Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Physical Chemistry Seminar Series

Ken Halvorsen, University at Albany
April 1, 2024
2:00pm in Tykeson 140
Hosted by: Julia Widom

“Pulling On Individual Biomolecules with Centrifugal Force”

Probing individual biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids with force continues to shape our understanding of how biological molecules stretch, deform, move, reconfigure, and interact with each other. However, such experiments can be technically challenging, tedious, and costly. Here, I will discuss the conception, design, and continued development of the centrifuge force microscope (CFM), an instrument designed to increase the throughput and the accessibility of single-molecule experiments. I will then dive into applications and uses of the CFM, focusing on a recent study in my lab measuring individual stacking energies between bases in DNA and RNA.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar Series

Professor Niya Sa, University of Massachusetts
February 29th ~ 3:00 pm, 125 McKenzie Hall
Hosted by Paul Kempler

Probe the Dynamic Interfaces of Beyond Lithium-ion Energy Storage Systems

Rapid growth of technology in the past few decades has spurred a demand for advanced energy storage devices. The invention of a more advanced battery system with higher levels of performance will be a groundbreaking discovery in the rechargeable battery field. Multivalent chemistry offers promising benefits in the development of beyond lithium-ion technologies. The direct usage of the multivalent metal anode is essential to enhance the energy density of the multivalent ion battery. For instance, Magnesium, Calcium and Zinc offer an immense alternative to the existing Li-ion batteries due to their multivalent nature and vast abundance in the Earth’s crust. However, possible film formation at the solid/liquid interface complicates the electrochemical properties of such systems. The least understood solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), its formation and dynamic evolution has not been extensively explored for multivalent battery systems with many unknowns remain to be answered. We aim to use electroanalytical tools to probe the dynamic evolution of the solid electrolyte interface in-situ for multivalent systems and investigate its correlation with the electrochemical processes. This presentation focuses on some very recent research findings from our team for understanding the interfacial chemistry, evolution, and stability for different multivalent battery systems.