Welcome to the home page of the Paul Braun Research Group at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Our group members perform research in the fields of materials chemistry, polymers, biomaterials, organic and inorganic self-assembly, electronic materials and photonics.
In the News
Extracting confidence: Braun, Zahiri’s team semifinalists in DOE American-made Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize
At MatSE at Illinois our students are more than problem-solvers, they’re difference-makers in evolving our way of life. Just ask Paul Braun, Beniamin Zahiri and their crew of MatSE at Illinois undergraduate and graduate students who are one of 15 semifinalists in the U.S. Department of Energy’s American-made Geothermal Lithium Extraction Prize.
The MatSE at Illinois team, known as SelectPureLi, is being awarded $40,000 and moving on to phase two of the three-phase competition to further lithium extraction efforts.
Read the full story: https://matse.illinois.edu/news/extracting-confidence-braun-zahiris-team-semifinalists-in-doe-american-made-geothermal-lithium-extraction-prize
Materials Scientists Discover New Method to Manufacture Cathodes for Na Ion Battery
A new study from the Braun Group demonstrates a generalized electrochemical method to grow thick energy dense cathodes for Na ion batteries. This is the first demonstration of electrodeposition of thick ceramic oxide films of importance for sodium-based electrochemical energy storage.
The research team at the University of Illinois includes Materials Science and Engineering Professor Paul V. Braun; P.hD. student Arghya Patra and undergraduate student Jerome Davis III; and collaborators Professor Daniel P. Shoemaker and Professor Jian Min Zuo, along with members of their respective groups. All are researchers in the Materials Research Laboratory.
The new manufacturing method is of interest to both the basic materials science community given the new growth method demonstrated, and companies interested in new
cathodes for sodium-ion based energy storage-in particular, companies interested in grid energy storage. The grown materials exhibit nearly ideal electrochemical properties, and can be grown to thicknesses of relevance for industry.
Read the full story: https://matse.illinois.edu/news/40182
Read the related paper: Electrodeposition of atmosphere-sensitive ternary sodium transition metal oxide films for sodium-based electrochemical energy storage
Solid-state batteries line up for better performance
Solid-state batteries pack a lot of energy into a small space, but their electrodes are not good at keeping in touch with their electrolytes. Liquid electrolytes reach every nook and cranny of an electrode to spark energy, but liquids take up space without storing energy and fail over time. Researchers are now putting solid electrolytes in touch with electrodes made of strategically arranged materials – at the atomic level – and the results are helping drive better solid-state battery technologies.
A new study, led by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign materials science and engineering professor Paul Braun, postdoctoral research associate Beniamin Zahiri, and Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. director of research and development John Cook, demonstrates how control over the atomic alignment of solid materials can improve the cathode-solid electrolyte interface and stability in solid-state batteries. The results are published in the journal Nature Materials.
Read the full story: https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1713475018
Read the full paper: Revealing the role of the cathode–electrolyte interface on solid-state batteries
| Braun Group Recent Publications |
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| A. Patra, J. Davis III, S. Pidaparthy, M. H. Karigerasi, B. Zahiri, A.A. Kulkarni, M.A. Caple, D.P. Shoemaker, J.M. Zuo, P.V. Braun, Electrodeposition of atmosphere-sensitive ternary sodium transition metal oxide films for sodium-based electrochemical energy storage, PNAS, 118, 22, e2025044118 (2021). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025044118 |
| J.G. Kang, H. Jang, J. Ma, Q. Yang, K. Hattar, Z. Diao, R.L. Yuan, J.M. Zuo, S. Sinha, D. Cahill, P. Braun, Ultralow thermal conductivity in nanoporous crystalline Fe3O4, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 125, 12, 6897-6908 (2021). DOI 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c00411 |
| Kollarigowda and P.V. Braun, Direct and Divergent Solid-Phase Synthesis of Azobenzene and Spiropyran Derivatives, Journal of Organic Chemistry, 86, 6, 4391-4397 (2021). DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.0c02375 |
| S. Zeraati, S. Mirkhani, P. Sun, M. Naguib, P.V. Braun and U. Sundararaj, Improved Synthesis of Ti3C2Tx MXene Resulting in Exceptional Electrical Conductivity, High Synthesis Yield, and Enhanced Capacitance, Nanoscale, 13, 3572-3580 (2021). DOI: 10.1039/D0NR06671K |
| T. Yang, P.V. Braun, N. Miljkovic and W.P. King, Phase Change Material Heat Sink for Transient Cooling of High-Power Devices, Journal of Heat and Mass TransferPhase Change Material Heat Sink for Transient Cooling of High-Power Devices, Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 170, 121033 (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2021.121033 |
| Zheng, B. Chen, Y. Xu, N. Fritz, Y. Gurumukhi, J. Cook, M.N. Ates, N. Miljkovic and P.V. Braun, A Gaussian Process-Based Crack Pattern Modeling Approach for Battery Anode Materials Design, Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage, 18, 1, 011011 (2021). DOI: 10.1115/1.4046938 |
| P. Sun, X. Li, J. Shao and P.V. Braun, High‐Performance Packaged 3D Lithium‐Ion Microbatteries Fabricated Using Imprint Lithography, Advanced Materials, 33, 1, 2006229 (2021). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202006229 |
| C.R. Ocier, C.A. Richards, D.A. Bacon-Brown, Q. Ding, R. Kumar, T.J. Garcia, J. van de Groep, J.-H. Song, A.J. Cyphersmith, A. Rhode, A.N. Perry, A.J. Littlefield, J. Zhu, D. Xie, H. Gao, J.F. Messinger, M.L. Brongersma, K.C. Toussaint Jr., L.L. Goddard and P.V. Braun, Direct laser writing of volumetric gradient index lenses and waveguides, Light Science & Applications 9, 196 (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41377-020-00431-3 |