Ali Abdelhafiz

Bio

Dr. Ali Abdelhafiz graduated with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Ain Shams University, where he developed an innovative design for the green synthesis of aluminum foam, building a strong foundation in engineering principles and materials science. He earned his M.Sc. in Nanotechnology from The American University in Cairo, focusing on polymer nanocomposites for advanced membrane separation applications. Dr. Abdelhafiz completed his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech, specializing in surface science and strain engineering of 2D materials for energy conversion. His expertise extends to bandgap engineering of 1D semiconductors for photoelectrochemical energy harvesting and water treatment.

At MIT, Dr. Abdelhafiz is pioneering a novel approach to advanced materials design through high-throughput experimentation, in-situ materials characterization, and Machine Learning. His research addresses critical challenges in renewable energy, materials in extreme environments, as well as radiation safety and detection. His academic journey reflects a deep commitment to interdisciplinary learning and innovation in materials science.

Research

At MIT, Dr. Abdelhafiz is advancing accelerated materials discovery through the integration of high-throughput experimentation, in-situ characterization, and machine learning. His work focuses on rapidly developing advanced materials for applications in renewable energy, environmental sustainability, and extreme conditions. By combining automation and data-driven approaches, he addresses challenges such as green fuels production and device optimization, and nuclear materials for high-temperatures and radiation-resistant environments.

Looking to the future, Dr. Abdelhafiz aims to push the boundaries of materials science by exploring new paradigms in additive manufacturing and interface engineering. His research will focus on designing radiation-resistant alloys, high-performance catalysts, and functional materials tailored for integration into complete energy systems, including fusion reactors, fuel cells and electrolyzers. By bridging material discovery with system-level innovation, he seeks to provide transformative solutions for global energy and environmental challenges.

Publications

1. Abdelhafiz A*, Mohammed M, Lee D, Chen M, Abed J, Helal A, Ren Z, Alamgir F, Sargent T, Kohl P, Elsaide S*, Li, J*. "Tri-metallic catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction enables continuous operation of anion exchange membrane electrolyzer at 1A/cm2." Advanced Energy Materials. 2024, 10 (18), e2300426.
2. Abdelhafiz A, Tanvir ANM, Zeng M,Wang B, Ren Z, Harutyunyan AR, Zhang Y*, Li J*. "Pulsed Light Synthesis of High Entropy Nanocatalysts with Enhanced Catalytic Activity and Prolonged Stability for Oxygen Evolution Reaction." Advanced Science. 2023, 12, 2200742.
3. Abdelhafiz A*, Choi J, Zhao B, Ding Y, Soule L, Jang S*, Liu M*, Alamgir F*. Catalysis Sans Catalyst Loss: Graphene Sandwiched Single Atom Metal Architecture for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Advanced Science. 2023, 20304616.
4. Eid K*, Abdelhafiz A*, Abdallah A, Abdel-Azeim S, Shibl M. Scalable Nitrogen-enriched Porous sub-100 nm Graphitic Carbon nano-capsules for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Different Media. Green Chemistry. (invited article) 2023, 25, 6748-6758.
5. Abdelhafiz A, Wang B, Harutyunyan AR, Li J*. "Carbothermal Shock Synthesis of High Entropy Oxide Catalysts: Dynamic Structural and Chemical Reconstruction Boosting the Catalytic Activity and Stability toward Oxygen Evolution Reaction." Advanced Energy Materials. 2022, 12, 2200742. (Wiley award top downloaded paper in 2023)
6. Xiao Z, Wu H, Zhong H, Abdelhafiz A*, Zeng J. De-alloyed PtCu/C Catalysts with Enhanced Electrocatalytic Performance for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Nanoscale, 2021,13, 13896-13904.
7. Abdelhafiz A, Zhao B, Xiao Z, Zeng J, Deng X, Lang L, Ding Y, Song H, Liu M. Facile room-temperature synthesis of a highly active and robust single-crystal Pt multipod catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2020. 12, 44, 49510-49518.
8. Choi J, Abdelhafiz A, Buntin P, Vitale A, Robertson A,Warner J, Jang S*, Alamgir F*, "Contiguous and atomically thin pt film with supra-bulk behavior through graphene-imposed epitaxy." Advanced Functional Materials. 2019, 29(46).
9. Robertson A, Lee G, Lee S, Buntin P, Draxler M, Abdelhafiz A, Yoon E, Warner J, Alamgir F. Atomic Structure and Dynamics of Epitaxial Platinum Bilayers on Graphene. ACS Nano. 2019. 13, 10, 12162-12170.
10. Abdelhafiz A, Vitale A, Buntin P, Deglee B, Joiner C, Robertson A, Vogel E, Warner J, Alamgir F*. "Epitaxial and atomically thin graphene-metal hybrid catalyst films: the dual role of graphene as the support and the chemically-transparent protective cap." Energy & Environmental Science. 2018, 111, 1610-1616.