Braun Group Research Summary

Our research program covers a wide range of materials science disciplines, with a general focus on the synthesis and characterization of materials with high degrees of functionality. Often these materials have carefully designed nano and microstructures which lead to the emergence of the desired function. Major recent areas of emphasis have included materials for electrochemical energy storage, advanced optics, polymer science, self-healing materials and the control of heat.

Within the area of electrochemical energy storage, the focus of the Braun group has been creating new synthetic pathways for cathodes and anodes which result in rechargeable batteries with higher power and energy densities, understanding and productively utilizing the complex interplay of chemistry and mechanics in the emerging field of solid-state batteries, and discovering environmentally friendly and energy efficient ways to recycle used rechargeable batteries. The Braun group also has an activity to extract lithium from geothermal brines at very low cost.

Within the optics space, the Braun group is exceedingly interested in the top-down and bottom-up fabrication of 3D structured optics. This includes additive manufacturing routes, such as multiphoton polymerization, colloidal self-assembly, and strategies that use advanced lithographic approaches. Some of the outcomes include 3D waveguide networks, aberration-free microoptics, and photonic crystals.

Polymer science underpins multiple efforts within the group including the design of polymers to significantly reduce polymer thermal conductivities for advanced insulations, polymers with high and variable cross-link densities to control the transport of molecules and ions, and polymers which respond to light and heat by dynamically swelling and contracting and by changing color.

Self-healing materials have been a long area of emphasis for the group. Early work on self-healing coatings has led to more recent studies on biomimetic self-healing strategies, studies that have included everything from self-healing polymers to self-reinforcing soils.

Professor Braun’s sources of research funding include NSF, DOE, DOD, and major corporations.