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33 MASSACHUSETTS AVE, Cambridge, MA 02139

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Synchrotron X-ray Microscopy and Multimodal Characterization of Energy and Functional Materials

 

 Friday 10/25, 3:30pm, 3-270

 

 Karen Chen-Wiegart

 

Associate Professor

Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering

Stony Brook University

Joint Appointment, National Synchrotron Light Source II,

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT

 

 

 

Abstract: 

Advancements in energy and functional materials are essential for addressing challenges in energy storage, conversion, and sustainability. The ability to characterize these materials under processing or operational conditions is crucial for understanding their processing-structure-property relationships and for further innovating new materials or processing designs. This seminar will explore the use of synchrotron X-ray imaging, tomography, and multimodal characterization techniques to investigate the dynamic behaviors and kinetics of energy materials and nanostructures. Examples highlighting key energy applications, such as batteries, molten salts, and dealloyed materials, as well as other functional materials, will be discussed. This talk will illustrate the potential of advanced synchrotron techniques in gaining fundamental understanding and enabling the design of next-generation energy materials. 

Biography: 

Prof. Karen Chen-Wiegart applies state-of-the-art x-ray techniques to study novel functional materials. Her current research interests encompass a range of energy materials, including batteries, molten salts, and thermal energy storage materials, as well as nano-/meso-porous materials and 3D printing/additive manufacturing. She holds a joint appointment at the National Synchrotron Light Source – II (NSLS-II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), where her group conducts a wide variety of experiments.

Karen earned her BS from National Taiwan University and her PhD from Northwestern University, where she focused on the dealloying and coarsening behaviors of nanoporous metals using synchrotron x-ray nano-tomography, funded by the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory. She completed her postdoctoral research at the Transmission X-ray Microscopy beamline at NSLS and later became a beamline scientist at the Sub-Micron Resolution X-ray Spectroscopy (SRX) Beamline of NSLS-II. Additionally, Karen and her group are actively involved in educational and outreach activities at NSLS-II and beyond.

Through a collaborative MURI project with Prof. George Barbastathis and Prof. Yang Shao-Horn, Karen is currently on sabbatical at MIT for the Fall 2024 semester. She looks forward to engaging with the broader research community and fostering new collaborations through this remarkable opportunity.

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