Rodriguez Group UMD
@RodriguezLabUMD
Solid state chemistry at the University of Maryland; transition metal oxides and chalcogenides; superconductors, magnetic materials, & oxygen storage materials
We show ion-exchange can achieve fast synthesis of CoPS3,which is very challenge to make via traditional solid-state reaction. Power of meta-synthesis! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…
How to reveal the multiscale structural evolution of porous materials? Try in-situ USAX. We have a new paper coming out in @ChemCommun. Congrats @Tianyu_Crystal on your new publication! pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art…
Let's do the twist! Latest paper from our lab on twisting 2D layers of iron sulfide via hydro/solvothermal synthesis. The individual layers related to the iron-based superconductors. Work of @laharibalisetty published in @ChemicalScience . pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art…
This is the 7th year we run this winter school with my colleagues in @UMDPhysics Johnpierre Paglione and Nick Butch. Check out the lectures and come by if you want to know more about our theme this year: high pressure techniques in the preparation of quantum materials.
Our 7th (!) Annual Winter School is starting next week!! See more details at fqm.physics.umd.edu
Congratulations Dr. Lahari Balisetty! PhD #11 from the Rodriguez Lab. Her wonderful work on solving the structure of misfit layers and twisted layers was some of the most interesting crystallography coming out of our lab recently. Cheers to her future in materials research!


This exciting paper shows AI design of materials, robotic synthesis. 10s of new compounds in 17 days. But did they? This paper has very serious problems in materials characterisation. In my view it should never have got near publication. Hold on tight let's take a look 😱
🚀 Exciting News! Our A-Lab has revolutionized inorganic materials discovery! Combining ab-initio calculations, historical data from literature, and robotic testing, we're rapidly uncovering new compounds. 🤖 nature.com/articles/s4158…
Group hike at the nearby Sugarloaf Mountain plus a bit of wine tasting nearby to refresh :-) . Let's close out the fall semester in good spirits!



Great suggestions for any journal in any field. Why let poor presentation impede good science? This is a good thread by the senior editor Michael White at Nature.
I’ve handled the review of > 1000 papers at @nature. Over time, you notice aspects of presentation on which reviewers tend to comment. In the interests of minimizing hassles during review, I offer the following suggestions (a bit targeted to climate papers).
With a new building going up in 2024 and plenty of research opportunities around, we are looking for team members to join our chemistry and biochemistry graduate programs. Deadline 12/15/23 . To apply, please go to gradschool.umd.edu. Contact us if you have any questions!

Come to our potluck to honor Hispanic/Latin Heritage Month. I (Efrain) will be bringing homemade tamales of pork in red chile. You don't have to bring anything either but your appetite. ¡Buen provecho! @SACNASatUMD @ChemBiochemUMD
I’ve handled the review of > 1000 papers at @nature. Over time, you notice aspects of presentation on which reviewers tend to comment. In the interests of minimizing hassles during review, I offer the following suggestions (a bit targeted to climate papers).
To commemorate #HispanicHeritageMonth, we are highlighting profiles of influential or recently deceased Hispanic and Latino scientists that have shaped chemistry as we know it today. Learn more about these chemists and others you should know about: cen.acs.org/people/profile…
New group picture! We are looking for enthusiastic graduate students and postdocs to join our team. Hence our posters in the background :-) Of course, undergraduate researchers are always welcome too.

Truly honored. Love that this recognition is not just for research but also for teaching. Always looking for excellence in student success at all levels.
Congrats to @ChemBiochemUMD's Efrain Rodriguez (@RodriguezLabUMD) on being named a 2023 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher! Efrain joined #UMD in 2012 as a materials chemist. He is also committed to supporting and mentoring students underrepresented in #STEM. go.umd.edu/erodriguez-dst
Quick question for anyone teaching this coming fall, have you ever done an optional final exam for your course? If so, how did it work out? It's syllabus writing time of course.
My key (and mostly serious) takes on #LK99 hype and its predictable outcome, speaking as solid state chemist (but “95% Physicist Barbie”, according to idrlabs.com/barbie-charact… 😉). 🧵1/6
Finally, this just appeared in Nature, pointing out that another earlier claim of near-ambient SC in LuHN (totally different classes of materials) is irreproducible and false nature.com/articles/s4158…
More #LK99 good/bad news. Good news is more results have been reported. Bad news is exactly the same. NTU, an excellent university which has sent its students as PhD students and postdocs to CMTC over the years, reports insulating resistivity increasing with decreasing T and...
Past and present group members at the North American Solid State Chemistry Conference #NASSCC. Tianyu Li @Tianyu_crystal and Xiuquan Zhou doing great work now as postdocs, launching their independent careers soon.
