Texas A&M University, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Dr. Kartik Rajagapolan was awarded the 2025 MSEN Best Ph.D. Thesis award for his thesis titled “Thermo-responsive Polymer Salogels for Shape Stabilization of Inorganic Salt Hydrate Phase Change Materials“. This is the second year in a row that our group has won this award!
Congratulations, Kartik!
Dr. Ardak Makhatova presented her work titled “Molecular Basis of Polymer-Induced Soil Stabilization and Moisture Resistance” at the 2025 Polymer Technology Industrial Consortium (PTIC) Meeting on April 11.
Congratulations, Ardak!
Many congratulations to Ardak Makhatova for successfully defending her Ph.D. dissertation!
Dr. Mahatova defended on Apr. 8, and earned her degree based on her dissertation titled “Soil stabilization using polyelectrolytes and their complexes”.
Dr. Kartik Rajagopalan’s paper titled “Temperature- and Creep-Resistant Diels-Alder Salogels for Shape Stabilization of Salt Hydrate Phase Change Materials” was accepted for publication in the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. This work demonstrates the robustness of Diels-Alder crosslinks to provide creep-free mechanical stabilization of salt hydrate phase change materials with wide-ranging melting temperatures (room temperature to 90°C) for thermal energy storage applications.
Congratulations, Kartik!
Dr. Zhen Sang’s paper, “Supersonic puncture-healable and impact-resistant covalent adaptive networks,” has been published in Materials Today.
Congratulations, Zhen!
Dr. Aliaksei Aliakseyeu’s paper titled “Self-Diffusion of Star and Linear Polyelectrolytes in Salt-Free and Salt Solutions” was accepted for publication in Macromolecules.
Congratulations, Aliaksei!
Ph.D. student Junho Moon’s paper, “Stereochemical Shape Morphing in Diels-Alder Polymer Networks” has been published in Small. In this paper, the spatial distribution of stereoisomers in Diels-Alder polymer networks is achieved through temperature-resolved annealing. By controlling the annealing time, diverse shape transformations are demonstrated, enabling precise stereochemical morphing.
Congratulations, Junho!
