2D Materials: From Innovative Chemistry to Novel Applications

Dr. Kristie J. Koski

Assistant Professor

Department of Chemistry

Brown University

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as layered chalcogenides, graphene, and oxides, are an exciting new class of materials with extraordinary physical and chemical behaviors. These high-performance materials have the poten-tial to enable an entire fleet of new technological applications ranging from electronics to photonics. To realize this potential requires (i) the synthesis of novel, high-quality 2D materials, (ii) a broad spectrum of chemical modi-fication techniques, and (iii) a thorough understanding of how these modifications control the material physics. In this presentation, I will show new synthetic growth methods to create high-quality 2D chalcogenide materials in-cluding a new semiconductor, Si2Te3. I will present a novel chemical method to reversibly intercalate and deinter-calate high concentrations of multiple, zero-valent atoms into layered materials. The zero-valent nature of the intercalant species allows for high-density intercalation of metal atoms (Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, In, Ni, and Sn) effec-tively doubling the number of atoms of the material. This method achieves novel physics such as sliding charge density waves and modified phononic behaviors. Finally, I will show how this work advances opto-electronic ap-plication such as color-changing Smart Materials.

Biography:

Dr. Kristie Koski graduated from the University of Wyoming in 2002 with a B.S. in Physics and a second B.S. in Chemistry. She attended graduate school at the University of California: Berkeley in Physical Chemistry working with Dr. Paul Alivisatos. She did a short postdoc at Arizona State University measuring mechanical properties of spider silk and then moved on to a postdoctoral at Stanford University in Materials Science and Engineering with Professor Yi Cui. Dr. Koski has received the NSF CAREER Award and is funded by the Office of Naval Research. When not doing science, Professor Koski is an adrenaline junky known for surfing massive waves, rock-climbing, and driving her over-powered muscle car way too fast.