Andrew Dopilka

Andrew is a career track research scientist in the Energy Storage group. His research focuses on the development of glass materials for energy technology applications. During his postdoc in Robert Kostecki's group he was investigating the inherent instability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on Si anodes in Li-ion batteries. By implementing in situ sSNOM-based infrared nanospectroscopy, the nanoscale inhomogenities of the SEI can be correlated to its electrochemical stability under realistic operating conditions. Andrew recieved a Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering in 2021 under the supervision of Professor Candace K. Chan and a B.S.E in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University. His doctoral worked involved investigating Tetrel clathrates,a type of host guest structure, as novel anodes for Li-ion battery materials. The structural transformations of the clathrates during lithiation were investigated with a combination of electrochemical, structural, and first principles computational methods. Andrew is broadly interested in understanding the fundamental phonemona of energy storage materials in addition to developing novel synthetic methods to realize unique properties and address manufacturing challenges.