Chris Evans

Chris Evans
Chris Evans he/him/his
  • Associate Professor
(217) 300-9949
202A Materials Science & Eng Bld

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Education

  • 2013, PhD, Northwestern University
  • 2008, Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, University of Minnesota
  • 2008, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, University of Minnesota

Biography

Professor Evans received his bachelors in both Chemical Engineering as well as Chemistry from the University of Minnesota and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Northwestern University. Following a brief stint at UC Berkeley, he moved to UC Santa Barbara to continue his postdoc. He joined the faculty at UIUC in 2016. His professional awards include the Ryan Fellowship, 3M Fellowship, AkzoNobel award, ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator award, ACS PMSE Young Investigator, and a 3M Non-tenured faculty award.

Research Statement

The Evans group is interested in probing the physics of polymer networks with the incorporation of dynamic covalent bonds and added salts. We are pursuing a fundamental understanding of polymer properties such as energy dissipation, self-healing, crystallization, and transport of small molecules through the network. The group combines molecular design of precise polymers with advanced characterization approaches to determine structure-property relationships in dynamic, ionic networks. Application of networks in the group include supercapacitors, actuators, membranes, batteries, energy dissipation, and thermal management which are informed by our fundamental investigations. New directions in the lab include using synthetic polypeptides to design solid state materials with enhanced properties by harnessing the helical secondary structure of these molecules.

Research Interests

  • Polymer Physics, Diffusion, Energy Materials, Nanoscale and Interfacial Physics

Research Areas

  • Polymers

Research Topics

Selected Articles in Journals

Honors

  • ACS PMSE Young Investigator Award (2022)
  • 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award (2020)
  • NSF CAREER Award (2018)
  • American Chemical Society: Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator (2017)
  • AkzoNobel Award Winner (2012)
  • 3M Fellowship (2010)
  • Ryan Fellowship (2010)

Teaching Honors

  • Teachers Ranked as Excellent (Fall 2016, Fall 2018, Fall 2023)

Recent Courses Taught

  • MSE 402 - Kinetic Processes in Materials
  • MSE 457 (CHEM 480) - Polymer Chemistry
  • MSE 552 - Mass & Ion Transport in Polyme
  • MSE 559 - Soft Materials Seminar
  • MSE 598 CE - Transport in Polymers

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