Speaker: Dr Yue Zhao
Leader of Nanostructured Polymer Materials Project
Department of Advanced Functional Materials Research
Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science
National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan.
Time: 10:00-12:00 AM, March 18, 2024
Venue: Room 346, Building 25, North District
Abstract:
The hierarchical structures of polymer electrolyte membranes for energy conversion and storage devices such as fuel cells and water electrolysis, prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization, were investigated in a length scale of sub- to a hundred-nanometer using the combination of small-angle neutron scattering, atomic force microscopy, and simulations. Towards applying Materials Informatics approach, the structural models were constructed to reveal correlations between multi-level phase-separation structures and properties relating to ion conductivity and mechanical stability, which are the required characteristics for practical fuel cells. In addition, I will briefly introduce the research and applications relating to quantum beam technology in our institute.
About the Speaker
Dr. Yue ZHAO , now is the Leader of Nanostructured Polymer Materials Project, in Department of Advanced Functional Materials Research at Takasaki Institute for Advanced Quantum Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan. She received her B.Sc. and PhD. in chemical physics from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 1997 and 2003, respectively. After two-year postdoctoral research at Kyoto University, she joined Japan Atomic Energy Agency (current QST) as a research fellow in 2006. She was promoted to Principal researcher and Senior Principal Researcher in 2012 and 2017. Since 2022, she has been appointed to be Group Leader of polymer materials. Her current research interests focus on visualizing nanostructures of polymer materials by scattering, simulation, and imaging technologies, and establishing improved design rules for high-performance functional materials through structure-designing and materials informatics.