Welcome

to the Diesendruck group at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry!
For information, contact Dr. Charles Diesendruck at charles@technion.ac.il

Mechanochemistry

Mechanochemistry is the use of mechanical force to drive chemical reactions. Our group will study new chemical transformations that lead to change in materials properties, creating smart mechanoresponsive materials.


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Projects

At the interface of synthetic chemistry and materials science…

Mechanical forces in different polymer architectures
In this project, we study the effect of mechanical force on breaking chemical bonds in polymers with different topologies. We design and prepare unique polymer chains in which forces can be directed to specific locations, leading to mechanochemical activation of desired bonds. Our polymers present extended longetivity as well as the ability to undergo mechanically triggered transformations.

Anion-exchange membranes for fuel cells
Anion-exchange membrane fuel cells are one of the most promising technologies for the implementation of renewable energy resources in transportation. However, this technology is hampered by the anion-exchange membrane, which undergoes rapid chemical decomposition upon fuel cell operation. In this project, we study the causes for this chemical instability and develop solution which are judiciously designed for the unique environment of an operating alkaline fuel cell.

Fundamentals and applications of single-chain polymer nanoparticles
Nature uses polymers (proteins, DNA etc) to create molecules with function and materials with unparalleled properties. While numerous polymer architectures have been developed, the topology chosen by Nature has not been significantly explored in synthetic polymers and plastics. This architecture is commonly known as single-chain polymer nanoparticles (SCNPs), and in this project, we dstudy the basic properties of single-molecules, solutions and materials made with SCNPs, as well as their effect on traditional polymers.

Development of new chemical transformations
As curious chemists, developing new chemical transformations is always an interesting challenge. In this project we focus on troublesome or inaccessible chemical transformations without a specific target in mind and exploit the full power of different chemistries in order to develop new, simple chemical reactants and reactions.

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Current Members

Ranu Dhale

Ph.D. student
contact: ranud at technion.ac.il
joined: 10/23
before: M.Sc. in Chemistry, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, with Prof. Nadav Amdursky
projects:
- Chemistry under electrical fields
favorite food: Veg biryani and pan fried pomfret.

Rony Schwarz

Ph.D. student
contact: ronys at technion.ac.il
joined: 06/20
before: Researcher at StoreDot Ltd.
projects:
- new C-C bond scission mechanophores
favorite food: chocolate souffle with ice cream.

Eden Ovadia

M.Sc. student (external)
contact: studovd at technion.ac.il
joined: 10/19
before: B.Sc. in Chemistry, Technion
projects:
- Light-activated self-healing
favorite food: Beef.

Hang Zhang

Post-doctoral researcher
contact: hang.zhang at technion.ac.il
joined: 09/20
before: Post-doctoral researcher, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), with Prof. Mingfeng Wang
projects:
- Mechanochemistry in copolymers
favorite food: Lanzhou beef noodles.

Sinai Aharonovich

Senior Researcher
contact: sinai-ah at technion.ac.il
joined: 08/16
before: Post-doctoral researcher, Stanford University, with Prof. Robert M. Waymouth
projects:
- Synthesis of tetraryl ammonium salts
favorite food: Stuffed vegetables.

Amit Manor-Armon

Ph.D. student
contact: amit.ma at technion.ac.il
joined: 09/21
before: M.Sc. in Chemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with Prof. Ori Gidron
projects:
- New QAs for Alkaline Fuel Cells
favorite food: Gnocchi.

Elisa Ivry

Lab Manager/Researcher
contact: elisai at technion.ac.il
joined: 11/19
before: Ph.D. in Organometallic Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University, with Prof. N. Gabriel Lemcoff
projects:
- Melamine microparticles
favorite food: Pancakes.

Faran Levy

M.Sc. student (external)
contact: lefaran at technion.ac.il
joined: 10/20
before: B.Sc. in Polymer Engineering, Shenkar
projects:
- Thermoplastic Epoxy
favorite food: Hummus.

Yonatan Amit

M.Sc. student (external)
contact: yonatana at technion.ac.il
joined: 10/21
before: B.Sc. in Polymer Engineering, Shenkar
projects:
- Phase-change materials
favorite food: Scallops.

Alisa Bouketov

Ph.D. student
contact: bouketov at technion.ac.il
joined: 10/19
before: B.Sc. in Chemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
projects:
- SCPNs with H-bonding groups
favorite food: Lasagne.

Ankita Mathur

Post-doctoral researcher
contact: ankitamathur at technion.ac.il
joined: 09/23
before: Post-doctoral researcher, Technion, with Prof. Matthew Suss
projects:
- Capacitive deionization
favorite food: Pancakes.

Raz-Azar Buzaglo

M.Sc. student (external)
contact: raz-azar-bu at technion.ac.il
joined: 04/24
before: B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Technion
projects:
- Mechanochemistry in Epoxy
favorite food: Chicken breast.

Lixin Yang

Post-doctoral researcher
contact: yang.lixing at technion.ac.il
joined: 5/24
before: Ph.D. in Materials Physics, Nagoya University, with Prof. Masubuchi Yuichi
projects:
- Rheology of SCPNs
favorite food: Jiaozi.

Alumni

  • Maayan Hirsch
    M.Sc. Student (2014-6)
    now at Bazelet Group (Israel)

  • Shubhendu Dhara
    Post-doctoral researcher (2015-7)
    now at West Bengal State University (India)

  • Feng Wang
    Post-doctoral researcher (2015-7)
    now at Qingdao University of Technology (China)

  • Avishai Levi
    Ph.D. student (2015-19)
    now chemistry instructor @ GTIIT (China)

  • Or Galant
    Ph.D. student (2015-20)
    now at EPD International AB (Sweden)

  • Nansi Gjineci
    Ph.D. student (2016-20)
    now at Solutum Technologies (Israel)

  • Iris Agami
    M.Sc.+Ph.D. student (2015-2022)
    now at Teva Pharmaceuticals (Israel)

  • Lina Rozental
    Ph.D. student (2019-2024)
    now Lab Manager @ Technion Chemical Engineering

  • Simon Ulka
    M.Sc. student (2017-8)
    now at gmp Architekten (Germany)

  • Ying Song
    Post-doctoral researcher (2018)
    now at Nanning Normal University (China)

  • Kanika Aggarwal
    Ph.D. student (2018-22)
    now at Johnson Matthey (UK)

  • Oleg Gouli
    M.Sc. student (2019-22)
    now at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems (Israel)

  • Alexander Mezhov
    Post-doctoral researcher (2020)
    now at BAM (Germany)

  • Sapir Willdorf-Cohen
    Ph.D. student (2018-23)
    now Lab Manager @ Technion Chemical Engineering

  • Sally Nijem
    Ph.D. student (2019-23)
  • Visiting Students
  • Zakhar Prilutskiy
  • Adam Brill
  • Shlomy Arava
  • Hasan Barca Donmez
  • Dominik Jammal

  • Undergrads
  • Arad Lang
  • Michal Burck
  • Elad Gaver
  • Reut Shechter
  • Dolev Brenman
  • Hadar Goldstein
  • Rachel Swartzberg
  • Roi Feinstein
  • Shay Levi
  • Nitzan Matos
  • Sapir Oliel
  • Maya Volk
  • Mali Mulugeta
  • Nur Juma
  • Yarin Sarage

Publications

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Charles E. Diesendruck, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

contact: charles@technion.ac.il

Dr. Diesendruck received his B.Sc. in analytical and environmental chemistry from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. After serving in the army and working a few years at Chemada Fine Chemicals, he returned to BGU to complete a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in organometallic chemistry with Prof. N. Gabriel Lemcoff.

Dr. Diesendruck was a postdoctoral fellow in materials chemistry at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, working at the Autonomous Materials Systems group with Prof. Jeffrey S. Moore.