Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI)

📢Apply Now! MSE@UCI is seeking to #recruit Postdoctoral Scholars Qualified Candidates with experience in: ◾Advanced and Additive Manufacturing ◾Advanced Materials Characterization ◾Biomaterials, Bioinspired and Self-Assembled Materials ◾Energy Materials and Sustainability ◾Materials for Structural Applications and Extreme Environments ◾Modeling, Theory and Computational Approaches to Materials Science and Engineering ◾Nanoscale and Functional Materials Apply via this link: https://lnkd.in/geEFTEpq #mseatuci #uci #ucirvine #engineering #uciengineering #materialscience #materialsscienceandengineering #research #researcher #advancedmanufacturing #additivemanufacturing #materialscharacterization #biomaterials #bioinspired #energymaterials #sustainability #extremeenvironments #modelingtheory #computationalapproach #materialsscienceandengineering #nanoscale #functionalmaterials

Well done Francisco Guzman. Congratulations 🎈

The research of Prof. Xiaoqing Pan's group on platinum single-atom coordination was just published in Nature Communications. Their work explores heterogeneity in single-atom coordination environments on oxide supports, emphasizing a previously overlooked consideration in the design of single-atom catalysts (SACs). Recently, single-atom catalysts (SACs) have received significant interest due to the potentials for optimal precious metal utilization efficiency and tunable reactivity provided by control of active site local coordination environment. This is particularly true for SACs on metal oxide supports, as oxide powders expose multiple surface facets, and each surface facet presents a range of SA binding sites.In this study, the research group addresses the question of whether previous analysis of the platinum (Pt) on anatase TiO2 SAC system have accounted for all Pt SAs when developing structure-function relationships. Researchers address this question by depositing Pt SAs onto shape-controlled anatase TiO2 particles, including TiO2-nanosheets exposing predominantly (001) surfaces and TiO2-truncated bipyramids exposing mainly (101) surfaces, and comparing the geometric locations, electronic properties, and catalytic activities of these Pt SAs to Pt SAs dispersed on commercial TiO2 particles. https://lnkd.in/grVqXmgK

Congratulations 🎈Xiaoqing Pan! Great work.

We are pleased to share that Francisco Guzman (a PhD student in Xiaoqing Pan's group) received a 2024 M&M student scholar award for his work on "Ferroelastic Charged Domains in Ferroelectric BiFeO3 Nanoneedles". 2024 M&M Student Scholars are funded by Microscopy Society of America (Official). 

Don't forget to submit!

On August 29, 2024, Cal State LA and UC Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering received a $1 million PREM grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enhance research and education in materials science. This three-year grant will fund the establishment of the NSF PREM Center for Bioinspired and Architectured Materials (CBAM) at California State University, Los Angeles, fostering collaboration with UC Irvine’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). The initiative aims to advance research in materials that emulate natural structures for applications in energy, health, and sustainability, while also promoting diversity in #STEM through student involvement in summer programs, workshops, and seminars. The grant will support high-impact research and educational opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds, with the goal of driving innovation and addressing societal challenges. Xiaoqing Pan is co-principle director of the NSF PREM grant.

Nominations are now open!

The research team of Chunyang Wang, Yaqi Jing, Dong Zhu and @Huolin L. Xin had their study, which provides unprecedented atomic-scale insights into the degradation pathways of layered cathodes in all-solid-state batteries, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://lnkd.in/gMsw7p7X

The research team of Jordan Castro, Xavier Westworth, Roman Shrestha, Kosuke Yokoyama and Zhibin Guan recently had their research on the management of mixed plastic waste published in Advanced Materials. To achieve a #sustainable #plastic economy, novel approaches are needed for the efficient management of mixed plastic waste. The inherent challenge lies in the compatibility issues among different types of plastics during mechanical recycling, which often results in materials with compromised mechanical properties. This study by Guan research group introduces a robust and efficient dynamic crosslinking chemistry designed to address these challenges. Utilizing aromatic sulfonyl azides, this crosslinker demonstrates excellent thermal stability and facilitates the generation of singlet nitrene species in situ during solvent-free melt-extrusion. This process effectively promotes C─H insertion across various plastics, thereby enhancing the compatibility of mixed plastics. The proposed method has been successfully applied to blend binary polymer combinations and model mixed plastics, resulting in improved mechanical performance and enhanced phase morphology. This innovation shows promise in the management of mixed plastic waste, contributing to a more sustainable lifecycle for plastics. DMA, Rheometer, and tensile testing in TEMPR Lab contributed to this study. Please contact Xiaofeng Liu at xiaofeng.liu@uci.edu to learn more on the TEMPR lab. #PlasticWaste #MechanicalRecycling