FALL 2019

MATERIALS SCIENCE AND UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON

LEADERSHIP MATERIAL: MS&E STUDENTS AT THE CUTTING EDGE

1 Celebrating our CHAIR’S MESSAGE distinguished alumni

Hello from Society (TMS) Annual Meeting and Every fall, Madison! Exhibition in San Antonio, Texas. Another we honor the PhD candidate, William Doniger, was invited achievements A new academic year is to attend a prestigious consortium in the of outstanding already upon MS&E. We Netherlands as part of NuSTEM —the joint alumni at the are excited to welcome our collaboration among UW-Madison, Texas Engineers’ Day new undergraduate, MS and PhD students A&M, and the University of California- banquet. and also to reflect on advances we made Berkeley. Additionally, graduate student Alum Mark Hoffmeyer, during the 2018-2019 school year. It has been Laura Hasburgh was awarded the 2019 recipient of a 2019 distinguished full of milestones! In the fall, our department Margaret Law Award from the Society of Fire achievement award, is a senior debuted a one-year, non-thesis master of Protection Engineers. The list doesn’t end technical staff member at IBM science degree program in there, so be sure to read all about the stellar Systems. His expertise has led and nanoengineering. The curriculum allows accomplishments of all MS&E students within to significant innovations in graduate students to advance their education the pages of this newsletter. microelectronic devices in areas that and broaden their expertise in an accelerated Not to be forgotten are our hard-working include materials design, assembly, manner. The program thrived in its inaugural bachelor candidates. We awarded the largest packaging and manufacturing. year under the leadership of Professor Xudong undergraduate class in department history Wang, who envisioned the curriculum and their bachelor’s of science degrees in materials leads the program. science this last spring. Our alumni have now It has been a busy and exciting year for grown by 60! We could not be prouder of our Xudong! His creative research in mechanical recent graduates. What an exciting way to cap energy harvesting materials and their off the academic year! applications in devices that improve the As our alumni network gets bigger, so does SUPPORT MS&E human condition has been recognized our department faculty. In 2019, we welcomed by a Presidential Early Career Award for Assistant Professor Dawei Feng. Dawei designs Scientists and Engineering (PECASE) and synthesizes inorganic-organic hybrid solid Award from the U.S. Department of Health state materials at the molecular level to develop and Human Services. The PECASE Awards novel materials with targeted chemical and are conferred annually at the White House. physical properties. Currently he is developing ENINEERIN They constitute the highest honor bestowed metal-organic electronic materials for energy by the U.S. government on outstanding conversion, energy storage and electronic Valerie Chesnik scientists and engineers at the beginning of devices, as well as solid state ion conductors for (608) 308-5226 their independent careers. Xudong’s award rechargeable ion batteries. [email protected] illustrates how far innovations in material Beyond the walls of our MS&E building, the allwaysforward.org/giveto/mse design reach and the underpinning role they city of Madison is one of the country’s best play in advancing technologies that improve places to be. Madison was named the nicest the human condition. place to live by U.S. News and World report, Professor Padma Gopalan was appointed a confirming what most of us already know. World Research Hub Professor for Furthermore, it was named by USA Today as 2018-2020 at the prestigious Tokyo Institute the #1 best city to live in after graduation. So, to SHOP of Technology, Japan. To the best of our all you recent MS&E grads, please stay in touch! store.engr.wisc.edu knowledge, Padma is the first U.S. female Welcome to another great year, and ... scientist in a STEM field to be awarded this honor. Definitely take a moment to read a bit ON, WISCONSIN! about Padma’s experiences in Japan. The achievements of our students are the pride of our department and we certainly had no lack of them this year! Just in 2019 alone, Susan E. Babcock graduate students Mia Lenling and Tyler Professor and Department Chair Dabney earned honors at the internationally [email protected] • (608) 262-1862 attended Minerals, Metals and Materials

2 GOPALAN SABBATICAL IN TOKYO INSPIRES LEADERS, SPARKS INNOVATION

There’s an During her year-long sabbatical from UW-Madison, Gopalan worked intrinsic level of in the materials and devices division of the research hub. There, she “unique” when you continued ongoing research with Teruki Hayakawa, a professor in the are a world expert School of Materials and Chemical Technology at Tokyo Tech, and also in the design and initiated new collaborations with scientists from around the world. synthesis of never- Among Gopalan’s achievements while in Japan are developing a new before-made class of coatings to enable block copolymer self-assembly in thin-films and organic molecules creating degradable conjugated polymers that can sort semiconducting and polymers. single-walled carbon nanotubes and assemble them in arrays, then But when you subsequently be removed from devices to maximize performance. are the first U.S. Outside the lab, Gopalan immersed herself in Japanese culture, researcher—and the first woman in STEM—ever asked to participate in becoming conversant in the language and traveling around the country a prestigious tech initiative located halfway around the world, “unique” giving talks at institutions outside of Tokyo. morphs into “elite.” And while Gopalan learned a lot during her time in Japan, she also That’s the case for Professor Padma Gopalan. Her expertise earned her left quite an impression on her hosts. an invitation to join the world’s top researchers as a specialty appointment “I did not realize that it is not a normal sight to see a female professor professor at the Tokyo Tech World Research Hub Initiative in Japan. in a STEM field traveling around the country, giving talks in Japan,” she Now made up of 234 researchers from across the globe, the initiative is says. “This has started meaningful discussions with administrators in a bold undertaking, designed to break down barriers between fields and different institutions in Japan that I have visited, as they see the extreme countries so that the world’s brightest minds can tackle the 21st century’s gender inequity in Japanese academia. I hope to use this appointment toughest problems through interdisciplinary research. effectively to make a positive impact.”

FACULTY NEWS

Mike Arnold was innovation award for his method to make a significant advantages over the current, most appointed Beckwith- dense, highly aligned film of semiconducting widely used method. Bascom Professor in single-walled carbon nanotubes that could honor of his exceptional be incorporated in high performance field The International Society contributions to teaching, effect transistors and other devices including for Solid State Ionics research and service on displays, sensors, biosensors and solar cells. bestowed a prestigious mid- the UW-Madison campus. Arnold, who career award upon Harvey joined MS&E in 2008, is a world expert in Professor Sindo Kou D. Spangler Professor the fabrication of carbon nanotubes and in won the William Spraragen Dane Morgan. Presented graphene synthesis. In addition to his research, Award for the best research at the organization’s annual meeting, held in Arnold is the associate chair for undergraduate paper published in the Pyeongchang, South Korea, on June 20, 2019, studies in and engineering Welding Journal research the award recognizes Morgan’s innovative and his group has developed and led multiple supplement. Kou is a world and impactful research. Among his numerous summer camps and outreach workshops for expert in understanding and controlling contributions to the field, Morgan, a world middle and high school students. cracking, segregation, microstructure and expert in computational materials science, Arnold’s research also earned recognition transport phenomena during welding, casting has revealed key insights into the properties at the 2019 TechConnect World Innovation and crystal growth. He and graduate student of solid-state ionic conductors, which are key Conference and Expo, held June 17-19, 2019, Tayfun Soysal published a 2017 manuscript components of energy storage devices such as in Boston. The event connects top applied describing a simple test for susceptibility to supercapacitors and solid oxide fuel cells. research and early-stage innovations from solidification cracking, which is a serious weld universities, labs, and startups with industry defect. In the paper, Kou and Soysal outline end-users and prospectors. Arnold won an a reproducible test for the defect with several

3 FUEL CELL ADVANCE A BREATH OF FRESH AIR FOR FUTURE POWER ALTERNATIVE

A promising alternative to conventional In order for oxygen to enter the cathode, power plants, solid oxide fuel cells use the gas molecule must split into two atoms. electrochemical methods that can generate Then each atom must encounter a vacancy. power more efficiently than existing Understanding this process is difficult combustion-based generators. But fuel cells because it happens at the top atomic layers tend to degrade too quickly, eating up any of the cathode, whose chemistry can be efficiency gains through increased cost. quite different from the bulk of the material. “Fuel cells are exciting technologies with “Measuring composition and vacancy potentially disruptive capabilities,” says chemistry at those top two layers is Professor Dane Morgan. “But degradation extremely challenging,” says Morgan. issues have been a major obstacle for the That’s why he and colleagues turned to consumer market.” simulations. As leading experts in Dane Morgan (left) and Yipeng Cao. One reason that fuel cells degrade is that molecular modeling, they combined density the devices must operate at extremely high functional theory and kinetic modeling to gain temperatures—in excess of 1,500 degrees atomic-level insight into the reactions occurring way in which oxygen atoms find and enter Fahrenheit—to drive the chemical reactions on the top two layers of the cathode. vacancies at the surface. that create electricity. The team determined that oxygen Material with more vacancies, therefore, could Fuel cells combine oxygen with an external splitting is not the rate-limiting step in potentially make fuel cells much more efficient. fuel source, a similar process to the heat and the studied material. They learned that “This could allow for materials design in a way light-yielding transformation that occurs in fire. what is limiting fuel cell efficiency is the that was very hard to do before,” says Morgan.

Currently, two main tactics exist to create NOT SO DEFECTIVE, AFTER ALL the emitters: Engineers either bombard an existing sample with ions, or use a strategy Demystifying advanced quantum materials called exfoliation, which is a fancy way to describe peeling off incredibly thin sheets of material using adhesive tape, and looking for Sometimes, flaws are what emitters. And that’s been a major defects at the edges. Both are rather “blind” makes a thing special. obstacle in obtaining these processes; researchers still do not know the That is the case for potentially useful materials. precise chemical nature of the defects. materials called optical “If we can understand the To shine some light on the mystery, quantum emitters, nature of the defects, the Kawasaki, Kolkowitz, and colleagues Victor which send out light in hope is to be able to control Brar and Zongfu Yu will carefully examine an exceptionally precise them,” says Assistant samples of optical quantum emitters using manner, one photon at a time, Professor Jason Kawasaki. a combination of structural analysis and often due to tiny imperfections Kawasaki is one member energetic measurements. in the crystal structure. of a team of engineers and “Measurement has been a challenge,” says Optical quantum emitters physicists at UW-Madison that Kawasaki. “There are techniques for studying could become the backbones of is combining expertise in materials the defect structure and separate techniques ultrafast , super-high-resolution synthesis and atomic-scale measurements in to measure the emission spectrum. The sensors and uncrackable long-range secure an effort to demystify those defects in two- question is, how do you combine those two?” communication technologies. dimensional materials. Ultimately, they hope to Fortunately, Brar and Kolkowitz bring Recently, buzz has been building about develop a reliable method for making optical world leadership in a specialized combination a newly discovered variety of quantum quantum emitters. measurement technique to the table. And emitters consisting of two-dimensional “We’re interested in developing a base once the team has a handle on the defects, materials (think flat sheets only as thick as technology,” says Shimon Kolkowitz, an they will begin growing materials from scratch. a single molecule, similar to graphene). But assistant professor of physics. “What’s needed That’s where Kawasaki comes in. there’s a hitch: No one truly understands the are solid-state emitters, but we still don’t have “It’s a project that spans our campus, which exact natures of the defects that cause these high-output materials that produce a high is pretty exciting,” says Kolkowitz. 2D materials to become optical quantum rate of photons on demand.”

4 TARGET ACQUIRED

Using magnets to help medicines deliver a more powerful punch

When you structure called the blood-brain barrier. stacks of thin layers of ferromagnetic materials take a pill, the Biologists have been working on specialized and other coating materials. drug passes packaging systems that release medicines on “It’s theoretical work,” says Hu. “We drew through your cue for several years—some methods use small from two well established theories from system—but spherical containers made out of fat called different fields and took it one step forward.” its healing liposomes, while others hinge on artificial Crucially, Hu consulted with Eom—a world effects can nanostructures comprised of DNA. expert in growing never-before-seen materials come a cost: Hu and Eom looked to a less organic material one atomic layer at a time—to determine if the Chang-Beom Eom Along the for their drug delivery system. stacks that he designed would be feasible to way to its “We are materials scientists,” says Hu. “We synthesize in the real world. Not surprisingly, intended are taking a different approach.” Eom has grown similarly complex multilayered location, the The researchers realized that many drug materials in the past. drug can molecules, including some commonly used “It’s very beneficial to talk with dose, and chemotherapies like cisplatin, carry a partial experimentalists,” says Hu. “We needed to harm, healthy electric charge. In other words, they’re polar. know our stacks could really be fabricated.” tissues, too. Polar molecules can be coaxed to “stick” to Currently, the researchers are taking steps Materials a surface under the influence of a magnetic toward doing just that. That initial step will scientists at field. And some specialized ferromagnets allow them to begin experiments, in the lab, Jiamian Hu UW‑Madison have the ability to alter the strength of using real drugs. hope to their magnetism under the influence of an “This is all preliminary work; nobody has reduce the externally applied field. thought about this before,” says Hu. “It’s one side effects of medicines and boost their Hu and Eom hit upon the notion of using small step, but it’s progress as long as at every efficacy by delivering them only to their surface-functionalized ferromagnetic materials step, we produce something.” intended targets within the body. to capture drug molecules. They envision And they have laid out the theoretical basis therapies consisting of for a drug-delivery system that uses the power small ferromagnetic of magnets to release therapeutic molecules particles coated with right where they’re needed. drugs. The medicines “This is on-demand control of drug release,” would not be active until Simulation showing says Jiamian Hu, an assistant professor and clinicians applied an drug molecules bonded fellow of the Grainger Institute for Engineering. external magnetic field to the surface targeted magnetic medicines. Hu, an expert in computational theoretical to release drug payloads modeling, and colleague Chang-Beom Eom, from the particles’ a world leader in materials synthesis, described surfaces. As a bonus, their concept for a magnetic drug delivery doctors could even use system in a paper published in April 2019 in the external magnets to journal Applied Physics Letters. The paper was manipulate the particles also selected as an editor’s highlight in the issue. inside patients’ bodies. On-demand drug release has long been a “You can use magnets goal for clinicians around the world. to guide the small Imagine a future where cancer patients would particles to the places no longer experience the ravaging side effects where you need to of chemotherapy because the toxic chemicals release the drug, then that kill cancer cells only exert their lethal effects change the magnetic inside tumors, bypassing healthy tissues. field condition to release Targeted drug delivery could also open it,” says Hu. up new frontiers for treating neurological But not just any old conditions such as multiple sclerosis and refrigerator magnet Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, very few existing will do. Hu designed medicines are able to cross the protective precisely composed

5 ‘CADILLAC’ OF FELLOWSHIPS HELPS GRAD STUDENT DRIVE NUCLEAR RESEARCH FORWARD

Master’s student Tyler Dabney has earned a down a protective coating without melting annual meeting—the most widely attended highly competitive and prestigious fellowship the material. That means very little oxygen conference in the field of , minerals from the Department of Energy Nuclear gets incorporated into the coatings and there’s and materials. Energy University Program. no opportunity for defects to arise during He’ll continue that work, and the With three years of full funding and solidification, making them long-lived, tough fellowship will allow him to fully immerse support, Dabney will work on developing and resistant to oxidation. himself in the project. protective coatings for the fuel rods inside Additionally, cold spray is high-throughput, “It’s a nice burden lifted and I’ll be able to nuclear reactors using a solid-state additive allowing coatings to be produced much faster really focus on the research,” he says. manufacturing technology called cold spray. than other techniques offer. Those coatings could help reactors Dabney began his work as an withstand unforeseen events. “If an accident undergraduate during his junior year, and occurs, the coatings should allow fuel rods to he stayed on working as a research intern in survive longer so engineers can restabilize Sridharan’s lab after commencement in 2017. the reactor core,” says Dabney, whose advisor His cold spray research has already is Distinguished Research Professor Kumar earned him international attention: In March Sridharan, an expert in cold-spray coatings. 2019, he took home first place for a poster Cold spray is attractive for nuclear in the additive manufacturing for energy applications because it allows engineers to lay applications poster competition at the TMS

COLD SPRAY IS A HOT TOPIC Mia Lenling and Tyler Dabney. FOR GRAD STUDENT

Grad student Mia Lenling spent two Lenling uses cold spray to fabricate free- days in April 2019 hobnobbing with some standing nanostructured steel tubes (called of the brightest talents in the nation at the “cladding”) that coat nuclear fuel rods. Her MS&E STUDENT GE Research technology nucleus located in approach to creating the tubes that surround WINS AWARD Niskayuna, New York. the radioactive rods is much quicker and FOR MOLTEN The all-expense-paid trip was Lenling’s more efficient than the multi-step extrusion reward for being selected from a nationwide processes used today. SALT RESEARCH pool of applicants to GE Research’s Innovate Lenling’s cladding research not only nabbed program, which aims to bolster participation her a trip to Niskayuna, but she also earned William Doniger, a materials in science, technology, engineering and second prize in March 2019 for her poster at science and engineering PhD math disciplines among women and the annual meeting of TMS. student advised by Sridharan, underrepresented minority students. At the meeting, Lenling received great received second place for his “The most valuable aspect of the feedback on her research, including some poster presentation on molten salt experience was networking, not only with GE suggestions for new techniques to improve the corrosion and electrochemistry at employees, but also with other attendees from cladding tubes. a major international meeting in all across the country,” says Lenling, who also is After Lenling graduates, she hopes to the Netherlands, July 4-5, 2019. advised by Sridharan. pursue a research and development position The conference was the final While in upstate New York, Lenling had the in industry. While she’s interested in nuclear gathering of a multi-year, multi- opportunity to tour state-of-the-art lab spaces energy, Lenling is open to branching out institution initiative called Safety featuring the latest and artificial into other fields—yet she aspires to continue Assessment of the Molten Salt intelligence, now housed in the same buildings working on cold spray technology. Fast Reactor, which is working to where X-ray technology got its start. “My research has mostly focused on nuclear, find alternative coolants to water Of particular interest to Lenling was the but there are many other applications where for nuclear power plants. additive manufacturing equipment at the cold spray could be beneficial,” says Lenling. facility, as her research focuses on cold spray.

6 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Malcom Clark earns MS&E ALUMNI MAKE THEIR Erroll B. Davis award from Alliant Energy MARKS AROUND THE WORLD Since the department’s early days as a MS&E alumni also excel outside of For mining and metallurgy program, materials academia. Malcolm science and engineering at UW-Madison Clark, has forged leaders. For example, dedication Now, the outstanding people who Lizhen Tan, who to his studied here over time have made their completed his engineering mark in academia, industry and research master’s degree in research labs around the country. Here’s a snapshot 2001 and his PhD in has paid featuring just a few alumni. 2003 under Professor off—and his Wendy Crone, is 2019 Alliant Most recently, currently team lead of the nuclear structural Energy/Erroll B. Davis, Jr. Academic Xin Wang, a alloys group at at Oak Ridge National Achievement Award recognizes his hard work. postdoctoral Laboratory. Clark, a 22-year-old Madison native, is one scholar in Professor of two UW-Madison College of Engineering Dane Morgan’s Maria del students to win the award. The awards are computational Carmen Lopez given each year to recognize the academic materials research group, accepted an Garcia, who finished and community service from engineering assistant professorship at Penn State her PhD in 2009 and business students from traditionally University. under Professor underrepresented groups at UW‑Madison David Bebee, works and UW-Platteville. Also in 2019, in corporate research “It means a lot,” says Clark, who is going into Congli Sun, who at Kimberly Clark, and is listed on several his fifth year at UW-Madison. “It’s nice to be completed his PhD patents for the company’s leak-proof diaper rewarded for working so hard for a while and under Professor Paul technology. still being able to support yourself.” Voyles, became an He’s most recently been conducting assistant professor in Another of research under Kumar Sridharan, a the Nanostructure Research Center at the Crone’s former distinguished research professor in Wuhan University of Technology in Hubei students, Max and MS&E, to study how Province, China. Salick, who high-temperature alloys handle the stresses defended his PhD presented in nuclear reactors. On the mid- dissertation in 2014, The research team heats pins and disks career faculty was a recipient of in a furnace to study how they react in alumni front, among STAT Wunderkind Award in 2017 for his certain environments, such as in a reactor. those who recently groundbreaking work on building aritifical That testing can be done in conjunction received tenure are brains using stem cells to better understand with an array of surface treatments such as Jian Shi, now an diseases like epilepsy. He’s currently a kolsterising—a process that diffuses carbon associate professor at scientist with Insitro, where he’s continuing into a metal’s surface to harden it. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New his work on using stem cells for disease The upshot of the work, Clark says, is to find York. Shi was a graduate student in Professor modeling and drug discovery. ways to create stronger, more stable materials Xudong Wang’s group from 2009-2012. for enhanced performance in nuclear reactors. And Yifei Mo, an alumnus of Morgan’s Clark says he’s looking forward to getting computational materials group, was promoted his engineering career started once he to associate professor at the University of graduates and wants to use what he’s learned Maryland in May 2019. to work with renewable energy. “I’m really interested in the energy sector,” he says. “Especially solar energy, just because I’m really interested in renewable energy. I want to, if I can, merge the two together and use what I know to move into that field.”

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CONGRATULATIONS XUDONG WANG!

Professor Xudong Wang earned one of the highest honors for early-stage researchers given by the U.S. government: the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Nominated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Wang won for his research on developing small generators that harvest energy from the movement of the human body to power biomedical devices to monitor vital signs and apply treatment.

Xudong Wang with his students, demonstrating some of the energy-harvesting devices he has developed.

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