Laboratory Facilities
In chemical engineering, we have access to two newly renovated wet labs. Our lab is fully outfitted for materials synthesis, battery fabrication, characterization, and electrochemistry. We have also recently established a shared lab for members of the Columbia Electrochemical Energy Center (CEEC) that provides additional tools and is highlighted below. Graduate students and postdocs who join the group are automatically part of the center and sit together in shared office space.
Marbella Lab
CEEC Shared Lab
Characterization facilities
Our group activities rely heavily on materials characterization. At Columbia University, we are supported by a suite of materials characterization tools in the Shared Materials Characterization Laboratory (SMCL) which provide access to X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry facilities. In the chemistry department, we also have access to a wide range of NMR spectrometers. Our research places an emphasis on characterizing materials for energy storage and conversion with solid-state NMR spectroscopy and MRI. At Columbia, we have two Avance NEO solid-state NMR spectrometers: one 600 MHz instrument and one 400 MHz instrument. The 600 MHz is equipped with fast magic-angle spinning multinuclear NMR capabilities and the 400 MHz includes microimaging/diffusion and allows in situ electrochemical/light NMR measurements. We also have a benchtop X-band EPR instrument for characterization of paramagnetic materials.
A day in the life
If you are curious about what it is like in the Marbella lab day-to-day, what the individual personalities are like, or a brief overview of how we do research please see our short, fun, informative video below!
*Note that this video was filmed pre-COVID, hence the lack of masks!
Carnivorous garden
Each student has a carnivorous plant that lives in lab, snacking on fish food and flies. We have several pitcher plants, a sundew, and a venus flytrap!