Catherine Walker Email & Phone Number

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Alexandria, Va

Amherst, Ma

Meeting the growing world-wide energy demand sustainably requires increasingly creative solutions, many of which are dependent on reliable energy storage. Current lithium ion batteries use a liquid or gel electrolyte that must be used in conjunction with a porous separator component. A solid electrolyte would serve the dual purposes of ion transport medium and electronic insulator. The aim of my research is to find a system that allows for an optimum balance between mechanical properties and ion conductivity. I synthesize salt-loaded co-networks using a variety norbornene end-functionalized, precursor polymers, and thiol-ene chemistry. Once these networks are loaded with a lithium salt, I investigate relationships between their morphology, thermal and mechanical properties and ion conductivity.

Amherst Ma

I am a teaching assistant for Introduction to Polymer Synthesis course. This course is a requirement for 1st year graduate students in our department. My responsibilities include: preparing materials and setting up for lab activities, supervising the students during lab time, monitoring lab safety, quizzing students on reading related to the lab activity and evaluating student lab notebooks.

Aurora, Ny

I was a teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry I and II. My responsibilities included: setting up lab activities, helping to monitor lab safety, fielding questions on homework assignments and helping students review material for exams.

I worked on grafting temperature responsive polymers to the surface of porous membranes. Depending on the temperature, water would flow through these membranes at different rates allowing us to study the behavior of the temperature responsive polymer. These responsive polymers afford dynamic surface properties.

Buffalo, Ny

Polyaniline is a well known conducting polymer. By using mass spectrometry, we can study the conformation of this polymer.

Master Of Science (Ms), Polymer Science And Engineering

Activities and Societies: Graduate Women in STEM

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Chemistry, Magna Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Collegiate Cabinet, Community Court (student government), Whirligigs (a cappella group)

Education record