Fall 2025 CEMS Faculty Publications Roundup
Each year, CEMS faculty produce pioneering research across materials science and chemical engineering. Below is a selection of significant publications from the past year, highlighting the breadth of innovation across the department. For each study, we include the full publication title, abstract, and a list of CEMS faculty who contributed to the research, whose expertise and collaboration played a central role in these publications.
Synthetic bottlebrush block copolymer prevents disease onset in Duchenne muscular dystrophy
CEMS Faculty Contributors: Benjamin J. Hackel, Timothy P. Lodge, Frank S. Bates
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal genetic disease of progressive muscle deterioration with no cure. DMD treatment requires a body-wide approach to target all diseased striated muscles: limb, respiratory, and heart. To address this, we focus studies on blocking the onset of muscle membrane instability, the primary defect in DMD, as a promising yet unmet druggable target. Here, data show the remarkable potency of a synthetic poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(propylene oxide) side chain–based bottlebrush block copolymer, ~150,000 times more potent than linear polymers, to rapidly restore contractile function to DMD skeletal muscle fibers in vitro. Strikingly, upon bottlebrush polymer delivery to DMD animals, results show highly efficacious prevention of the onset of skeletal and diaphragm muscle damage and the blocking of stress-induced cardiac injury and death in vivo. These data suggest bottlebrush polymers as a potent stand-alone muscle membrane-stabilizing therapeutic for DMD. Given DMD’s early childhood onset, together with newborn screening for DMD, bottlebrush macromolecules could be envisioned as an early therapy to preserve and protect viable muscle and potentially for other acquired or inherited diseases involving membrane damage.
Read the full publication at PNAS.
Effect of deposit composition and thermal cycling parameters on oxide- and sulfate-induced hot corrosion of CoNiCrAlY HVOF coatings
CEMS Faculty Contributor: David L. Poerschke
Abstract
This work employs burner rig testing to understand the modes of degradation of a CoNiCrAlY coated superalloy under thermo-cyclic service condition upon exposure to oxide, oxide-sulfate and sulfate deposits. The mixed oxide and oxide-sulfate deposits adhered to the Al2O3 TGO without reacting, likely due to the decomposition of sulfates and sequestration of reactive oxides into silicates. In contrast, sulfate-only deposits readily react with the TGO, forming less-protective calcium aluminates for all cycling conditions. While the TGO on the specimen heat treated isothermally remained protective, increased cycling frequency led to reaction product delamination depleting the Al-reservoir and oxidizing other coating elements.
Read the full publication at ScienceDirect.
Limits on Topotactic Transformation Speed in Electrolyte-Gate La0.5Sr0.5CoO3-δ Electrochemical Transistors
CEMS Faculty Contributors: C. Daniel Frisbie, Chris Leighton
Abstract
Voltage-driven electrochemical cycling between fully oxygenated perovskite (P) and oxygen-vacancy-ordered brownmillerite (BM) phases is now well established in electrolyte-gated complex oxides such as perovskite cobaltites (e.g., La0.5Sr0.5CoO3-δ (LSCO)), enabling exceptionally wide-range reversible modulation of electronic, magnetic, thermal, and optical properties. Moving toward applications of such topotactic electrochemical transistors, progress has recently been made with cycling endurance, but the limits on operating speed remain poorly understood. We address this here in ion-gel-gate transistors based on epitaxial LSCO films, using comprehensive source-drain and gate current measurements in both frequency and time domains to assess the impact of gate voltage, side- vs top-gate geometry, and ion gel and LSCO thickness. We first establish how to rigorously define switching times in such transistors, emphasizing the inherent trade-off between ON/OFF ratio and speed. We then show unambiguously that room-temperature switching of these devices is limited by oxygen diffusion in the LSCO, not electric double layer formation in the electrolyte. Under optimized conditions with 10-unit-cell-thick P LSCO films, we thus achieve <1 s to BM formation, ∼40 s to phase-pure BM, and ∼300 s to a 5 × 104 source-drain current ON/OFF ratio, orders of magnitude improved over prior work. These times scales are analyzed in terms of oxygen diffusivities in the P and BM phases of LSCO, highlighting the clear role of the phase transformation and generating critical insight into routes to improved switching speed.
Read the full publication at ACS Publications.
Robust catalyst assessment for the electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction
CEMS Faculty Contributor: Kelsey A. Stoerzinger
Abstract
The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) can enable distributed conversion of waste to ammonia. Unlike the electrocatalytic dinitrogen reduction reaction, measurements of NO3RR often consider a fixed quantity of the nitrate anion in a batch system, presenting unique concerns for measurements of catalytic activity and selectivity. In addition, the sensitivity of kinetics and transport to electrolyte composition—where a diverse range of waste feedstocks are of interest—can have a notable impact on catalyst performance, hindering catalyst comparison. We highlight reaction complexities and advocate best practices for robust measurement of catalyst activity, selectivity, and Faradaic efficiency in this burgeoning field.
Read the full publication at Communications Chemistry.
High-Resolution Roll-to-Roll Additive Patterning of Functional Materials on Large Areas via Topographic Discontinuous Dewetting
CEMS Faculty Contributors: C. Daniel Frisbie, Lorraine F. Francis, Vivian E. Ferry
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) arrays of nanoscale functional materials are essential for the advancement of cutting-edge technologies in optics and photonics, optoelectronics, and sensor systems. Conventional fabrication techniques for these structures, however, are limited by high energy consumption, significant waste, and scalability challenges. To address these issues, we demonstrate a roll-to-roll (R2R) additive nanopatterning process, offering a sustainable and scalable solution for large-area, high-resolution production of 2D metamaterials. Our process combines UV-based R2R nanoimprinting and topographical discontinuous dewetting (TDD) to pattern functional inks with feature sizes down to tens of nanometers over large areas. Central to this method is the use of UV-curable Norland Optical Adhesive (NOA) as the imprintable resin. Although the exact composition of NOA is proprietary, this study reveals its thermally switchable wetting properties, transitioning from a high-surface energy state (γs = 36.6 ± 2.3 mJ m–2) to a low-surface energy state (γs = 16 ± 0.5 mJ m–2) after annealing at 150 °C. This property of NOA enables it to function as an ideal substrate for large-area TDD. During TDD, inks are selectively deposited into the recessed areas of the annealed NOA patterns, while dewetting occurs on the elevated surfaces. The additive nature of this technique significantly reduces ink consumption─requiring only approximately 100 nL for a 10 cm2 substrate in continuous R2R operations─ensuring that almost all of the functional material is utilized effectively. This method accommodates a wide array of functional materials, such as metals, semiconductors, and dielectrics, and allows for control over pattern thickness and multilayer configurations. Focusing on sustainability and scalability, the proposed additive R2R nanopatterning technique enables eco-friendly large-area production of nanoscale functional materials, driving progress in metamaterials, optoelectronics, and other advanced fields.
Read the full publication at ACS Publications.
Selective chemical looping combustion of acetylene in ethylene-rich streams
CEMS Faculty Contributors: Matthew Neurock, K. Andre Mkhoyan, Aditya Bhan
Abstract
The requirement for C2H2 concentrations below 2 parts per million (ppm) in gas streams for C2H4 polymerization necessitates its semihydrogenation to C2H4. We demonstrate selective chemical looping combustion of C2H2 in C2H4-rich streams by Bi2O3 as an alternative catalytic pathway to reduce C2H2 concentration below 2 ppm. Bi2O3 combusts C2H2 with a first-order rate constant that is 3000 times greater than the rate constant for C2H4 combustion. In successive redox cycles, the lattice O of Bi2O3 can be fully replenished without discernible changes in local Bi coordination or C2H2 combustion selectivity. Heterolytic activation of C–H bonds across Bi–O sites and the higher acidity of C2H2 results in lower barriers for C2H2 activation than C2H4, enabling selective catalytic hydrocarbon combustion leveraging differences in molecular deprotonation energies.
Read the full publication at Science.
Piezoresistivity as a Fingerprint of Ferroaxial Transitions
CEMS Faculty Contributor: Turan Birol
Abstract
Recent progress in the understanding of the collective behavior of electrons and ions has revealed new types of ferroic orders beyond ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism, such as the ferroaxial state. The latter retains only rotational symmetry around a single axis and reflection symmetry with respect to a single mirror plane, both of which are set by an emergent electric toroidal dipole moment. Because of this unusual symmetry-breaking pattern, it has been challenging to directly measure the ferroaxial order parameter, despite the increasing attention this state has drawn. Here, we show that off-diagonal components of the piezoresistivity tensor (i.e., the linear change in resistivity under strain) transform the same way as the ferroaxial moments, providing a direct probe of such order parameters. We identify two new proper ferroaxial materials through a materials database search, and use first-principles calculations to evaluate the piezoconductivity of the double-perovskite CaSnF6, revealing its connection to ferroaxial order and to octahedral rotation modes.