The physical properties of multifunctional 2-dimensional materials continues to highlight new avenues of fundamental and applied research in water, healthcare and energy. Here we present our advances in the synthesis of 2D and layered materials-based inks, which has increased the design space for additive electronics manufacturing for sensors, 2D-silicon integrated photonics, energy harvesting, and more. In water, we have developed a flowing electrode capacitive deionization (FE-CDI) system using Ti3C2 MXene electrodes for the removal and recovery of ammonia from synthetic wastewater, showing great potential for managing the nitrogen cycle and providing access to clean water. In healthcare, we show the intersection of graphene and biology has emerged as a promising area where graphene’s physical properties may help elucidate fundamental insights into musculoskeletal tissue engineering. Together, these results demonstrate the importance of and potential impact of 2D materials in addressing some of society’s grand engineering challenges.
David Estrada is an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Boise State University, where he serves as the site director for the National Science Foundation's ATOMIC Center as well as the associate director for the Center for Advanced Energy Studies. He holds a joint appointment with the Idaho National Laboratory in advanced manufacturing. Estrada received his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in electrical and computer engineering where he studied electrical and thermal transport in emerging nanomaterials and semiconductor devices. He is a recipient of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and NSF CAREER Award. His research focuses on 2-dimensional materials and their intersections with advanced manufacturing techniques that have applications in energy, healthcare, and water.