Michael Zachman

Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences

Dr. Zachman is a Staff Scientist in the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received his BS in Physics from Purdue University in 2012, and his PhD in Applied Physics from Cornell University in 2018. Michael’s research interests lie in advancing electron microscopy techniques to enable understanding of the structure and properties of quantum and energy materials down to the atomic scale. His doctoral work concentrated on developing cryogenic focused ion beam and analytical cryogenic scanning transmission electron microscopy techniques to study solid-liquid interface processes at high spatial resolution with liquids intact. He applied these techniques to energy materials and energy storage devices to gain unique insights into processes such as dendrite and solid-electrolyte interphase layer formation in lithium metal batteries. Michael's postdoctoral research concentrated on developing and applying multi-dimensional STEM techniques and monochromated electron energy-loss spectroscopy to two-dimensional and battery materials to study their structure and properties at the nanometer and atomic scales. Michael's research currently focuses on adapting and pairing techniques like these to enhance understanding of the processes that govern fuel cell material performance and degradation, to enable development of new materials and improvement of existing materials.