Megan Hoarfrost

2nd Year Ph.D Student

E-mail: mhoarfrost@berkeley.edu

B.S. Chemical Engineering / Stanford University (2007)

Block Copolymer - Ionic Liquid Systems for Polymer Fuel Cell Membranes

Research description:

The goal of my research is to improve the efficiency of polymer membranes for PEM fuel cells. The focus is on the effects of nanometer-scale structure brought about by block copolymer self assembly on proton conductivity through a block copolymer membrane, as well as the effects of ionic liquid on the thermodynamic self assembly of the block copolymer system.

Brief Bio:

I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and then earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University. At Stanford, I enjoyed dancing for the Stanford Band as well as performing research in various labs. I spent a summer doing research at the Genome Institute in Singapore, as well as a summer working for Engineers for a Sustainable World in Uganda. Before coming to Berkeley, I worked for Silicon Chemical Corporation for three months learning among other things how much energy goes into making solar-grade silicon. My interests these days lie in energy technology and policy, trying to dance in whatever form that I can, and eating lots of good food in Berkeley.