Abstract: Being comprised entirely of charged species, ionic liquids (IL) and molten salts (MS) have dramatically different properties compared to conventional molecular liquids and they provide new and unusual environments to test our understanding  of physical chemistry phenomena. We are interested in how IL and MS properties influence physical and dynamical processes that determine the stability and lifetimes of reactive intermediates and thereby affect the courses of reactions and product distributions, for example in the areas of primary and applied radiation chemistry, radical chemistry and charge transfer reactions. A key issue in IL radiolysis is the competition between the solvation of the  initially-formed excess electrons and the scavenging of electrons in different states of solvation. Pre-solvated electron scavenging is especially significant in ILs because their relatively high viscosities make their solvation dynamics 100-1000x slower than in conventional solvents. The slower relaxation dynamics of ILs make them excellent media for the general study of fundamental radiolysis processes, in combination with BNL’s Laser-Electron Accelerator Facility (LEAF) for picosecond pulse radiolysis studies. With LEAF we can observe the solvation processes of radiolytically- generated excess electrons and compare and contrast them with the mechanisms of pre-solvated electron scavenging. In molten salts, identifying the primary radiolysis products and characterizing their reactivities is important to understand the chemical evolution of the molten salt fuel over the duration of its lifetime in the reactor. Examples will be given of how the composition of the salt determines the identities and reactivities of the primary radiolysis products. The work on molten salts was supported as part of the Molten Salts in Extreme Environments Energy Frontier Research Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. The work on ionic liquids was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences, under contract DE-SC0012704.

Biographical Sketch: James Wishart earned his Bachelors degree in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1979), and his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from Stanford University (1985) (Advisor: Henry Taube, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1983). Dr. Wishart is currently a Senior Chemist in the Chemistry Division of Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he has worked for 32 years. He has been studying the physical chemistry and radiation chemistry of ionic liquids, and recently molten salts, for 18 years. Dr. Wishart is currently the Director of the Molten Salts in Extreme Environments Energy Frontier Research Center. He is the leader of the BNL Accelerator Center for Energy Research (ACER), including the Laser-Electron  Accelerator Facility (LEAF) for picosecond pulse radiolysis, which he also built in the 1990s. In September 2019, he received the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Medal from the Polish Radiation Research Society, for his distinguished achievements in the field of radiation chemistry and long-lasting and productive cooperation with Polish scientists.

Abstract: Electronic and biological systems represent two limiting thermodynamic models in terms of functioning and information processing. By converging the dynamic and self-adaptable features of bio-machinery and the rationally defined/programmed functionalities of electronic components, there is potential to evolve new capabilities to effectively interrogate and direct biologically significant processes, as well as novel bio-inspired systems/device concepts for a range of engineering applications. The intrinsic mismatches in physiochemical properties and signaling modality at biotic/abiotic interfaces, however, have made the seamless integration challenging. In this talk, I will present our recent effort in forging their structural and functional synergy through the design and development of: (1) bio-hybrid electronics, where living transducers, such as functional biomolecules, organelles, or cells, are integrated with electronic transducers using spatially-defined, biocompatible hydrogel as the interfacing material; and (2) biosynthetic electronics, where biogenic electron pathways are utilized to naturally bridge the gap between internal biological and external electrical circuits. Blurring the distinction between livings and non-livings, these efforts have the potential to facilitate the cross-system communication and broadly impact how complex structures/functions may be designed/engineered.

Biographical Sketch: Xiaocheng Jiang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts University. He received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard University with Professor Charles Lieber, with a focus on the design and application of nanoscale materials and nanoelectronic devices. Prior to joining Tufts, he was an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he worked with Prof. Mehmet Toner on functional microfluidics for early cancer diagnostics. His current research concentrates broadly at the interface of materials and biomedical science, with specific interests in bio-inspired/bio-integrable electronics. He is a recipient of NSF CAREER award (2017) and AFOSR young investigator award (2018).

Abstract: The water flow through tidal estuaries create a large source of renewable energy that is highly predictable and close to urban centers, yet mostly untapped in the United States.  This presentation gives an overview of recent efforts to develop a hydrokinetic energy harvesting device well-suited for tidal flows, that is based on the oscillating motion of hydrofoils. Inspired from the flapping flight of birds and bats, an oscillating hydrofoil generates energy through lift generation, which is augmented by a large unsteady leading-edge vortex. This talk will highlight the computational efforts that drove prototype development and will examine the flow physics important for energy capture. It will also discuss the formation and downstream trajectory of the leading-edge vortex, which is important for informing the configuration of oscillating foil arrays. Knowing the path and topology of shed vortices can enable downstream foils to be placed strategically and recapture the kinetic energy of vortices, thus boosting the system efficiency of an oscillating foil array.

Biographical Sketch: Dr. Jennifer Franck is an expert in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and is interested in unsteady flow phenomena and flow control of turbulent flows.  She is currently an Assistant Professor in Engineering Physics at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to moving to Madison, she was on the faculty at Brown University’s School of Engineering for seven years where she won numerous teaching and advising awards.  She received her undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from University of Virginia, followed by a M.S. and Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology. She was awarded an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship to computationally explore flapping flight mechanisms at Brown University from 2009-2011. Dr. Franck is currently interested in problems related to renewable energy, including wind and tidal energy applications.