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Creating Energy Solutions through Fundamental Physical Chemistry and Frugal Innovations

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Bio

This is me

My research focuses on accessing metastable states through utilizing physical chemistry and thermodynamics to create frugal, energy-efficient pathways for materials processing. I strongly believe that the tunnels of fundamental and applied sciences head toward the same direction, all we need to do is to link the parallels.

Key Publications

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Fundamental Science demands  Knowledge 
whilst Applied Sciences encourages  
Creativity  for innovations. Combining both can yield something beautiful.

Education

PhD – Materials Science                                                                                                                    Fall 2020

Iowa State University - Ames, Iowa                

  • Chemical potential driven stabilization of undercooled metal particles

  • Heat-free processing of metallic conductive interconnects

  • Composition inversion and texture tuning of liquid metal surfaces

  • Metastable photon driven phase transition

BS – Materials Engineering                                                                                                       Spring  2017

Iowa State University - Ames, Iowa                                                           

  • GPA: 3.6/4.0

  • Undercooled metal synthesis and processing

Education
Work Experience

Postdoctoral Scholar - North Carolina State University

Feb 2023 - Current

  • Currently researching the manipulation of thermodynamic energy landscape for low-energy materials processing.

Postdoctoral Scholar - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Jan 2021 - Jan 2023

  • Developed optimal processing conditions through materials level characterization for thermochemical heat storage in buildings.

  • Worked with industry partners and other national lab collaborators to advance stable TCM-based reactors.

  • Mentored two undergraduate interns in the development of electro- and elastocaloric materials for building heating/cooling.

Process Development Intern - SAFI-Tech Inc.

May-Aug 2017, May-Aug 2018

  • Assist the development in SAFI-Tech’s liquid metal technology, achieved highest undercooling level of respective material using chemistry principles and material handling. 

  • Developed research methods, production scale-up and application strategies for the respective liquid metal technology. Improved material synthesis method to synthesize five times higher yield from previous method for larger scale demands.

Instructor for MatE 216L - Iowa State University

Jan-May 2019

  • Instructed a class of second-year materials engineering students in an introductory course to materials science consisting ceramic, polymeric, electronic and magnetic materials.

  • Designed course objectives and laboratory procedures to familiarize students with materials analysis processes and instruments as well as its underlying fundamentals and theory.

  • 4.5/5 Evaluation score (31 students)

SMMT Group Manager - Iowa State University

Jan 2019 - Jan 2021

  • Assisted the principal investigator as the senior graduate student in co-managing the research group. Became the first contact point for junior undergraduate student inquiries, lab safety, lab inventory, group event management and public relations

  • Mentored junior graduate students with experimental designs, science communications and nurturing collaborative group dynamics

  • Recruited motivated undergraduate students interested in earning research experience

Undergraduate Research Mentor - Iowa State University

Jan 2019 - Jan 2021

  • Mentored undergraduate student in the research lab to develop independent research skills and experiment design experience.

Peer Mentor - Iowa State University

Aug 2015 - May 2016​

  • Served as a mentor and tutor for general engineering courses such as calculus, chemistry, physics and engineering classes.

Work and Teaching Experience

Select

Publications

  1. A. Martin, M. Thuo. “Beyond Hume-Rothery Rules” 2023. Accounts of Materials Research. doi: 10.1021/accountsmr.3c00126 (Cover Article)

  2. A. Martin, B. Chang, J. Cutinho, L. Shen, E. Cochran, M. Thuo. “Passivation-Driven Speciation, Dealloying and Purification” 2021. Materials Horizons. doi: 10.1039/D0MH01832E (Cover Article)

  3. A. Martin, B. Chang, A. M. Pauls,* C. Du, M. Thuo. “Frustrating Phase Transition through Asymmetry in Surface Works” 2021. Angewandte Chemie. doi:10.1002/anie.202013489 (Cover Article)

  4. A. Martin, C. Du, B. Chang, M. Thuo. “Complexity and Opportunities in Liquid Metal Surface Oxides” 2020. Chemistry of Materials. doi: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.0c02047 (Cover Article)

  5. A. Martin, C. Du, A. M. Pauls, T. Ward, M. Thuo. “Printing Conformal Conductive Traces on Non-Adhering Biological Substrates.” 2020. Advanced Materials Interfaces. doi: 10.1002/admi.202001294 (Cover Article)

  6. B. Chang, A. Martin, B. Thomas, A. Li, R. W. Dorn, J. Gong, A. Rossini, M. Thuo. “Synthesis of Interface-Driven Tunable Bandgap Metal Oxides." 2020. ACS Materials Letters. doi: 10.1021/acsmaterialslett.0c00251 (Cover Article)

  7. J. J. Chang, A. Martin, C. Du, A. M. Pauls, M. Thuo. “Heat-Free Biomimetic Metal Molding on Soft Substrates.” 2020. Angewandte Chemie. doi: 10.1002/anie.202008621​ (Frontispiece)

  8. A. Martin, W. Kiarie, B. Chang, M. Thuo. “Chameleon Metals: Autonomous Nano‐Texturing and Composition Inversion on Liquid Metals Surfaces.” 2019. Angewandte Chemie. doi: 10.1002/anie.201912639 (Cover Article)

  9. A. Martin, B. Chang, Z. Martin, D. Paramanik, C. Frankiewicz, S. Kundu, I. D. Tevis, M. Thuo. “Heat‐Free Fabrication of Metallic Interconnects for Flexible/Wearable Devices.” 2019. Advanced Functional Materials. doi: 10.1002/adfm.201903687 (Cover Article)

  10. J. Cutinho, B. Chang, S. Oyola-Reynoso, J. Chen, S. S. Akhter, I. D. Tevis, N. J. Bello, A. Martin, M. Foster, M. Thuo. “Autonomous Thermal-Oxidative Composition Inversion and Texture Tuning of Liquid Metal Surfaces.” 2018. ACSNano. 12, 4744−4753. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b01438

More publications here.

Publications

Excellence in Mentoring Award

LSAMP IINSPIRE Program, Spring 2021

Research Excellence Award

Iowa State University Graduate College, Fall 2020

 

Karl Gschneider Go for Gold Award

Iowa State University Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fall 2020

 

GPSS Research Excellence Award

Iowa State University GPSS, Spring 2020

Best Oral Presentation Award

GPSRC Conference, Spring 2019

Best Poster Presentation Award

NANO@IAState Conference, Summer 2018

Best Oral Presentation Award

GPSRC Conference, Spring 2018

College of Engineering Dean's List

Iowa State University College of Engineering, Fall 2013 - Spring 2017

Above and Beyond Award

Iowa State University Division of Student Affairs, Spring 2015

Awards and Honors

Awards
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