(188c) Lithium Sulfur Batteries and Graphene Based Materials

My research background is a mixture of versatile disciplines including materials and chemical engineering, biomaterials and tissue engineering. My current research focuses on layer-on-layer cathode materials and gel electrolyte in lithium sulfur batteries in one set and on graphene-based materials in another set of projects. Towards DOE EV target, I have worked on preparation of high loading sulfur cathodes to increase the energy density, and gel electrolyte to improve battery safety. Moreover, I fabricated pouch cells in addition to coin cells to study the industrial challenges for our Li-S batteries. Graphene fibers, constitute another part of my research. I have developed a simple and entirely water-based yet effective method to fabricate graphene fibers with excellent electrical, thermal and mechanical properties. The ultralight GFs were deployed in epoxy composites rendering them to float in the water unlike the GF-free composite.

Prior joining the Robert Frederick Smith school of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University I worked on high internal phase biopolymer/protein emulsions and their application in food industry. I also investigated protein/surfactant/biopolymer interaction in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University. During this time, I had the opportunity to visit a materials science lab in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering to work on living radical polymerization and emulsion polymerization.

Biodegradable polymers and elastomers were the focus of my research during my PhD and my first postdoctoral fellowship. As a postdoctoral fellow at Qatar University working in collaboration with University of Bristol my research was on photocurable biodegradable elastomer synthesis for protein delivery, UV-crosslinking, and their thermal, mechanical and chemical characterization. Further, I opened a new route for research in that lab and defined projects based on electrospun fibers for Master's and undergraduate students. Finally, my PhD thesis was to synthesis biodegradable triblock copolymers and investigate the core-shell interactions of pH-sensitive block copolymer nanoparticles for drug-delivery.

Selected Publications and Presentations:

• L. Shebert⁺, S. Zamani⁺ (⁺co-first authors) C. Yi, Y.L. Joo, End-of-discharge failure and recovery of Li-S batteries with liquid and gel electrolyte: modeling and experiments ( J. Materials Chemistry A, 2020, 8, 4341).
• AlAmer, S. Zamani, K. Fok, A. Satish, Y.L. Joo, Facile Production of graphenic microsheets and their folding via water-based, surfactant-aided mechanical deformations (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2020, 12, 8944).
• L. Joo, C. W. Chang, S. Zamani, 2019, Method for storage or transportation of graphene oxide, US patent Application No. 16/381,519, April 11, 2019, Pending.
• Zamani⁺, S. Zamani⁺ (⁺co-first authors), Z. Zhang, A. Abbaspourrad, Exceptional colloidal stability of acidified whey protein beverages stabilized by soybean soluble polysaccharide (Journal of Food Science, 2020, 85, 989).
• Zamani, G.L. Shebert, C. Yi, Y.L. Joo, Investigation of gel-electrolyte failure mechanism in lithium-sulfur batteries (Meeting abstract, AIChE Annual Meeting, November 10-14, 2019, Orlando)
• Zamani, G. Shebert, R. Zhang, Y. Joo, “Effect of Gel electrolyte on polysulfide transport in Li-S batteries” (Meeting Abstract, The 235^th ECS meeting, Dallas, TX, May 2019)
• Zamani, H. Ismaeil, M. Elrayess, W. Kafienah, H. Younes, “A Biodegradable Photo-Crosslinked Fibrous Elastomer for Cardiac Tissue Engineering Applications” (Meeting Abstract, International Conference on Biopolymers and Bioplastics, Baltimore, MA, March 2019).
• Hassouna, S. Zamani, H. Younes, “Synthesis & Characterization of Tricarballylate Based Thermally crosslinked Elastomers for Drug Delivery & Tissue Engineering Applications” (Materials Science and Engineering C, 2018, 93, 254-264).
• Zamani, N.M. Malchion, M.J. Selig, A. Abbaspourrad, “Formation of shelf stable Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPE) through inclusion of whey protein microgels” (Food & Function, 2018).

Under submission/review:

• Zamani, J.S. Won, M. Salim, M. AlAmer, C.W. Chang, A. Satish, P. Kumar, K. Amponsa, Y.L. Joo, Ultralight-weight graphene fibers with superior properties via entirely water-based process and their self-floating composites (under submission to Advanced Functional Materials)
• Zamani, C. Yi, G.L. Shebert, and Y.L. Joo, High sulfur loading cathodes with a layer-on-layer structure in Lithium-Sulfur (Under preparation to be submitted to Nano Energy)
• W. Chang⁺, S. Zamani⁺ (⁺co-first authors), H. Suh, S. Park, T. Kang, Y.L. Joo, Cost-Effective Handling and Transportation of Graphene Oxides: Folding and Redispersion of Graphene Oxide Materials (under submission to ACS Nano)
• AlAmer, M. Salim, S. Zamani, C. Klassen, K. Fok, A. Umasankaran, Y.L. Joo, Curvature Effects on Graphite Exfoliation in Outer-Roatating Taylor-Couette Reactor