Lena F. Kourkoutis

About

Lena F. Kourkoutis was a professor and a member of the Kourkoutis Electron Microscopy Group at Cornell University. Her research focused on developing and applying novel electron microscopy techniques to advance the fundamental understanding of materials and devices. Central to her work was the use of the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), which allowed her to probe structural, chemical, and electronic properties at the atomic scale. Her group’s efforts spanned various research areas including electron microscopy methods, quantum materials, energy materials and devices, nanomaterials, and cellular architecture. She contributed significantly to the field by leveraging advanced microscopy tools to explore the structure, chemistry, and function of complex materials.

Research topics

• Materials science
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Crystallography
• Nanotechnology
• Condensed matter physics
• Metallurgy
• Chemical physics
• Organic chemistry
• Chemical engineering

Selected publications

• Electrocatalysis in Alkaline Media and Alkaline Membrane-Based Energy Technologies

  Chemical Reviews · 2022 · 497 citations

  simulations provide a mechanistic understanding of electron, ion, and mass transport at catalyst/ionomer/membrane interfaces and the necessary guidance to achieve fuel cell operation in air over thousands of hours. We hope that this Review will serve as a roadmap for advancing the scientific understanding of the fundamental factors governing electrochemical energy conversion in alkaline media with the ultimate goal of achieving ultralow Pt or precious-metal-free high-performance and durable alka…

  DOI

• Superconducting Dome in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>Nd</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mi>x</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>Sr</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mi>x</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>NiO</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:math> Infinite Layer Films

  Physical Review Letters · 2020 · 346 citations

  We report the phase diagram of Nd_{1-x}Sr_{x}NiO_{2} infinite layer thin films grown on SrTiO_{3}. A superconducting dome spanning 0.125<x<0.25 is found, remarkably similar to cuprates, albeit over a narrower doping window. However, while cuprate superconductivity is bounded by an insulator for underdoping and a metal for overdoping, here we observe weakly insulating behavior on either side of the dome. Furthermore, the normal state Hall coefficient is always small and proximate to a continuous…

  DOI

• A Superconducting Praseodymium Nickelate with Infinite Layer Structure

  Nano Letters · 2020 · 296 citations

  planes, which will enable systematic investigation of the superconducting and normal state properties and their underlying mechanisms.

  DOI

• Organo–organic and organo–mineral interfaces in soil at the nanometer scale

  Nature Communications · 2020 · 231 citations

  The capacity of soil as a carbon (C) sink is mediated by interactions between organic matter and mineral phases. However, previously proposed layered accumulation of organic matter within aggregate organo-mineral microstructures has not yet been confirmed by direct visualization at the necessary nanometer-scale spatial resolution. Here, we identify disordered micrometer-size organic phases rather than previously reported ordered gradients in C functional groups. Using cryo-electron microscopy wi…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chemical gradients in human enamel crystallites

  Nature · 2020 · 192 citations

  DOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Analytical Cryo-Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy for Understanding Physical and Chemical Processes at Liquid/Solid Interfaces

  NSF · $550k · 2017–2023

• MRI: Acquisition of a Cryogenic, Aberration-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope for Advanced Materials Research and Education

  NSF · $2.7M · 2014–2016

Frequent coauthors

• David A. Muller

  Cornell University

  187 shared

• Darrell G. Schlom

  Leibniz Institute for Crystal Growth

  158 shared

• Berit H. Goodge

  129 shared

• Harold Y. Hwang

  Stanford University

  106 shared

• Robert Hovden

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  82 shared

• Ismail El Baggari

  63 shared

• Julia A. Mundy

  Harvard University

  57 shared

• Michael J. Zachman

  Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  46 shared

Labs

• Cornell Center on the Physics of Cancer MetabolismPI