TMI Newsletter | February 2024
Featured News
Professor Deji Akinwande has recently secured funding from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to pioneer groundbreaking research aimed at revolutionizing computer systems. Through a combination of experimental approaches and advanced computer modeling techniques, Akinwande's research seeks to uncover the fundamental mechanisms governing resistance manipulation in atomristors.
Mitlin and his team utilized site-specific cryo-stage electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to understand the origin of SSE failure and in parallel demonstrated how microstructural/interfacial design can enable state-of-the-art AF-ASSB performance. An important discovery reported was that to sustain electrochemical stability, control of lithium metal wetting on the empty current collector is key.
The Zheng lab is at it again! They were recently published for developing a system using feedback from light to control groups of tiny particles, mimicking the complex movements seen in nature. Their research, featured in Advanced Materials, offers insight into collective motion and potential applications in swarm robotics.
Zachariah Page from the Department of Chemistry has been awarded both a prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship and the 2024 Mark Young Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society. His research focuses on developing light-triggered chemical reactions to synthesize advanced polymers for applications in areas such as stretchable electronics and tissue engineering, making him one of over 100 UT Faculty to receive the Sloan Fellowship since 1955.
Researchers at UT Austin have developed a cost-effective alternative to traditional Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) reporters, called silver nanocluster reporters. These reporters utilize a cluster transformation process that changes color when cut by nucleases, offering a cheaper and more versatile option for genetic material detection and enzyme activity monitoring, as published in Nature Nanotechnology.
Recent research published in the Journal of Energy & Environmental Science investigates the impact of trace metal impurities on transition metal oxyhydroxides, crucial for energy conversion and storage devices. Texas Materials Institute scientists -- Andrei Dolocan, Hugo Celio, and Xun Zhan, played a part in revealing how these impurities, through "in situ transition metal incorporation," significantly influence the performance and structure of electrode materials, offering insights into enhancing electrochemical energy devices.
The Koo Research Group at UT Austin, in collaboration with KAI, has developed unique capabilities to advance research and development in Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) Materials, as detailed in a recent paper published in the SAMPE Journal. Their methodology systematically integrates processes, material properties, and performance considerations, addressing challenges and making significant progress in the field.
The Manthiram lab has developed a sodium battery that reduces fire risks by incorporating a solid diluent, sodium nitrate, into the electrolyte, thereby stabilizing the battery and facilitating the charge-discharge cycle. This breakthrough, published in Nature Energy, not only enhances safety but also offers a cost-effective alternative to lithium-ion batteries, utilizing inexpensive and abundant materials such as iron, manganese, and nickel.
Congratulations to our 2024 Samsung Fellows!
Shan Kutagalla and Pablo Vidal were both honored with this year's Samsung Fellowship Award! Thanks to a recent donation from Samsung, eight fellowships were awarded Spring 2024 to students enrolled in the Cockrell School of Engineering. This fellowship includes spring stipend, insurance and tuition payment, along with a $5,000 topping fellowship.
Pablo is a first year in Dr. Nanshu's Lab who joined us Fall 2023. His current research involves the development of hair-compatible EEG electrodes. Shan Kutagalla is a 3rd year in Deji Akinwande's lab whose recent research projects include 2D material based memristive RRAM, and hydrogen fuel cell membrane 2D material integration. He joined us in Fall 2021 and is now the co-chair for the new Materials Research Society here at UT Austin.
Please join us in congratulating them!
MSE 397 Seminar Series
Dr. Steve Swinnea, TMI Instrumentation
March 06, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CDT
Dr. Steve Swinnea is from our very own institute and one of our 6 facility managers here at TMI. His talk will highlight some of the capabilities of the Xenocs Small Angle Scattering Instrument, the Rigaku Ultima IV thin film diffractometer, and TMI's powder diffraction equipment.
Dr. Dawei Feng, University of Wisconsin
March 20, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CDT
Dr. Dawei Feng currently serves as an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His seminar talk will compare different battery technologies and describe his efforts in the development of a new generation of inexpensive redox active species for redox flow batteries (RFB) that can offer extraordinary energy density and cycling stability.
Dr. Fan Yang, Stanford University
March 27, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CDT
Visiting us from Stanford University, Dr. Fan Yang is the founder and Director of Stanford Stem Cells and Biomaterials Engineering Laboratory, and also the co-director of Stanford NIH Biotechnology Training Program. Dr. Yang's seminar talk will showcase two innovative hydrogel platforms: sliding hydrogels and micro-ribbon based hydrogels.
Dr. Yogesh Surendranath, M.I.T.
March 29, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm CDT
Professor Surendranath from the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering department at M.I.T. aims to address frontier challenges in energy conversion and sustainability by controlling interfacial reactivity at the molecular level. Their findings have provided new opportunities to tune and design thermochemical catalysis by applying principles of electrochemistry.
Congratulations to our TMI faculty on their promotions!
Upcoming Events & Announcements
Graduate School March Events
- Graduate School Open House: Tuesday, March 5
- Careers & Coffee with the Graduate School and TCE: March 6
- Doctoral Degree Candidate Workshop: March 18
