McGehee

High-Sensitivity Low-Energy Ion Scattering Spectrometer will be a transformative resource for materials research at CU Boulder

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 06:00:00 +0000

High-Sensitivity Low-Energy Ion Scattering Spectrometer will be a transformative resource for materials research at CU Boulder Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 04/01/2022 - 00:00

Jonathan Raab

The HS-LEIS system in the SEEL building on East Campus.

CU Boulder’s East Campus is now home to the High-Sensitivity Low-Energy Ion Scattering (HS-LEIS) Spectrometer, a tool researchers from across the Rocky Mountain region will use for advanced materials characterization and analysis.

Because materials interact with the environment through their surfaces, knowledge of surface properties is critical to understanding structure-function relationships of existing and bespoke, next-generation materials designed for a variety of electronic, optical, biological, chemical and other applications, including functional coatings, photovoltaics, catalysis and more.

Housed in the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Laboratory building on East Campus, the HS-LEIS is the culmination of recent advances in detector design for surface analysis. The device can provide the most sensitive and selective methods for non-destructive, property-dictating, top-atomic-layer surface composition analysis.

“Coupled to this dual instrument system are several sample environments, such that one can expose materials to reactive atmospheres, high temperatures, electrochemical potential and other environments to examine their effect on the surfaces,” said Assistant Professor Adam Holewinski, the lead principal investigator of a team of five researchers who submitted the proposal to bring the instrument to CU Boulder. “This has turned into a rather unique, customized surface analysis platform with broad applicability.”

The HS-LEIS is currently the only device of its kind in the Rocky Mountain region, and only the second in the U.S. It is also unique in that it is complimented by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system, to which it is physically tethered to perform sequential analysis on samples, as well as its unique complement of electrochemical cells. The platform also allows for interfaces with a glass reaction chamber that can reach temperatures up to 1200 degrees Celsius and handle corrosive and reactive gases.

Massimo Ruzzene, the associate dean for research in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, said materials research is and continues to be a strength of our college and the university as a whole.

“This instrument will be a new cornerstone in that area and my hope is it will spur exciting interdisciplinary research efforts on campus and in the region for years to come,” he said.

The acquisition of the HS-LEIS was made possible through a collaborative effort by a group of materials-focused researchers from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, the Department of Chemistry, the Materials Science and Engineering Program and the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute. In 2019, co-principal investigators Tanja Cuk, Steve George, Adam Holewinski, Mike McGehee and Will Medlin developed a proposal that they submitted to the National Science Foundation, which ultimately funded the creation of the platform.

The HS-LEIS will be accessible to CU Boulder researchers and those in academia and industry. For more information, please contact Adam Holewinski.

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McGehee, Toney and Yin recognized as highly cited researchers

Anonymous — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 16:53:03 +0000

McGehee, Toney and Yin recognized as highly cited researchers Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 11/22/2021 - 09:53

Jonathan Raab

McGehee, Toney and Yin

Three Materials Science and Engineering faculty members were recognized by Clarivate as highly cited researchers this year. Clarivate recognizes "the production of multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year" via their Web of Science platform.

The three faculty recognized were Professor Michael McGehee, Professor Michael Toney and Assistant Professor Xiaobo Yin.

Professor Michael McGehee of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory specializes in perovskite solar cells and dynamic windows with adustable tinting for sustainable energy production and efficiency.

Professor Michael Toney of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering focuses on studying the underlying physics and chemistry of materials for sustainable energy, as well as the social justice implications of clean energy.

Assistant Professor Xiaobo Yin of the Paul M. Rady Mechanical Engineering Department specializes in nanomaterials and metamaterials, synthetic materials with novel properties and mechanic and electronic properties not found in nature.

These researchers were among 17 faculty from CU Boulder recognized this year.

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McGehee named highly cited researcher at NREL

Anonymous — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 16:33:37 +0000

McGehee named highly cited researcher at NREL Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/18/2021 - 09:33

Eight researchers affiliated with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are on this year’s list of Highly Cited Researchers, with many familiar names from the 2020 list.

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McGehee and Smalyukh draw DOE funding for building energy efficiency projects

Anonymous — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:31:18 +0000

McGehee and Smalyukh draw DOE funding for building energy efficiency projects Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/02/2021 - 14:31

Jonathan Raab

Professor Michael McGehee and Professor Ivan Smalyukh are the principal investigators on two Department of Energy-funded projects to improve building technologies and energy efficiency in the built environment. Their projects are among 44 nationwide research projects selected as part of the Building Technologies Office’s competitive Building Energy Efficiency Frontiers & Innovation Technologies funding program.

The projects were selected under the program’s Topic Area 2, Advanced Building Construction category for building envelope research, development and field validation.

Professor Smalyukh is the principal investigator on a project to develop thin-film monolithic mesoporous metamaterials for ultrahigh-efficiency glazing solutions for use on windows with insulating capabilities that meet or exceed that of walls. This will allow buildings to let in natural sunlight during the day without compromising their thermal efficiency.

Professor Michael McGehee is working with his local startup, TYNT Technologies, to develop dynamic windows that feature reversible metal electrodeposition, a process that is less expensive than current manufacturing methods by a significant margin.

The Department of Energy’s investment in building energy efficiency totals nearly $83 million across 44 projects.

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