I am currently developing a model framework that can automatically generate and optimize electrode architectures based on a set of user-defined design requirements. Advisor: Corie Cobb - Mechanical Engineering...
Amy Mayhugh
My research addresses ecological and economic factors that limit conjugated materials synthesis for solar energy. Conjugated polymers have the potential for widespread use in solar cells, as they can be cheap to produce, and installed in unique settings. Currently, synthesizing high-performing semiconducting polymers is energy intensive and complex. I study ways to reduce the number of synthetic steps while simultaneously prioritizing mild reaction conditions. I will continue my work on direct arylation polymerization (DArP) at room temperature for conjugated polymer synthesis. DArP is attractive as it directly functionalizes C-H bonds, avoiding the use of toxic organometallic intermediates. Due to the high selectivity and reactivity requirements for...
Martin Brischetto
Weyl semimetals is a recently discovered class of material exhibiting the chiral anomaly and Fermi arc surface states. These properties cause exotic thermal, optical, and electronic effects; such as a colossal bulk photovoltaic effect and a dissipationless charge transport. Consequently, they have potentially revolutionary applications in energy conversion systems. Some half-Heusler compounds transition to the Weyl semimetal phase at a threshold magnetic field strength. My research is aimed at exploring this phase transition and the conditions under which it occurs. This may reveal a wider range of materials that can be modified to exhibit the Weyl semimetal phase. Advisor: Jihui Yang - Materials Science &...
Mitchell Kaiser
My research will focus on self-assembly of organically cross-linked structures of 2D materials for clean energy applications. The 2D semi-conducting and quantum materials have well-defined atomic structure and architecture. Integrating 2D materials with functional organic molecules into well-controlled molecular to nano-scale architectures will lead to novel and synergistic properties and functions. Monolayer or few layer MoS2 will be prepared through mechanical and chemical exfoliation. Organic molecules will be self-assembled on the nanoflakes and cross-linked into layered structures. The unique band structures, limited electrons, and incomplete band bending of such materials will be exploited to realize unique catalytic, transport, and storage properties. In-situ STM, novel...