Our paper “Operando Analysis of the Molten Li|LLZO Interface: Understanding How the Physical Properties of Li Affect the Critical Current Density” is published in Matter. We show that solid-state batteries (SSBs) using high-temperature (molten) Li metal anodes can withstand extremely high current densities of 530 mA/cm², which is an order-of-magnitude higher Continue Reading »

Ph.D. student Adrian Sanchez and Neil Dasgupta were awarded the 2021 Mechanical Engineering Robert M. Caddell Memorial Award for Research. This award is granted to a Faculty/Grad Student team that have jointly made significant contributions to research in materials and/or manufacturing.

Our paper “Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of p-type Copper Oxide Semiconductors with Tunable Phase, Oxidation State, and Morphology” is published in Journal of Physical Chemistry C. We demonstrate a new PE-ALD process for CuO_x films using a combination of oxygen and hydrogen plasma. This enables tuning of oxidation state in Cu, which is Continue Reading »

Dr. Manoj Jangjid and Dr. Srinivas Yadavalli join the group as postdocs. Welcome!

Congratulations to our Ph.D. students Clare Lanaghan and Daniel Liao, who were both awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships!

Postdoc Eric Kazyak is a recipient of the 2020 Ereztech BridgeForward Award, a a financial award program recognizing gifted graduate students and recent post-doctoral graduates pursuing careers in organometallic chemistry and materials science. Congrats Eric! [link]

We published two new papers on our battery research in December! The first paper, published in Chem. Commun. introduces a new process to form an inorganic-organic hybrid solid electrolyte by Molecular Layer Deposition (MLD), which is an organic analog to ALD. The films are well-behaved as solid electrolytes, with an ionic conductivity of ~5×10 Continue Reading »

Our paper “Area-Selective Atomic Layer Deposition Patterned by Electrohydrodynamic-Jet Printing for Additive Manufacturing of Functional Materials and Devices” is published in ACS Nano. We demonstrate that E-jet printing of polymers with sub-micrometer linewidths (down to 312nm) can be used to block ALD deposition with sub-nm precision in the z-direction, representing a new additive nanomanufacturing Continue Reading »

Clare Lanaghan and Daniel Liao join the group as Ph.D. students.  Welcome!

Our paper “Rational Design of Transparent Nanowire Architectures with Tunable Geometries for Preventing Marine Fouling” is published in Advanced Materials Interfaces. By tuning nanowire length, spacing, and branching, we systematically study the impact of surface architectures on wettability, algae fouling, and optical transparency.  Superhydrophobic nanowire arrays completely block marine biofouling for 22 days. [link]