science on tap
Last week Arya and Christina talked about Making Materials in a local bar. Fun and interesting night!
New ASU group photo
It was about time!
left to right: Jordan, Suneet, Christina, Rose, Arya, Joshi
Dr. rose snyder
Rose successfully defended her PhD project. She pushed the science of V-MXenes developing a reliable exfoliation and delamination protocol for V2AlC and making new Mo-containing MXenes and testing them as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction.
Our latest Publication
...shows how we tackle the challenge of temperature measurements during microwave heating. We use Raman thermometry to estimate temperatures based on how peak positions change during heating/cooling. Congratulations, John!
New germany group Photo
Almost all of us met on campus today, which was the perfect occasion to take a new group photo.
left to right: Marius, Niels, Sanja, (Eduard) Christina, Pedram, Linus, Isabel (missing: Tom)
fantastic group talks
Double treat today! Pedram gave his Bachelor-Thesis talk and Sanja told us about her summer research project. Both have achieved impressive results and presented a wide array of synthesis techniques and materials classes (MAX phases, MAB phases, antiperovskites).
Christina's double talk
Christina gave two invited talks at the Materials Science & Technology conference in Pittsburgh this week. One talk was included in the Symposium in honor of Prof. Michel Barsoum's upcoming 70th birthday.
It was great to connect with colleagues and friends!
Welcome Linus
A warm welcome to Linus who is doing his Bachelor-Thesis in our group at TU Darmstadt. He will work with Isabel on the synthesis of carbonitride MAX phases.
christina visits uw-madison
Christina was invited to give the Inorganic Chemistry Seminar at UW-Madison this week. What a privilege to share the group's work! It was a full day with many meetings with faculty and students, great scientific discussions and an excellent dinner with a phenomenal view.
Fun article
We wrote a short perspective article on microwave heating for the synthesis of solids for the "Blickpunkt Anorganik" section of the Nachrichten der Chemie. PDF here.
Two more perspective articles coming, stay tuuuuuuuned.
Only in German, unfortunately.
CMCEE14
A successful and fun conference summer is coming to an end. Christina and Niels gave a talk at the 14th International Conference on Ceramic Materials and Components for Energy and Environmental Applications in Budapest, Hungary, and Isabel presented a poster. What a great conference that was excellently organized, and a great city to explore!
Our latest publication
...is not on MAX phases, say what!? Congratulations, John and Rylee, who led this study. We show the microwave synthesis of layered oxides NaxCoO2 and the in situ characterization of the formation process by Raman spectroscopy. Together with the Mu group at ASU we discuss their performance as cathodes in sodium-ion batteries.
Christina appointed as Navrotsky Professor of Materials Research
This is a great honor for our group. With the support of this position, we will be able to advance our in situ Raman spectroscopy instrument that enables monitoring chemical transformations, intermediate species and reaction pathways. This strongly supports the syntheses of new materials.
Check out this news story for more information.
Vaibhav @ MXene conference
This week, Vaibhav represented the group at the 3rd International Conference on MXenes at their birthplace (Drexel University). He showed his work on molten salt etching of MAX phases/MXenes and ideas how to facilitate this by in situ Raman spectroscopy.
welcome pedram
We welcome Pedram to the group who will work on his Bachelor Thesis project at TU Darmstadt. We also say hello to a new glovebox that will enable some great new syntheses!
Farewell brunch
We celebrated Lin-Lin's and John's successes who are leaving the group after a successful summer research experience (Lin-Lin) and PhD journey (John).
We will miss you!
Seshadri family
...as seen and experienced at the GRC 2024.
GRC 2024
My favorite conference and I got to introduce Niels and Jordan to this amazing community. Gordon Research Conference Solid State Chemistry has been my core scientific family for many years and I have not missed a conference since 2008. The talks were amazing and inspiring and spending time with colleagues and dear friends was priceless!
The poster session was truly engaging and we developed many new ideas and made new connections.
Lin-Lin's infographic
Our REU student Lin-Lin presented her research results during the REU program Infographic conference at ASU. She has worked on two projects involving solid-state and sol gel-assisted syntheses of MAX phases. Great job, Lin-Lin!
poster and talk @ICM
Our PostDoc Niels presented a poster on antiperovskite Mn3GaC at the International Conference on Magnetism (ICM 2024). Christina gave a talk on the group's journey towards magnetic MAX phases.
Dr. John jamboretz
John defended his PhD thesis on building a Raman spectroscopy setup for monitoring reactions under different heating conditions (microwave and furnace) and using this system to study the formation of layered oxides. Congratulations, John!!!
Congratulations, Michael
...for a well-defended Masters Thesis!
Michael worked on a new A-site solid solution of MAX phases. Great job!
welcome lin-lin
We are happy to host Lin-Lin as part of our REU program at ASU this summer. Lin-Lin is working with Suneet on MAX phase synthesis and has been learning so quickly that she is now also supporting Jordan with his sol-gel chemistry projects.
Welcome Tom and Marius
We are happy to welcome Tom and Marius into our group. Both are undergraduate students who will support our team at TU Darmstadt.
Our latest publication
Double Whammy by Jordan, congratulations! In this publication, we show how we can make composite MAX phase microspheres with high surface area.
Nice collaboration with the Seo group at ASU.
Our latest cover art
Check out our Back Cover Art designed by Niels.
It accompanies his latest publication in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C.
Our latest publication
Sol-gel chemistry is complex! Using a combination of diffraction, spectroscopy, and thermal analysis techniques, we unravel the formation of V2PC by identifying amorphous and crystalline intermediate species. Congratulations, Jordan!
hello summer
We are celebrating the end of this Semester with a groups party and the ASU graduation ceremony!
Let's have a great summer!
Spring MRS
Christina gives an invited talk at the Spring MRS in Seattle in the MXene/2D Materials Symposium. Great time being with friends and colleagues and making new connections.
Two in one week
We got another publication accepted (sometimes the stars align). This one covers a new carbonitride MAX phase (Cr2GaC/N) and we show that the magnetic properties can be changed depending on the nitrogen content. Great collaboration with our friends within the CRC Hommage. Congratulations, Niels!
Latest Group publication
Our latest publication is on the Mo-Ga-C system. We show that MAX phase Mo2GaC can be prepared from Mo2Ga2C which is a unique MAX-like compound. The Ga content can further be reduced without full exfoliation by replacing it with Cu. Congratulations, Carina and Niels, who led this study.
Awards for Birkel group members
A few members of our group won awards and we are so proud of them!
Rose won the Teaching Excellence Award by the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA). Suneet and Arya each won the SMS Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award. And undergraduate student Rylee won the Dean's Medal.
Congratulations!!!
Rose @ACS
Rose presented her work at the Spring ACS Meeting in New Orleans.
Isabel visits AZ
Isabel visited the AZ team for the first time. She had a great 3 weeks here and of course we celebrate with a group hike and BBQ!
Christina visits UC Davis
...and gives the Chemistry Seminar. Thank you, Susan, for hosting and it was wonderful to learn about the exciting science done there.
three group talks @Icacc
The Birkel group was going strong at the 48th International Conference and Expo on Advanced Ceramics and Composites. Niels gave an excellent talk on carbonitrides, and Christina got to give two presentations covering different aspects of the group's work.
MaterialZ Winter school
We ran the very first MateriAlZ Winter School held at Biosphere 2, AZ. We hosted 23 undergraduate students from all over the US teaching about and discussing materials science topics, grad school and more.
Latest group publication
...is on an entirely new carbonitride and an unexplored nitride MAX phase. We collaborate with the group of Oliver Gutfleisch on the magnetic and electronic properties showing that the behavior is dependent on the C/N ratio in the V-Ge-C-N system.
Congratulations, Niels!
January 2024
Arizonaversary
We are celebrating 5 years Birkel Lab @ASU.
Time flies!!!
Dr. Niels Kubitza
12/11/2023 Niels defended his PhD thesis at TU Darmstadt with summa cum laude! He gave a fantastic talk and convinced all four committee members. Great job, Niels!
It was wonderful to see so many current and former group members!
Christina talks at the MRS
Christina gave a talk in the MXene Symposium at the 2023 Fall MRS conference in Boston. Full room, thanks to Yury's talk in the same session :), and as always a great time seeing collaborators and friends.
groups get together
A hike, burgers, a bonfire, a Niels with a guitar and musical add-ons by Ada for an early Thanksgiving-Holiday-Birkel-Sayres group get together. Good times!!
Welcome to the team
We welcome Joshi to the team at ASU! Joshi will work on MXenes and will also be taking over the Raman instrument. We are happy to have you!
New team photo
left-to-right: Joshi, John, Rose, Michael, Christina, Suneet, Niels, Arya, Jordan
Missing: Isabel, Rylee, Sanja
Welcome to the team
Isabel officially started her PhD in our group at TU Darmstadt. We are excited to have her join the team, and hopefully visit Arizona soon! Isabel will work on the DFG-funded project on magnetic 2D MXenes.
Mini group hike
It was National Science Day and we celebrated with donuts and a mini group hike around Papago Park.
Niels is visiting
We went for a happy lunch to celebrate Niels visiting us from TU Darmstadt for 2 weeks!
Latest group publication
This one is not a MAX phase! It highlights the power of sol gel-based syntheses and how the ingredients of the gel influence the magnetic properties of the antiperovskite Mn3GaC.
Congratulations, Niels!
Talk at Mines
Christina was invited to give a talk in the Chemistry Department at the Colorado School of Mines. It was a fun two days meeting old and new friends, discussing with students and hiking mountains.
Rose and Rylee present a poster at the Western Coatings Symposium
Grad student Rose and undergraduate student Rylee had the opportunity to present their work at the Western Coatings Symposium. Well done!
Two group talks @ECOSS36
Niels and I presented at the 36th European Conference on Surface Science that took place in Lodz, Poland, this week. It was fun to connect with other researchers interested in MAX phases and MXenes. And great job, Niels!
Isabel defends Master
Time flies! This week Isabel gave her Master talk at TU Darmstadt, and defended her Master thesis. Great job and we are excited to have you start your PhD project this fall!
Rose's poster @NASSCC
It is early August and the North American Solid State Chemistry Conference is underway!
Rose is representing the group and presenting her work titled "Structural Analysis of the MAX phase (Mo0.75V0.25)5AlC4 and its MXene (Mo0.75V0.25)5C4Tx"
Latest Group Review
Who needs another review on MAX phases and MXenes? We do! And we did! We focus on the synthesis science and more exotic members of these two families and also discuss MAB phases.
Check it out!
Open access thanks to TU Darmstadt!
Last REU week
10 weeks REU program flew by! Last week, Lauren presented her infographic on the work she has done in the group. Excellent job, Lauren, we will miss you!
Niels' talk @ECerS
In July Niels represented the group at the Conference of the European Ceramics Society in Lyon, France. He gave an excellent talk
"Wet-chemical assisted synthesis of nitride and carbonitride MAX phases".
Rose's 1st first-author paper
Huge collaborative effort with fantastic scientists at NIST, UCL (UK) and the Diamond Light Source (GER). We study the structure of an interesting "514" MAX phase, exfoliate it with different etchants and look at the electrocatalytic behavior of its 2D sibling. Congratulations, Rose!
Welcome Lauren
Meet Lauren Driggers who joined our group for the 10-week REU program in Sustainable Chemistry and Catalysis. We are excited to have you, Lauren!!
Christina gets tenure
The good news hit the group on May 5th, 2023.
Here is what Christina has to say:
"Thinking about what got me to this moment in my life... Parents that raised me believing that I can achieve anything in life, friends that made studying and lab work at the University of Mainz fun, supportive advisors that opened doors for me and walking through them even when it was scary, making life-long connections and friendships at UCSB, seizing every opportunity to travel and live in a different country, including time at Seoul National University, endless support from family when the boys were little and I thought about quitting more times than I can count, a dedicated team that makes coming into work fun and easy and students that trust me to be a part of their own journey, many colleagues at ASU that have believed in me and gave me space to grow, and the humans closest to me, family and friends that see me and that I am so grateful to always have in my corner. To all of you - thank you"
Latest group publication
Another excellent collaboration within our Collaborative Research Center Hommage where we provide a fundamental strategy for the preparation of bulk magnetic MAX phases. The work is published in Chemistry of Materials.
Congratulations, Niels!
GrouP hike celebrations
Group hike and brunch get-together to celebrate numerous achievements of our group members.
Thank you for coming out, everyone!
Congratulations, Rose and John
...for winning the Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award.
This is a great achievement and shows their commitment to our undergraduate students at ASU.
Rose, 2nd from left - John, 7th from left.
This is a great achievement and shows their commitment to our undergraduate students at ASU.
Rose, 2nd from left - John, 7th from left.
Congratulation, Rylee
Our undergraduate student Rylee won the School of Molecular Sciences Scholarship.
This is a fantastic achievement and we the whole team is proud of her!
This is a fantastic achievement and we the whole team is proud of her!
Congratulations, Sanja
Sanja succesfully defended her Bachelor Thesis at TU Darmstadt.
Wonderful talk and all questions from the committee handled really well. We are proud of you!
Wonderful talk and all questions from the committee handled really well. We are proud of you!
Congratulations, Jordan
Jordan passed his Orals this semester.
Officially a PhD candidate!
January 2023: Birkel Lab Arizonaversary
4 years Birkel Lab @ASU
