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Dr. Cheng-Wei Lin and Dr. Xueying Chang Publishes in Accounts of Chemical Research

Congratulations to Dr. Cheng-Wei Lin and alumna Dr. Xueying Chang for their recent Account on aniline oligomers, showing how their well-defined molecular structures enable precise control over doping behavior, crystal growth, and functional properties. By treating aniline oligomers as tunable small molecules, the study demonstrates new insights into redox chemistry, nanostructure formation, surface functionalization, and…

Hung-Yi (Ian) Huang Publishes in Chemical Engineering Journal

Congratulations to our visiting scholar, Hung-Yi Huang, on his new publication on full-polymer electrochemical deionization, which uses dopant-engineered polypyrrole electrodes and EQCM analysis to enable tunable, membrane-free removal of oxyanions through electrochemically controlled ion exchange.

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).

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.

Welcome Michelle Mercado to the Kaner Group

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…

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…

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.

Congratulations to our 2025 Kaner group graduates

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…