Ergen Quantum Applications Lab (EQAL): Nanoelectronics, Materials & Devices
WORKING WITH NANOSCALE MATERIALS TO SOLVE WORLD SCALE PROBLEMS
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About Us
CV of Assoc. Prof. Onur Ergen, Ph.D.
Special Announcement:
- Seal of Excellence: Dr. Onur Ergen’s research spin-off has been awarded the prestigious 2025 Seal of Excellence by Horizon Europe, European Innovation Council! The project, "Charging Ahead with Safety: Boron Nitride Aerogel Battery Separators for Safe Ultra-Fast Charging, Higher Capacities - From Neglect to Necessity," is paving the way for safer and more efficient
- Big Welcome from Business Finland : Dr. Onur Ergen’s research spin-off is making waves with its groundbreaking Quantum Phonon Aggregation Method, unlocking faster, low-temperature SiC production. This game-changing innovation is set to revolutionize the industry, and we’re thrilled to have Business Finland supporting the journey!
- Dr. Onur Ergen’s research titled QUEEN, quantum super-exchange energy storage platform, has been awarded the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. Dr. Ergen leverages quantum electron engineering to introduce a whole new approach to physics and chemistry to redesign traditional battery technology and move it beyond existing theoretical limits. https://bit.ly/3JRyDDg
Position openings: We are always looking for talented Master/Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows to join our group. Students with machine learning and AI background are also welcome.
The core of our research program
Our research program focuses on material innovation to design next generation device architectures and materials. It utilizes a multidisciplinary approach including the discovery, design, synthesis and characterization of novel device structures. It constantly seeks new ways to integrate nanoscale materials into energy harvesting and storage devices, develop scalable and controllable synthesis schemes for new low and high dimensional material systems, and design engineered platforms to investigate local physical properties and capabilities of these materials, from fundamental physics to advanced engineering applications. Our group also carries out projects for application of artificial intelligence for energy and materials. Our projects always represent a balance of fundamental science and industrial innovation.
Quick announcements:
- Our recent collaborative publication in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Materials Chemistry, titled 'Atomistic Origins of Various Luminescent Centers and n-Type Conductivity in GaN,' explores defect equilibria in GaN doped with Cr, Mn, and O using ab-initio defect thermodynamics. These GaN crystals are promising for single-photon emitters, LEDs, and spintronic applications. We identified oxygen as the key contributor to the notorious n-type conductivity, with oxygen clustering as aggregated defects at higher oxygen fugacity. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.4c00178
- Our latest research, featured in PNAS. In this study, we present a novel method for producing borophene aerogels, laying the foundation for manufacturing high-performance next-generation batteries, including Na-ion, Mg-ion, Ca-ion, and Li-S variants. Our findings carry substantial importance, as they hold the potential to serve as a linchpin for catalyzing a range of breakthroughs in energy conversion devices, paving the way for superior batteries in the future. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2307537120
- Our new publication on 'Respiratory Sound-Based Disease Classification and Characterization' in the top-tier journal Biomedical Signal Processing and Control. Our study employs advanced deep/machine learning techniques for early disease detection, marking a significant leap in innovative technology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2023.105570
- Our recent research, recognized by IEEE, aims to contribute to the ongoing progress in the world. Exciting advancements await! https://spectrum.ieee.org/nano-tattoo
- Our new publication is aiming to revolutionize data collection with ink-based nano-tattoo sensors. Transmitting data using backscattering principles, no external circuitry or batteries needed. Track body movements anywhere with ambient wireless signals and smart devices. Turn any surface into a sensor, digitizing the human body. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10081350
- Please attend Dr. Ergen's Nano Seminar series talk on January 27th, 2023 at UC Berkeley. https://events.berkeley.edu/index.php/calendar/sn/BNNI.html?event_ID=149940&date=2023-01-27&filter=Event%20Type&filtersel=
- Please see our recently published paper in Electrochemistry Communications. We are creating the foundation for future concepts such as charging a phone with a simple puff of air or charging an electric vehicle while in motion. It demonstrates that a simple puff of air is sufficient to charge a battery cell under ambient air conditions. It is built with new nano-engineered graphene aerogels as active air breathing cathodes. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2022.107379
- Dr. Onur Ergen’s research titled QUEEN, quantum super-exchange energy storage platform, has been awarded the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant. Dr. Ergen leverages quantum electron engineering to introduce a whole new approach to physics and chemistry to redesign traditional battery technology and move it beyond existing theoretical limits. https://bit.ly/3JRyDDg
- O. Ergen received the prestigious "Outstanding Young Scientists Award (GEBİP)" from Turkey Academy of Science. It is the most recognized award among scientist in Turkey. https://haberler.itu.edu.tr/en/newsdetail/2021/12/03/6-itu-scientists-receive-tuba-awards
- O.Ergen is advisor to Rector regarding research and development
- Please see our recent talk "Ultra fast charging high energy lithium-ion batteries utilizing borophene/h-BN aerogel layers" in mESC-IS 2021 as invited speaker. https://mesc-is.org/symposium-d1/
- Please see our recently published paper in Cancers. We were able to develop a method (patent filed) to identify potentially malignant oral disorders from a single image. We strongly believe this research can pave the way for a low-cost, non-invasive, and easy-to-use tool that can support screening processes and improve detection of potentially malignant oral disorders. Cancers 2021, 13(11), 2766; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13112766
- O. Ergen is officially nominated by Istanbul Technical University Senate to Turkish Academy of Science- Outstanding Young Scientists Awards (GEBİP).
- Please see our recently published paper, titled “Robust atrial fibrillation monitoring utilizing graphene aerogel-based nano-tattoo" in Materials Letters.
We are introducing a new aerogel based nano tattoo that can detect robust heart rate signals and accurately identifies atrial fibrillation (AF) even during extreme upper extremity motions.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matlet.2021.129525 - A simple artificial intelligence based food fraud, or economically motivated adulteration, technology is introduced. Please see our recently published paper titled “Artificial Intelligence-Based Identification of Butter Variations as a Model Study for Detecting Food Adulteration” in Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1466856420304732
- One step forward to ultra-fast charging. Please see our recently published paper titled “Hexagonal boron nitride incorporation to achieve high performance Li4Ti5O12 electrodes” in AIP Advances, https://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/5.0004376
- Please see our recent work, which can pave the way in future practical solar cell designs for hard to dope materials. It is titled “ Screen engineered field effect Cu2O based solar cells” and published in IEEE Electron Letters, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9097170
- Please see our recently published paper in Lab on a Chip at Royal Society of Chemistry. We were able to extract information on human mechanical and biofluid properties, simultaneously. It is a new method for building an aerogel based sensor that can effectively extract real-time information from subtle human motion, such as heart rate, etc., while concurrently monitoring sweat pH, ion concentration, perspiration rate, etc. We strongly believe this research can pave the way for future practical designs of flexible, cost effective, and multifunctional wearable sensors. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0LC00545B
- Recent publication: G. Iymen, G. Tanriver, O. Ergen. Selected Applications of Generative Adversarial Networks: Mini Review. COJ Rob Artificial Intel. COJRA, 1(2), 000506 (2020).
- Recent publication:M. Ergen, F. Inan, O. Ergen, I. Shayea, M. F. Tuysuz, A. Azizan, N. K. Ure, M. Nekovee. "Edge on Wheels with OMNIBUS Networking in 6G Technology." IEEE Access (2020).
- Instrumented, as a coordinator, prestigious SME grant: Awarded 1 Million Euro grant form European Innovation Council. First ICT Awardee in Turkey
Events and Photos
Dr. Ergen's interview was published in the national newspaper (Hürriyet). Battery technology is on the verge of a new revolution.
Dr. Ergen's interview was published in the national newspaper (Milliyet).
O. Ergen received the prestigious "Outstanding Young Scientists Award (GEBİP)" from Turkey Academy of Science.