Congratulations to Prof. Ric Kaner on receiving the Basolo Award for outstanding contributions to inorganic chemistry during his visit to Northwestern University.
Recent News
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Zhiyin (Tara)Yang Publishes in ChemSusChem
Congratulations to Zhiyin (Tara) Yang for being featured on the front cover of ChemSusChem (Volume 18, Issue 21) for her recently published article on ultrafast sodium-ion batteries based on vanadium oxide (V₂O₅) intercalated with short-chain aniline trimers (AT).
DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202500913 -
Prof. Kaner gives a talk at Exploring Your Universe 2025
At this year’s Exploring Your Universe, Los Angeles’ largest annual science fair, Prof. Ric Kaner gave a talk titled “Fun with Plastics!” featuring hands-on polymer demonstrations for kids and families and a look at everyday questions about where plastics come from and how they’re recycled.
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Welcome Michelle Mercado to the Kaner Group
From left to right: Sophia Uemura, Dr. Mackenie Anderson, and MIchelle Mercado We are excited to welcome Michelle Mercado, a rising fourth-year Chemical Engineering major at UC Irvine, to the Kaner group! She joins us for her second summer through the UC LEADS program, participating in an eight-week research experience with Sophia Uemura and Dr. Mackenzie Anderson. Outside the lab, Michelle enjoys learning piano, crocheting, caring for her growing houseplant collection, and spending time with her two cats, Joy and Coco.
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Maher El-Kady’s “Energy to Spare” film named finalist for the Jackson Wild Media Awards in the Science & Nature – Short Form category
Dr. Maher El-Kady (Ph.D. ’13) is featured in the Chemistry Shorts film Energy to Spare: Building Better Batteries, showcasing his research on zinc-ion batteries as a safer, more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion technology. Several Kaner group graduate students (Gray Carson, Isabelle Davis, Puyuan Du, Bradley Kroes, Haemin (Joanne) Oh, and Zhiyin (Tara) Yang) also appear in the film, which blends engaging visuals with insights into next-generation energy storage for the renewable energy era.
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Kaner Group Members Receive 2025 Department Awards
Congratulations to Sophia Uemura on receiving the Michael E. Jung Excellence in Teaching Award for her exceptional instruction of undergraduate students. Congratulations also to Andrew Huang, awarded the Chemistry & Biochemistry Alumni Undergraduate Research Fellowship to continue his research in the Kaner group this summer.
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Congratulations to our 2025 Kaner group graduates
Dr. Spencer Hamilton 
From left to right (Malachi Warneke, Dr. Kaner, Suzy Matinyan, Min Kyu Lee, and Celeste Elkort) Several Kaner group members celebrated their graduations this year with notable honors, including Spencer Hamilton (Ph.D.) receiving the Herbert Newby McCoy Commencement Award; Haemin (Joanne) Oh (MACS) with the Excellence in Research Award; Min Kyu Lee (MACS) with the Outstanding Capstone Research Award; Celeste Elkort (B.S. Chemistry) with the James Blaine Ramsey Commencement Prize; and Suzy Matinyan (B.S. Chemistry) with the Maria Rebecca and Maureen Bellettini Commencement Award.
Congratulations also to graduates Puyuan Du (MACS), Malachi Warneke (B.S. Chemistry), Puyuan Du (MACS), Mark Munteanu (M.S., Materials Chemistry), and Mikołaj Sidziński (B.S. Bioengineering)
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Congratulations to Izzy Davis on Passing Her Candidacy Exam
Kaner group graduate student Izzy Davis has successfully passed her candidacy exam, marking a major milestone toward the completion of her Ph.D. journey. Congratulations, Izzy, on this important achievement!
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Cheng-Wei Presents at CNSI Nanoscience Teacher Training Workshop
Cheng-Wei was a guest speaker at the California NanoSystems Institute’s Nanoscience Teacher Training Workshop, sharing insights and expertise with educators to support the advancement of nanoscience education.
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Michelle Xie, Joo Wan Kim, and Cheng-Wei Publish in ACS Materials Letters
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmaterialslett.4c01963 Michelle Xie, Joo Wan Kim, and Cheng-Wei have published “Heterophase Reduction of the Fully Oxidized Aniline Tetramer” in ACS Materials Letters. Using phenyl-capped aniline tetramer (TANI) as a model of polyaniline (PANI), the study explores the heterophase reductions of the pernigraniline base, offering new insights into conductive polymer chemistry.