Renewable energy technology, more so than ever before, is critical to the survival of humanity. For decades, concentrated efforts into designing and developing such novel devices resulted in the innovation of solar-driven photovoltaics that were competitive with nonrenewable alternatives. This thesis explores the dynamic behavior of alternative material candidates that...
Large scale adoption of sustainable technologies for energy productionand storage can be greatly facilitated by scientific advances impacting efficiency, cost and availability. The study of materials is instrumental in both upgrading the performance of existing technologies and enabling the development of new ones, and ab-initio methods and machine learning represent...
The relationship between the structure and function of proteins is a fundamental problem in biology with implications for the future of biotechnology and global health. For example, changes to the structure of a coronavirus spike protein led to a global pandemic where our best defenses were vaccines that could only...
Dental enamel is a complex bio-composite with compositional and structural features across a wide range of length scales. Defects in these features can compromise enamel’s ability to protect the tooth, resulting in adverse health outcomes. Acquired defects like tooth decay are familiar to most people and are the subject of...
Herein, we present an overview of our studies of the morphology, dynamics, and formation of heterogeneous soft matter systems via the emerging technique of liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM). This particular subset of materials, more commonly referred to as emulsions, is tremendously commercially and biologically relevant, encompassing applications in...
Drying oils have been used as a binding medium for oil paints since the 15th century. These oil paints transition from a liquid-like paste to a solid-like film as a result of crosslinks forming between the oil molecules. These reactions have been extensively studied chemically, but other material properties are...
Recent progress in semiconductor synthesis and photophysics has revealed a host of new materials with exciting properties for applications in optoelectronic devices such as sensors, photovoltaics, solid state lighting, and more. One of the most significant recent additions to the field is the class of hybrid and inorganic materials that...
Herein, we present an overview of our studies of the morphology, dynamics, and formation of heterogeneous soft matter systems via the emerging technique of liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM). This particular subset of materials, more commonly referred to as emulsions, is tremendously commercially and biologically relevant, encompassing applications in...
Polymers occupied nearly every facet of our daily lives, and enhancing their mechanical and fracture properties has long been an important topic in the field of polymer science. Based on the various need in applications, polymers are designed to have a range of characteristics such as tackiness, optical properties, mechanical...
Solid acid fuel cells confer unique advantages over nearby technologies, such as polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) or solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), due to the solid acid electrolyte – a solid-state, anhydrous, intermediate-temperature proton conductor.Despite these encouraging unique properties, solid acid fuel cells have performed unfavorably in comparison...