Affiliation: University of South Carolina
Research: www.stefikgroup.com
Abstract: Few aspects are as prevalent and important to energy conversion and storage as the dimension control of porous nanomaterial architectures. The study of nanostructure-dependent electrochemical behavior, however, has been broadly limited by access to well-defined nanomaterials with independent control over the pore and wall dimensions. This historic limitation is partially due to reliance upon dynamic self-assembly processes that progress towards equilibrium. We have developed a kinetically controlled micelle approach as a new nanofabrication tool kit.1-5 Kinetic control is historically difficult to reproduce, a challenge that we have resolved, in part with switchable micelle entrapment6-7 to yield reproducible and homogeneous nanomaterial series that follow model predictions. This approach enables seamless access from meso-to-macroporous materials with unprecedented ~2 Å precision of tuning, commensurate with the underlying atomic dimensions. This precision and independent control of architectures also opens new opportunities for nano-optimized devices.
Bio: Morgan Stefik obtained a B.E. in Materials Engineering from Cal Poly SLO in 2005 and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from Cornell University in 2010. After postdoctoral research at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, he joined the University of South Carolina in 2013 in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He was awarded an NSF-CAREER in 2018 and is the founding director of the South Carolina SAXS Collaborative. He was highlighted as a “rising star of materials chemistry” by RSC in 2017, was recognized as a Breakthrough Star by USC in 2018, and was elected to the council of the International Mesostructured Materials Association in 2018. Most recently, he was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2019.