Cleva W. Ow-Yang

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Sabanci University

Faculty of Engineering & Natural Sciences & Nanotechnology Research and Application Center

Orta Mah. Universite Cad. No:27, 34956 Tuzla/Istanbul, TURKEY

 

Office: FENS 1025

+90 (216) 483-9592 (phone)

+ 90 (216) 483-9550 (fax)

 

PhD Materials Science & Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

MS Materials Science & Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

BS Materials Science & Engineering, M. I. T., Cambridge, MA, USA

 

Wondering why you should study Materials Science and Engineering at Sabanci University? Check out this video created by our awesome students.

 

Research Interests

The main thrust of our research activity is focused on Manipulation and Management of Light through Materials Engineering. By developing structural models of materials that exhibit extremely long duration persistent luminescence, we are designing materials for zero energy consumption lighting. Our model systems are rare-earth co-doped alkali earth aluminates, which we analyze by applying advanced TEM, Raman, and other characterization methods.

Based on the insight that we have gained into the formation of boroaluminate crystal structures, we apply our models of thermodynamic and kinetic control to tune crystal structure in functional ceramics for energy storage and more sustainable cement processing. This work further motivates us to develop hubs of circularity for more sustainable, carbon-negative, high-volume materials processing.

By harnessing physical phenomena arising from cooperative behavior and localization, we are developing plasmonic materials for sensor and antenna applications, with a recent emphasis on developing new inorganic materials exhibiting plasmonic behavior.

To address the interdisciplinary nature of our work, team members are active in many collaborative national and international projects (see project details below and in publications).

 

If you are interested in joining us, please click here.

 

Publications: Google Scholar, ResearchGate Profile

Researcher ID: L-2735-2016

ORCID: 0000-0002-2909-0957  

 

 

Latest News from the Team

 

07/03/2022     Our latest contribution to the structural model of boron extending afterglos has be published! Congratulations to Arzu, Sirous, and Ece (Deniz) for their excellent work in, “Borate polyanions  tuning persistent luminescence in Eu and Dy co-eoped strontium aluminate”

February 2022 We celebrate the graduation of Asad-ur-Rehman Shahzad on his graduation with a B.Sc. in Materials Science and Nano-engineering

18/02/2022     Ece Günay was awarded a Mobility Fellowship from the Journal of the European Ceramics Society Trust for a research collaboration visit to Dr. Andraž Kočjan at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, Slovenia—go Ece!

January 2022  We celebrate the graduation of Yasemin Akyol on her graduation with a B.Sc. in Materials Science and Nano-Engineering

January 2022  We celebrate the graduation of Faiqa Dawood on her graduation with a B.Sc. in Materials Science and Nano-engineering

January 2022  Congratulations, Dr. Ali Ansari Hamedani, for successfully defending your PhD dissertation!

23/08/2021     Ali’s first publication from his dissertation work has just been published: “Mechanisms of Si Nanoparticle Formation by Molten Salt Magnesiothermic Reduction of Silica for Lithium-ion Battery Anodes” Congratulations also to Serap Hoca!

30/06/21         Congratulations, Ece, for an excellent senior thesis and earning a B.Sc. in Materials Science and Nano-Engineering!

01/04/21         Welcome Metehan Kırşanlı, our newest team member

01/02/21         Welcome to the team, Yasemin Akyol

18/12/20         Congratulations to Dr. Sirous for successfully defending his PhD dissertation

30/06/20         Congratulations, Elif, on earning a B.Sc. in Materials Engineering, and best wishes for the next adventure in Lausanne!

04/20                Our manuscript, “Effect of Sintering and Boron Content on Rare Earth Dopant Distribution in Long Afterglow Strontium Aluminate,” has just been accepted for publication in the Journal of the European Ceramic Society. It’s the product of a lengthy collaboration between team members Sirous, Arzu and Cleva with Jožef Stefan Institute — Andraž Kocjan, Zoran Samardžija, Sašo Šturm — and the University of Nova Gorica — Mattia Fanetti — and Meltem Sezen of SUNUM. Many thanks to our collaborators for deepening our understanding of the material structure supporting extreme persistent luminescence

14/04/20         Thanks to David McCandless of Information is Beautiful for hosting a most informative data visualization workshop, Data is Beautiful. Despite the challenges of conducting a remote workshop on Zoom, it was a welcomed break to the routine of isolation and a pleasure to meet the other fascinating participants

03/20                Congratulations to Ahmet Alper Ozkan for successfully developing an app for analysis of Raman maps

02/20                We welcome new team members Faiqa Dawood, Mehmet Can Dursun, Defne Circi, Deniz Albayrak, Selin Memikoğlu, and Selen Ezgi Cankutaran

11/19                The team joined in kicking off a new ERA-MIN2 project, RECEMENT, in which we develop new supplementary cementitious materials for cement, regenerated from end-of-life materials from mining and whiteware industries

 

 

Funded Projects

  • Co-PI, “Realizing in-situ studies of dynamic mechanisms in ceramic oxides in the reducing environment in a TEM,” TÜBİTAK-ARRS (Slovenia) bilateral project, #119N748, 07/20-07/23.
  • Researcher, “Re-generating (raw) materials and end-of-life products for re-use in Cement/Concrete (RECEMENT),” H2020 ERA-MIN 2 project, 10/19-09/22.
  • Researcher, “Investigation of the Impact of Nanocomposite Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathode Microstructure on the Electrochemical Performance,” TÜBITAK (The Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), Engineering Division Grant #217M649, 07/17-07/19.
  • Consultant, “Development of Low Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells with High Performance and Durability,” TÜBITAK (The Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), Engineering Division Grant #217M031, 07/17-07/20.
  • Consultant, “Production of Composite Structures of Carbon Nanofiber Decorated with Si Nanoparticles for Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes,” TÜBITAK (The Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), Engineering Division Grant #114M216, 11/15-11/17.
  • Consultant, “Developing the crystal growth process of 2-D graphene and Bi2Te3 topological insulators,” TÜBITAK (The Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), Basic Sciences Division Grant # 114F036; 11/14-05/17.
  • Principal Investigator, "Nanoscale Engineering the Long Afterglow," TÜBITAK (The Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), Basic Sciences Division Grant # 212T177. (completed 04/16)
  • Principal Investigator, "Engineering Interlayers in Organic Photovoltaics: Effects of Nanostructuring and Energy Storage," TÜBITAK (The Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), Engineering Research Division Grant # 112M360 à converted in 01/14 to a project associated with European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action MP1307 “Stable Next-Generation Photovoltaics: unraveling degradation mechanisms in organic solar cells by complementary characterization techniques (StableNextSol). (completed 02/15)
  • Co-PI, “Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy of Boron Incorporation in Strontium Aluminate,” TÜBİTAK (the Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), MAG (Engineering Research Division) Grant #110M426. (completed 03/13)
  • PI, “Plasma Etching of 2-D Micelle Nano-reactor Arrays”, TÜBİTAK (the Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), TBAG (Basic Sciences Division) Grant #110T023. (completed 06/11)
  • PI, "Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy Analysis of Ion-Capturing Ligands on Metal Nanoclusters", Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Proposal No. 000007281 (NCEM #1468). (completed 10/11)
  • Partner coordinator, “Merging Atomistic And Continuum Analysis Of Nanometer Length-Scale Metal-Oxide Systems For Energy And Catalysis Applications,” European Commission, 7th Framework Programme, Grant #233484.
  • Consultant, “Modeling, Design, and Manufacturing of Nano-Optical Systems”, TÜBİTAK (the Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), TBAG (Basic Sciences Division) Grant # 108T482.
  • PI, “Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of Colloidal Nanoparticles”, TÜBİTAK (the Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), TBAG (Basic Sciences Division) Grant #108T209 (completed 05/09)
  • PI, “Improving the Research Capacity for Nanoscale Materials Characterization,” European Commission, 7th Framework Programme, Grant for Coordination and Support Action, Agreement #206966 (completed 05/09)
  • PI, “Control of Size, Morphology, and Optical Properties of Colloidal Nanoparticles”, TÜBİTAK (the Science and Technology Research Council of Turkey), TBAG (Basic Sciences Division) Grant #106T657 (completed 04/10)
  • PI, “Processing and characterization of Lanthanides co-doped MAl2O4 (M:Sr,Ba,Ca) Phosphorescent Powders”, TÜBİTAK MAG (Engineering Research Division) Grant #106M402 (completed 09/08)

 

 

Teaching Involvement

Spring 2021: MAT 206, Kinetics (UG)

Spring 2003-2021: MAT 204, Electrical, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials (UG)

Fall 2003-2020: MAT 312, Materials Characterization (UG)

Fall 2020: PROJ 201, Freshman project course—“Designing Hubs of Circularity for Sustainable Materials Processing”

Fall 2020, 2017, 2008: MAT 408 Introduction to Ceramics (UG)

Spring 2011, 2013, 2015: MAT 405, Advanced Materials Characterization (UG)

Spring 2014: NT 506, Advanced Materials Characterization Module (Advanced TEM lectures for the Nanotechnology Master’s program)

Spring 2014: MAT 680, Special Topics (G)

Fall 2003-2013: ENS 202, Thermodynamics (UG)

Fall 2013: NT 505, Materials Characterization Module (DLS and TEM lectures for the Nanotechnology Master’s program)

Fall 2009: 3.014 Materials Characterization (UG, at M.I.T.)

Fall 2003-7: MAT 509, Material Science & Engineering I: Structure and Properties of Materials (G)

Spring 2006: MAT 308, Phase Equilibria (UG)

 

 

 

Other Work Experience:

Visiting Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

R&D Engineer at JDS Uniphase (formerly SDL, Inc.), San Jose, California, USA

Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Stuttgart, Germany

Chateaubriand Science & Technology Fellow at Thales (formerly Thomson-CSF, LCR), Orsay, France

Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

 

 

 

Other Professional Activities

 

The most profound impact on my education was by the Summer Science Program (www.summerscience.org), during a fateful summer in Ojai, California.