Guest Seminar by Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering - In Situ Neutron Measurements in Materials Research
Large scientific research facilities such as synchrotron x-ray and neutron sources have enabled in situ measurement techniques for advancing the design, synthesis, processing and applications of materials. I will illustrate the application of in situ neutron measurements to those 4 aspects of materials research by using examples in our past research: (1) controlled synthesis and directed assembly of quantum dots and nanoparticles, (2) growth of lithium dendrites at the interface and in the bulk of solid electrolytes in rechargeable batteries, (3) enzymatic dephosphorylation of synthetic peptides and synergistic formation of hydrogels, and (4) tailored length and time scales in the bilayered-micelle to perforated-lamellae transition in phospholipid solutions. Opportunities and challenges of using neutron instruments in materials research will be discussed.
Prof. Wang obtained his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the Peking University and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1999. After postdoc research at NIST, he was an assistant professor at Michigan Technological Univ., an associate professor at the State University of New York, Binghamton, a research professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and the founding director of the SLDF, the first deuteration facility in China. Wang has had extensive research experience in neutron techniques for studying soft matter, nanotechnology, electronics and batteries, and authored over 100 publications and 8 patents. Wang was a member of the Bohmische Physical Society, a recipient of the NSF Career Award, an Empire-State Professor at SUNY, and a NIST-ARRA Senior Research Fellow.