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WELCOME
Student Research Poster Presentations will be held in The Sunset Room at The Pointe (inside the Pyramid). Students will begin presentations starting at 12:30 PM.
Student Research Poster Presentation
Abstracts
The increasing use of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries necessitates efficient recycling methods to mitigate environmental impact and resource depletion. While hydrothermal relithiation, a method of direct recycling, has shown promise in laboratory settings for regenerating NCM811 (LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2) cathodes, scaling this method to industrial levels remains challenging due to the need to address and remove impurities, such as binder residues and conductive additives in spent materials. These impurities, which vary in concentration across different spent cathode materials, have not yet been systematically studied. Our research focuses on understanding how different levels of inherent carbon binder impurities affect the hydrothermal relithiation process. This was accomplished through analysis of NCM811 materials with varying percentages of Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) after hydrothermal relithiation. Increasing percent of impurities lead to a less fully lithiated product. Temperature can also be optimized to aid the relithiation and limit effects of PVDF impurities. By systematically investigating the impact of these impurities, we aim to develop scalable relithiation parameters that maintain efficiency and effectiveness despite the variability in industrial-grade materials.
Nuchcha (Fourth) Manaanuntakul
University of California, San Diego
"Effects of Intrinsic Impurities on Hydrothermal Relithiation for NCM811 Regeneration"
Vanessa Velasco
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
"The Effects of Transition Metal Doping on ZSM-5 in the Thermal Decomposition of Polypropylene into Crude Oil"
Plastic pollution has been a long time environmental concern. One method used to mitigate this is catalytic pyrolysis. In this work, polypropylene is degraded thermally with the assistance of a catalyst in the absence of oxygen. This study examines the effects of Nickel and Nickel-Tungsten doping on the selectivity of the collected oil sample. This was accomplished by utilizing the wet-impregnation doping method. The catalyst was characterized by SEM and EDS, while the oil was characterized using GCxMS. In conclusion, we found that our catalyst was doped with 6 at.% Nickel and 2 at.% Tungsten. Oils derived from a Nickel catalyst had a propensity towards hydrocarbons with 8 total carbons, while Nickel Tungsten doped catalysts favored 9 total carbons.
To mitigate the environmental impacts of oil spills, a novel hydrophilic-oleophobic mixed-coated filter is proposed for efficient oil-water separation and effective surface oil recovery. This study investigates the effect of varying sintering temperatures on TiOâ‚‚- carbon (Ti-C) coatings applied to a 304 stainless steel mesh, focusing on the balance between coating adherence and phase-dependent performance. Literature suggests that anatase TiOâ‚‚ enhances oil and water separation due to its higher photocatalytic activity, surface area, and porosity derived from its atomic structure. Higher sintering temperatures can induce a phase transition to rutile, which exhibits lower separation performance. Yet, sufficient heat is required to ensure proper coating adherence to the stainless-steel mesh. The study evaluates the trade-offs between sintering temperature, TiOâ‚‚ phase composition, and separation efficiency through contact angle and filtration tests. By optimizing sintering conditions, this work aims to enhance the durability and efficiency of hydrophilic-oleophobic filters for practical oil-water separation applications.
Claudia Wong
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
"The Effect of Varying Sintering Temperatures on Ti-C Coatings for Efficient Oil & Water Separation"
Chandraki Chatterjee
University of California, Santa Barbara
"Race Against Time: Novel Fixed-Targets for Serial Crystallography and Solution Scattering for Determining Protein Structures to Counter Biological Threats"
Serial crystallography at X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has provided new opportunities for structural biology, especially for membrane proteins, which are traditionally difficult to crystallize as large single crystals. However, the need to constantly refresh the sample due to the destructive power of XFEL or synchrotron radiation throws up other, sometimes equally significant barriers. Liquid jets are a common method of sample delivery, but have stringent requirements for sample volume and homogeneity. Capillary tubes offer an alternative that can reduce sample consumption compared to jets, while maintaining hydration and protecting delicate samples. However, capillaries still require relatively large sample volumes and can introduce optical distortions or increased background scattering from the tube material. To overcome these limitations, the fixed target approach has been used to address the challenges of sample delivery for serial X-ray diffraction (XRD) by designing and implementing fixed targets that 1) minimize background and maintain sample hydration and 2) are robust, easy to use, and enable delivery of “unjettable” samples 3) significantly reduce sample volume requirements and eliminate the distortion effects. Previously, this approach has been utilized to perform detailed structural characterization of cell-free expressed nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs). Here we present a new generation of fixed target microfluidic devices with thin, robust transparent X-ray windows that can handle fragile crystals, ultra-high vacuum, and long-time storage capability without any significant dehydration of the protein slurry. We have successfully demonstrated its operation at 120 Hz at the Linac Coherent Light Source at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and 231 Hz at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France.
Growing demand for energy has increased the need for efficient energy storage, with many applications to manufacturing, HVAC, and electricity generation. In particular, low temperature energy storage at 10°C could have far reaching impacts on improving refrigeration and air conditioning¹. One form of energy storage is through phase change materials (PCMs), materials that store and release energy upon phase transformations. Currently, most PCMs consist of organic materials such as paraffin, fatty acids, and alcohols, which typically have phase transitions of between 15-20°C, energy storage density (ESD) of at least 150 J/g, and supercooling values between 2-14°C. However, organic PCMs are flammable and experience large volume changes upon phase transitions, making them unsuitable for building applications². One potential alternative to this is using inorganic salt hydrate PCMs. The current limitations for inorganic salt hydrate PCMs are their high phase transition temperatures of above 30°C and high supercooling values of above 20°C as a result of phase segregation, which are not ideal for low temperature energy storage. As such, potential problems to these solutions are utilizing a eutectic salt combination to bring the phase transition temperature to around 10°C and using various nucleating particles to reduce supercooling³. Because there is a tradeoff between reducing supercooling and targeting the desired temperature, we are trying to find a recipe that optimizes the phase transition temperature to 10°C, ESD greater than 125 J/g, and degree of supercooling less than 3°C. We have currently found a eutectic combination of zinc nitrate hexahydrate (ZnH), ammonium nitrate (NHâ‚„NO₃), and talc, that demonstrates a phase transition temperature 10.27°C, ESD of 131.56 J/g, and supercooling of 10.59°C, and are continuing to optimize these findings.
Faye Liu
University of California, Berkeley
"Optimizing Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage"
Kunal Arora
Stanford University
"Synthesis & Characterization of a Self-healing Photoresponsive Shape Memory Polymer"
In 2024, the Bao Group achieved a self-healable copolymer with high actuation energy density, capable of repairing macroscopic punctures on a centimeter scale. It was designed using varying ratios of a strong hydrogen-bonding monomer unit and a weaker hydrogen-bonding monomer unit, allowing for tunable actuation and glass transition temperatures that, respectively, enable shape memory and self-healing upon heating beyond physiological temperatures. This research develops a visible light-triggered shape-memory-assisted self-healing (SMASH) polymer to remove the need for thermal activation, overcoming limitations of heat-triggered systems. I adapt procedures to maximize yield for the synthesis of a photoswitchable monomer within the polymer backbone that undergoes cis–trans photoisomerization under visible light wavelengths. Irradiation induces a conformational change in the hydrogen-bonding moiety that results in dramatically dierent chemical and physical polymer properties, enabling both shape recovery and chain diusion for healing with a single monomer unit. Future directions include characterizing the mechanical properties of the synthesized photoresponsive-SMASH polymers and tuning them by changing the ratio of trans and cis isomers; evaluating their SMASH capabilities under dierent wavelengths of visible light; and deepening our understanding of the role of the photoswitching moiety in the SMASH mechanism. Ultimately, this research will enable more energy-ecient, biocompatible materials. A photoresponse-triggered-SMASH polymer can serve as a substrate for electronic skin with embedded sensors, capable of being healed with visible light irradiation at physiological temperatures.