Title: Thermal Wave Sensing for Operando Measurement of Subsurface Electrochemical, Mechanical, and Thermal Transport Properties in Next-Generation Energy Materials

Abstract: Thermal Wave Sensing (TWS), an extension of the 3-Omega method, offers a powerful, frequency-domain approach for noninvasively probing thermal and nonthermal properties in complex materials and devices. By applying a sinusoidal current to a high-aspect-ratio metal sensor, TWS induces periodic Joule heating and measures the resulting temperature oscillations. These oscillations are governed by the thermal transfer function of the sample, which encodes information about thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and interfacial resistance. Through the sensor's temperature-dependent resistance, this thermal information is inherited by the voltage response, enabling precise extraction of subsurface thermal properties from the third harmonic signal. TWS is able to sense dynamic processes such as lithium-ion diffusion, microcrack evolution, and gas adsorption. Applications include architected battery electrodes, high-temperature thermal energy storage composites, and metal-organic frameworks for direct air capture. In each case, thermal conductivity serves as a proxy for a property of interest, enabling operando diagnostics. This talk details the theoretical foundations of TWS, sensor fabrication constraints, system instrumentation, and analysis. It also outlines experimental workflows for calibration, validation, and application-specific measurements. The talk aims to establish TWS as a general-purpose, scalable platform for in situ and operando materials characterization, with broad implications for energy storage, thermal management, and noninvasive sensing.

Please join the Biological Design Center at BU for a Graduate Student Internships Panel Discussion, featuring the following BU graduate students:

· Audrey Van Heest, who was an intern at AstraZeneca

· Delaney Gray-Scherr, who was an intern at Draper

· Dev Bhatt, who was an intern at IRIS Kinetics

· Emily Schwartz, who was an intern at MatTek

· Robbie Ovalle, who was an intern at Concerto Biosciences

· Satviki Singh, who was an intern at Pfizer.

The event will take place on Tuesday, December 2nd from noon to 1pm, in the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering (610 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston MA). We will be in CILSE 106C, and pizza will be provided.

Register in advance using the link provided below!

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