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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Department of Chemical Engineering
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260202T130000
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DTSTAMP:20260421T094907
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SUMMARY:ChE PhD Dissertation Defense: Eric Zimmerer
DESCRIPTION:Name:\nEric Zimmerer \nTitle:\nRechargeable alkaline Zn-MnO₂ batteries for grid-scale energy storage \nDate:\n02/02/2026 \nTime:\n1:00:00 PM \nCommittee Members:\nProf. Joshua Gallaway (Advisor)\nProf. Hannah Sayre\nLu Ma\nProf. Magda Barecka \nLocation:\n333 Curry Student Center \nAbstract:\nGrid-scale batteries enable the integration of renewable energy from intermittent sources and level demand on power plants\, but recent installations have been almost exclusively lithium-ion. Aqueous batteries\, such as the ubiquitous primary alkaline Zn-MnO₂ battery\, are free from the flammability\, toxicity\, and supply chain concerns that surround lithium. Rechargeable alkaline Zn-MnO₂ batteries currently rely on a low depth of discharge (DOD) of both the MnO₂ cathode and Zn anode\, however\, worsening their economics. \nDetailed in this work are developments to the mechanistic understanding and electrochemical performance of rechargeable alkaline MnO₂ cathodes cycling their full capacity of two electrons per Mn atom. During cycling the cathode undergoes intercalation and dissolution-precipitation type reactions involving disordered species\, making characterization difficult. Furthermore\, MnO₂ cathodes need to be modified with Bi to cycle reversibly\, but the mechanism through which Bi makes MnO₂ rechargeable is not well defined. \nAn interfacial region of disordered β-MnOOH is identified for the first time and found to be stabilized by Bi using operando extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and post-mortem selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Furthermore\, irreversible Mn₃O₄ formation is proven not to occur in Bi-modified alkaline MnO₂ electrodes using in-situ Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD). An alternative degradation mechanism is investigated through characterization of Bi-doped MnO₂. Finally\, a cell with decoupled catholyte and anolyte is designed to prevent zinc poisoning of the MnO₂ cathode. \n\nEric Zimmerer is a member of the Analysis of Complex Electrochemical Systems (ACES) lab led by advisor Professor Joshua Gallaway. In February 2026\, Eric will defend his Ph.D. thesis on the development of low-cost and sustainable batteries for grid-scale energy storage. While at Northeastern\, Eric served as lab safety officer\, treasurer for the Graduate Student Council\, and a mentor for undergraduate researchers. During his time at Northeastern\, Eric specialized in the development and characterization of aqueous battery chemistries. Specifically\, he used synchrotron characterization techniques\, performed at Brookhaven and Argonne National Laboratories to characterize disordered structures present during battery cycling and to characterize the materials inside of sealed batteries under compression. After graduating\, Eric hopes to work in battery research in the San Francisco Bay Area.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/che-phd-dissertation-defense-eric-zimmerer/
LOCATION:333 CSC\, 360 Huntington Ave\, 333 CSC\, Boston\, MA\, 02115\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260204T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260204T130000
DTSTAMP:20260421T094907
CREATED:20260128T212540Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260128T212540Z
UID:5925-1770206400-1770210000@che.northeastern.edu
SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Wilson Wong
DESCRIPTION:Engineering Vaccines\, Cell and Gene Therapies Using Synthetic Biology  \nLocation: 300 Richards Hall \nAbstract: In this seminar\, I will share with you some of the work that my trainees and colleagues have done on using synthetic biology in various areas\, such as foundational circuit engineering\, cellular immunotherapy\, and vaccines. I will discuss our work on improving the specificity and safety of CART cell therapy against cancer using synthetic biology and biomaterials. I will also share our recent discovery on engineering self-amplifying RNA with reduced innate immune response and improved protein expression\, leading to a highly potent COVID-19 vaccine as demonstrated in a lethal live virus challenge in mice. \n\nDr. Wilson Wong is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering and an Allen Distinguished Investigator at Boston University. He is an expert in immune cell engineering and synthetic biology for therapeutic applications. Dr. Wong’s research has been published in numerous high-impact journals\, including Nature\, Nature Biotechnology\, Cell\, and PNAS. Dr. Wong has been recognized with multiple academic career awards\, including membership in the AIMBE\, NIH New Innovator Award\, the ACS Synthetic Biology Young Investigator Award\, the NSF CAREER Award\, and the Allen Distinguished Investigator Award. He has co-founded three companies\, with one in the clinical stage. Dr. Wong has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of California\, Berkeley\, and a PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of California\, Los Angeles. Dr. Wong completed his postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Professor Wendell Lim at the University of California\, San Francisco.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-wilson-wong/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260218T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260218T130000
DTSTAMP:20260421T094907
CREATED:20260210T210538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T210639Z
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SUMMARY:Chemical Engineering Spring Seminar Series: Randall Erb
DESCRIPTION:Realizing emergent properties in functional composite from directed assembly at the micro-scale \nLocation: 108 Snell Engineering Center \nAbstract: In this talk\, I will present my lab’s recent work on directing the assembly of nano- and micron- scale colloidal ceramic particles within composite materials. Through our approach\, we are able to tailor the internal microstructure of composite materials and drive meaningful changes to extrinsic properties ranging from mechanical to thermal. In the mechanical realm\, fiber orientation is a dominate factor in anisotropic property outcomes. We leverage colloidal forces ranging from shear alignment to magnetic alignment to control particle orientation. We have determined routes for applying these colloidal forces in situ to additive manufacturing. In this way\, we can construct objects that have control over complexity from the macroscale down to the micron scale. We highlight examples from bioinspired structures to theory-inspired structures to hinder crack propagation and substantially increase fracture toughness. Within the thermal realm\, we have investigated routes for controlling particle percolation pathways within thermal composites to program thermal conductivity pathways within manufactured materials. We have also pushed the limits of percolation through both volume fraction and post-sintering processes. During these studies we’ve stumbled across a new family of ceramics that are thermoformable (similar to metals and plastics). This thermoformability is reliant on the underlying microstructure which can be set into the ceramic material with new additive manufacturing processes developed in our lab. \n\nRandy Erb is a Full Professor and Associate Chair of Research of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Head of the DAPS Laboratory and the RF and Thermal Laboratory at Northeastern University. Randy’s research group focuses on multiscale synthesis and characterization of functional composite materials to impact diverse fields from structural composites to energy storage to thermal management. Randy’s research group has developed new forms of AM including 3D magnetic printing\, 3D mineralization printing\, and vibration-assisted\, tape-casting DLP printing. He has received a Northeastern Translation award for converting fundamental scientific breakthroughs into successful companies. Randy has co-authored ~50 journal publications\, is co-inventor on 18 pending or issued patents\, and is a co-founder of Fortify\, Boston Materials\, and Fourier.
URL:https://che.northeastern.edu/event/chemical-engineering-spring-seminar-series-randall-erb/
LOCATION:108 SN
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