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Electrochemically-active materials are at the heart of carbon-neutral energy cycles, as they enable the efficient transformation of electrical energy to and from chemical energy. Understanding design rules that govern material composition, microstructure, and architecture unlocks the rational optimization of technologies such as batteries and fuel cells. Pure electron transfer has been well-studied, but electrochemical reactions in many of these devices involve the simultaneous transfer of electrons as well as ions into the electrodes. The central question unifying the group's research is: “can we understand and engineer ion-insertion reactions at the levels of electrons, ions, molecules, and particles?”

Presently a team of 15+ graduate students and 5+ postdoctoral scholars, the Chueh group aims to establish new design rules to enhance electrochemical functionalities of ion-insertion solids by controlling interfacial electronic structure, crystallography, and defect chemistry. Our bottom-up approach employs novel fabrication and characterization to understand molecular pathways and interfacial structure. We then bridge these fundamentals to electrochemical technologies through rational engineering.