Previous work in the group characterized a precise ionomer with a sulfonated phenyl group on every 5th carbon as a Nafion-comparable proton conductor. This work shows that customizing the extent of sulfonation can tune properties, most importantly proton conductivity. Please follow the link below to learn more about how the Winey group is contributing valuable fundamental knowledge on the structure and water-uptake capabilities of these proton-conducting polymers and their relevance to sustainable energy efforts as a fluorine-free proton exchange membrane for electrochemical devices. And we are excited that Victoria Lee, an undergraduate in the group is second author of the paper.
Category: Group-News
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Congratulations on a successful thesis proposal, Ben Indeglia!
Ben Indeglia (CBE) successfully defended his thesis proposal exploring catalytic transport in Bipolar Membranes (BPMs). BPMs provide a sustainable source of hydrogen at the heterojunction of two oppositely charged ionomers sandwiching a nanoparticle catalyst layer. The stability and morphology of this system are underexplored, allowing Ben to focus on nanoparticle diffusion and catalyst layer evolution and how this relates to the lifecycle of BPM systems. His committee members are Profs. Tom Mallouk (Chemistry), Aleks Vojvodic (CBE), and John Crocker (CBE).
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Congratulations to our 1st year PhD students, Sam Chen and Will Presson, on passing their qualifying exams!
First-year PhD students Sam Chen (CBE) and Will Presson (MSE) successfully passed their qualifying exams. Sam and Will demonstrated mastery of their first-year coursework and promise as strong researchers. Sam presented his work on characterizing linear ethylene-vinyl alcohol as a potential barrier layer for multilayer packaging. Will presented his work on precise fluorine-free polymer electrolytes for anion exchange membrane applications. We are looking forward to seeing them progress during their PhD studies.
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Ben Indeglia presented a poster at the Electrochemical Society 248th Meeting in Montreal
Ben Indeglia showed preliminary results of interface transport and nanoparticle diffusion in polymer electrolytes at the Electrochemical Society 248th Meeting in Montreal. There, he brought a polymer physics perspective to electrochemical experts, to connect important structure-property relationships to chemical phenomena. He presented a poster, and attended a myriad of seminars and discussions, connected with national and international researchers.
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Work from the PolyUp collaboration published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials!
“Synthesis and Blending of Two Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) Polymers with Mixed 1,2-Diol Stereochemistry”
If plastic waste can be successfully dehydrogenated, countless avenues for polymer functionalization open to re-create and invent high-value plastic products. This work contributes to the PolyUp projects repertoire of possible functionalizations to a model dehydrogenated polyethylene and demonstrates the potential to control the stereochemistry of the pendant groups. Please see the link below to read more about how tuning the stereochemistry of regio-regular diol functionalizations on a polyethylene backbone impact the thermal and morphological properties of a novel plastic. And a shout out to James Votruba-Drzal, an undergraduate in the group during Summer 2024, for being a co-author!
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Group members attended the APS 2025 Global Physics Summit in Anaheim
Five Winey group members attended the American Physical Society’s Joint March Meeting and April Meeting: Global Physics Summit 2025. While at the meeting, Winey group members gave posters (Maggie Brown, Ben Ferko) and talks (Maggie Brown, Will Drayer, Katie Sun, and Karen Winey) at various focus sessions throughout the week. Besides fruitful discussions and networking opportunities, attendees had the chance to explore Anaheim, home of Disneyland.
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Katie Sun’s article published in Macromolecules. Congratulations!
The article is entitled “Gold Nanoparticle Adsorption in Covalently Bonded Weak Polyelectrolyte Brushes”
Sun et al. investigate how variations in molecular weight of homopolymer poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) brushes influence the adsorption of citrate-coated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) under different pH conditions. This study focuses on the advantages of the homopolymer brush architecture, which enables independent control over grafting density via molecular weight, offers simpler fabrication compared to block copolymer (BCP) brushes, and provides greater structural robustness. The authors find that higher molecular weight brushes adsorb more nanoparticles, particularly at low pH when the brushes are swollen. Please follow the link below to read more about how this trend mirrors observations in BCP systems, but with the added benefit of improved brush tunability and stability.
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Congratulations to Dr. Eli Fastow on a successful thesis defense!
Dr. Eli Fastow successfully defended his PhD dissertation titled “Chain and Pendant Architecture Effects in Associating Polyolefins” on February 28, 2025to his committee, Profs. Ling Li (Chair), Bryan Coughlin, Daeyeon Lee, and Chinedum Osuji. Eli was a foundational researcher in the multi-disciplinary collaboration on polymer upcycling (PolyUp). Eli has had a prolific publication record in the Winey group and a reputation for meticulous science. Eli made a lasting impact on the Winey group through his mentorship and friendship and will be much missed. We wish Eli the best in the next step in his scientific career at Dow Chemical, Collegeville, PA.
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Eli Fastow’s article published in Macromolecules
The article is entitled “Impact of Hydroxyl Functionalization and Unsaturation on Linear Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol)”
Previous work in the PolyUp collaboration showed that linear EVOH (LEVOH) can be synthesized using post-polymerization functionalization to get varying alcohol contents that affect the crystallization behavior. This work investigates residual double bonds after functionalization and their impact on the structure and properties of LEVOH. Please follow the link below to read more about how the extent of dehydrogenation and alcohol functionalization allow for a wide range of tunable properties.
And a shout out to James Votruba-Drzal and Vivek Nair, undergraduates in the group during Summer 2024, for being a co-authors! -
Lindsay attended the Grenoble Energy Conversion and Storage Winter School in France!
In late February, Lindsay Jones traveled to France for the grEnoble eNerGy conversIoN & storagE (ENGINE2025) Winter School in Grenoble along with Justin Hughes, a 3rd year PhD student from the Composto lab. They spent 5 days at the Grenoble Institute of Technology learning from some of the top European scientists about both the fundamentals and cutting-edge research surrounding energy storage and conversion. They also had the opportunity to present their work in poster sessions. As part of the winter school, they also visited the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) Neutron Facility and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Helping to coordinate the visit was Winey group collaborator Patrice Rannou.