Curvature is the common driving force for grain boundary motion in all polycrystals. However, models and simulations derived from curvature-based motion cannot predict irregular, albeit commonly observed, grain growth behavior. To build better predictive models, we need to employ new tools to understand what governs grain growth. First, I will demonstrate how high energy x-ray […]

In a Circular Economy, atoms and molecules are kept inside the economy where they continue to produce value, and they are kept out of unwanted places like our environment.  At a high level, this concept applied to polymers and plastics should reduce the flow of material into the environment, while improving efficiency and reducing demand […]

I lead an Energy Materials and Devices research group at the University of Maryland, College Park, with a major mission to address the CO2 challenge. Our current research interests include (1) ultrahigh-temperature synthesis of new materials and their use in advanced energy devices, (2) beyond Li-ion batteries for transportation and the grid, and (3) wood […]

Halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been the focus of much research in recent years due to their extremely high photoconversion efficiencies and their ability to be synthesized by solution processing.  These materials crystallize in the perovskite, AMX3 crystal structure where A is a monovalent cation (e.g. methyl ammonium, MA, formamidinium, FA, and/or Cs), M is the […]

Microstructurally and compositionally complex alloys (MCCA) such as Nickel-Aluminum-Bronze (NAB) are important to Navy and maritime applications due to their high strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance, as well as excellent corrosion resistance. NAB’s are widely used in many naval applications including ship propellers, underwater fasteners, pumps, and valves. Traditional sand cast NAB alloys tend to […]

In this open conversation, he will share his experience as a glass-ceiling breaking executive who has successfully built the HMTX from a small retailer to a business of $800M revenue focusing on Manufacturing Efficiency, Durability, and Sustainability.

Pathological calcification is a wide-spread phenomenon in the human body, in which calcium minerals form in soft tissues and are found in both healthy and diseased tissues. One example are microcalcifications (MCs), which are primarily biological apatite and occur in cancerous and benign breast pathologies. MCs are key mammographic indicators, however, little is known about […]

In nature, organized arrays of elements arise spontaneously from the interactions between their component parts, e.g. reaction-diffusion problems, clustering colloidal particles and granular media, wrinkling surfaces, propagating cracks and flowing liquids. In the wake of biomimicry, I will discuss several strategies aiming to harness mechanical instabilities in flowing liquids, e.g. coiling, droplet formation, digitation, drainage, […]