Month: November 2024

Avinash Dongare Named ASME Fellow

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Avinash Dongare
Dr. Avinash Dongare

by Linda Costa
IMS Written Communications Assistant

Dr. Avinash Dongare, a resident member of the University of Connecticut’s Institute of Material Sciences, has been elected Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).  Dr. Raj Rajendran, Chair of the Executive Materials Division of ASME, surprised Dongare with the nomination.

Dr. Rajendran has known Avinash since 2007 when they met while Dr. Rajendran was serving as Chief Scientist for the Engineering Directorate at the U.S. Army Research Office.  During that time, Dongare was serving as Rajendran’s National Research Council (NRC) Fellow, working on modeling the response of complex molecules and single crystals under shock (high pressure and high strain rate) loading conditions.

“It is clear that Dr. Dongare stands among the most outstanding researchers of his generation,” Dr. Rajendran said of his decision to nominate Dongare. “I am confident his innovative research will continue to earn him well-deserved recognition and accolades from his peers.”

Rajendran also noted Dongare’s dedication to the field, noting that he actively serves the scientific community through his roles with ASME and as a reviewer for several leading journals in his area of expertise.

“His service and leadership underscore his commitment to advancing science and supporting the work of his colleagues,” Dr. Rajendran commented.

Dr. Dongare’s current research involves the development and application of advanced computational methods to investigate the behavior and properties of novel materials across multiple scales.

ASME is a nonprofit organization founded in 1880 to help the engineering community develop solutions to numerous challenges.

Qiaoling Fan from Hohman Group Published in JACS

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Qiaoling Fan
Ph.D. student, Qiaoling Fan, is a member of Professor J. Nathan Hohman’s group

by Linda Costa
IMS Written Communications Assistant

Qiaoling Fan, a member of IMS resident faculty member and Professor of Chemistry, Nathan Hohman’s research group, has been published in JACS (the Journal of the American Chemical Society). Fan is currently a third-year graduate student in inorganic chemistry here at the University of Connecticut.

JACS is a weekly scientific journal published by the American Chemical Society. Published research undergoes a rigorous peer-review process.

Fan’s research, entitled Nucleophilic Displacement Reactions of Silver-Based Metal-Organic Chalcogenolates (MOChas), provides a new synthetic route for the preparation of more elaborate MOChas and heterostructures. Her research has also enabled the preparation of unreachable oligophenyl MOChas which lead to an applicable platform to create complex 2D inorganic phases.

The Hohman Research Group currently includes eight graduate students and one undergraduate student. The group’s research focuses on the design and synthesis of nanomaterials and nanointerfaces for applications, understanding origins of how different structure leads to function in complex materials, and solving synthetic problems. Their work has earned a Department of Energy (DoE) grant to help further their research.

“Working with Dr. Hohman’s group has been fulfilling, both intellectually and creatively,” Fan says. “Collaborating with talented peers in Dr. Hohman’s lab has been a constant learning experience, fostering interdisciplinary thinking and dynamic idea exchanges. What excites me most about our research is its potential real-world impact, particularly in display technology.

Fan earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu, China followed by a master’s in chemistry at East China Normal University in Shanghai, China. She also spent time as a high school chemistry teacher in China.

“Teaching at this level was a unique experience that helped me grow both professionally and personally,” fan recalled. “One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching was watching my students grow and develop a curiosity for chemistry. What I hoped my students would take away from my teaching was not just a set of chemical facts but an appreciation for the scientific process and the world around them.”

Collaborative Research Paves Way for High-Performance Fiber Materials

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Dr. Yao Lin

A research study recently published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) presents a breakthrough in the design of synthetic copolypeptides which mimic the mechanical properties of spider silk.

The study, entitled Synthesis and In Situ Thermal Induction of β-Sheet Nanocrystals in Spider Silk-Inspired Copolypeptides, was conducted in the research lab of IMS resident faculty member and Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Yao Lin, in collaboration with Dr. Jianjun Cheng, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC). Graduate students Tianjian Yang and Jianan Mao (UConn) and Tianrui Xue (UIUC) provided essential contributions to the study.

Leveraging advanced helix-accelerated, ring-opening polymerization techniques, the research team synthesized multiblock copolypeptides, which undergo a transformation into β-sheet nanocrystals upon heating, achieving robust materials with excellent mechanical integrity, tunability, and processability without the need for solvents.

The study also expands upon traditional poly-alanine-based constructs found in natural spider silk by introducing novel β-sheet-forming amino acids, offering new ways to tailor these materials for specific functional applications. This approach is expected to pave the way for next-generation biopolymer and high-performance fiber materials whose properties will include increases in tensile strength, extensibility, processability, and versatility similar to natural spider silk.

Professor Lin’s group studies bio-inspired macromolecules and materials using the techniques of polymer synthesis, macromolecular characterization, physical chemistry, molecular biology and biochemistry as tools.

Visit the JACS site to read the research.