Sarah Tolbert

Last updated
Sarah Helen Tolbert
Alma mater Yale University
University of California, Berkeley
Scientific career
Institutions University of California, Los Angeles
Thesis High pressure studies on nanometer sized clusters : structural, optical, and cooperative properties  (1995)
Doctoral advisor A. Paul Alivisatos
Other academic advisors Galen D. Stucky
Website tolbert.chem.ucla.edu/index.html

Sarah Helen Tolbert is an American chemist who is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research considers self-assembled nanomaterials, which includes inorganic phases and colloidal materials.

Contents

Early life and education

Tolbert's father, Bert Tolbert, was a professor of chemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder. [1] She was one of four daughters. [1] Tolbert was an undergraduate student at Yale University. She moved to the University of California, Berkeley for graduate studies, where she studied the structural, optical and cooperative properties of nanomaterials. [2] She was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara. [3]

Research and career

Tolbert is interested in the nanoscale assembly of materials, and how these nanostructures give rise to novel phenomena. In particular, Tolbert has investigated arrays of colloids. Colloids assemble into closely-packed areas that can be used to create large scale periodic photonics materials.[ citation needed ]

Tolbert is interested in inorganic/organic co-assembly. To this end she combines block co-polymers or organic surfactants with short-chain inorganic oligomers. Her early work involved the development of novel conjugated polymer morphologies for efficient light-emitting diodes. Amongst these morphologies, Tolbert showed it was possible to embed polymers in a silica host matrix, where stretching the matrix results in aligned polymer chains that emit linearly polarized light. [4] [5]

Tolbert works on self-assembled nanomaterials. She is particularly interested in introducing structure and periodicity to composite materials. Tolbert has studied phase transitions in inorganic solids. She has created novel, nanostructured electrodes to allow the fast charging of batteries. [6] These include molybdenum disulphide nanocrystal composites, where internal atomic-scale pathways allow lithium ions to speedily move through the electrode. The nanostructure electrodes not only support the efficient charging of batteries but also stable charge and discharging cycles. [6]

Tolbert is a developer for Battery Streak, [7] a spin-out company who look to reduce that charging time of electronic devices. [8]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

Personal life

Tolbert's three sisters are all academics, including atmospheric chemist Margaret Tolbert, political scientist Caroline Tolbert and ethnomusicologist Elizabeth Tolbert. [1] She was one of four daughters. [1] Tolbert met her husband, Benjamin Schwartz, whilst a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. [13]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "After a century, one constant is embracing change". Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine. 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  2. ↑ Tolbert, Sarah Helen (1995). High pressure studies on nanometer sized clusters: structural, optical, and cooperative properties (Thesis). Berkeley, CA. OCLC   637698539.
  3. ↑ Tolbert, Sarah. "Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Chemistry". Grantome.com. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Better Displays On Laptop Computers, Cell Phones Coming Soon". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  5. ↑ Molenkamp, William C.; Watanabe, Masatoshi; Miyata, Hirokatsu; Tolbert, Sarah H. (2004-04-01). "Highly Polarized Luminescence from Optical Quality Films of a Semiconducting Polymer Aligned within Oriented Mesoporous Silica". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 126 (14): 4476–4477. doi:10.1021/ja039296+. ISSN   0002-7863. PMID   15070339.
  6. 1 2 "One Step Closer to Practical Fast Charging Batteries". Energy.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  7. ↑ "Battery Streak Batteries Achieves 80% State-of-Charge in 10 Minutes | AltEnergyMag". www.altenergymag.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  8. ↑ Group, Big Bang. "About". Battery Streak | Charge Lightning Fast. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  9. ↑ "Fellows Database | Alfred P. Sloan Foundation". sloan.org. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  10. ↑ "NSF Award Search: Award # 9985259 - CAREER: Ordered Nanoporous Semiconductors and Metals Synthesized by Combining Zintl Ion Chemistry with Inorganic/Organic Self-Organization". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  11. ↑ "Sarah H. Tolbert". Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  12. ↑ "ONR Announces 1999 Winners of the Young Investigator Program Award".
  13. ↑ "Chemists in love: Strategies and tactics for a dual-career relationship". EurekAlert!. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
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