M-cube

Welcome to the Materials Modeling and Microscopy (M-cube) group.

Updates (06/10/2022):

• We are currently looking for a postdoc for developing structure-property correlations in chalcogenide materials. The job ad is here: https://psi-k.net/jobs/postdoctoral-position-at-washington-university-in/
• We are looking for 2-3 motivated PhD students to join us in Fall 2022 to work either in the area of functional semiconductors or high-entropy alloys. For more information you can contact Rohan.

Research in M-cube is focused on developing quantitative structure-property correlations in materials for energy applications. In order to do so, we use a synergistic combination of electronic structure calculations and aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). We use the knowledge gained from this combination of theory and microscopy to design and optimize new materials with improved properties or even new functionalities. Some of the materials that we are currently interested in are complex oxides, compound semiconductors, 2D materials, and high entropy alloys for applications such as in electrocatalysis, solar cells, high-power electronics, and high-strength materials.

We use some of the fastest supercomputers, such as Stampede 2 at the Texas Advanced Computing Center, to perform the electronic structure calculations. For the atomic-resolution STEM imaging and spectroscopy, we use some of the most powerful electron microscopes, such as the Nion UltraSTEMs, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We collaborate extensively with materials chemists and electrochemists for synthesis and validation of the materials that we predict using theory and computation, and for subsequent atomic-structure characterization.

News

Research on electrodeposition of metastable phases in Ampersand

December 6, 2022

Jiang’s paper published in JACS on the electrochemical growth of metastable bismuth selenide on non-single-crystalline substrates was featured in WashU’s Ampersand. Congratulations Jiang!

Congratulations Zhaohan!

June 23, 2022

Congratulations to Dr. Zhaohan Zhang on successfully defending her thesis entitled “Design of Multi-Principal Element Materials using a Combination of First-principles Calculations and Materials Informatics”. Zhaohan is the fourth PhD graduate from M-cube. She is the first student in the group to defend their thesis in person. Also, the first graduate from the group to […]

NSF CAREER Award to support work on novel semiconductors

April 10, 2022

We thank the NSF for supporting our group’s work through a CAREER award. The McKelvey School of Engineering wrote a short article on the grant. Read it here: Mishra to develop novel ferroelectric semiconductors with NSF CAREER Award

Research on 2D high-entropy alloys featured in C&EN news

October 17, 2021

John’s research on two-dimensional high entropy alloys of transition metal dichalcogenides was featured in a story on new complex alloys in the C&EN magazine. Read the story here: New complex alloys push the limits of materials If you can’t go through the paywall, you can read it here: ACS Central Science Many thanks to Neil Savage for highlighting our work.

Our work on 2D high entropy alloys is featured by WashU & popular media

July 17, 2021

John’s work on designing 2D high entropy alloys of transition metal dichalcogenides for CO2 reduction that appeared in Advanced Materials was featured in WashU Source, materialstoday, Futurity,  Phys.org and quite a few other popular media outlets. Congratulations John!