Category Archives: MIT

My research in the news

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Today the MIT News Office has released a story on my phase-field modeling of lithium iron phosphate nanoparticles (LiFePO4), a popular battery material:

Revealing how a battery material works: MIT team uncovers a reason why the hottest new material for rechargeable batteries works so well.

The research appears in papers that we published recently in Nano Letters and ACS Nano. With a combination of analytical analysis and computer simulation, we were able to explain many of the observed properties of LiFePO4 nanoparticles, and offered an explanation for why it is such a good battery material. We came to some interesting realizations about temperature and the interactions between nanoparticles that I hope will encourage experimental investigation and lead to better performing, longer lasting batteries.

Hummingbird

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Ruby throated hummingbird

I found a dazed ruby throated hummingbird on the ground in front of the door to the ChemE department, and nursed it back to health.

Today on the way in the front door at work, I looked down and there was a hummingbird on the ground! I almost stepped on it. It was lying on its side and seemed dazed, so I picked it up and moved it out of the way of traffic. It was a cold morning, so I brought it into the sun to warm up. Another postdoc got some sugar water, and we fed it and had plenty of time to take some great pictures while it recuperated. We suspect that it probably flew into the window. After sitting in the sun for a few hours, it flew away. What a neat experience to hold a hummingbird!