Stephen Wilke
    Ph.D. Student

    Current project(s):

    Phone: 847.467.5416
    Email: stephenwilke2021@u.northwestern.edu
    Address: 2220 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208

I study iron oxide redox cycles as a scheme to reversibly store hydrogen. Using reduction by hydrogen gas and subsequent oxidation with steam, we can transition between different oxidation states of Fe/FeO, while storing or releasing hydrogen in the process. The main challenge for this technology is the mechanical pulverization and sintering of the iron oxide substrate with repeated cycling, due to the volume change of phase transition. My goal is to understand the phase change induced strain by looking at different microstructures, made via freeze casting or 3D printing.

I earned my B.S. in chemical engineering from Caltech in 2010. Since then, I’ve been involved in various areas of research both in academia and industry, including solid oxide fuels cells, thermochemical fuel production cycles, and lithium ion batteries. Outside of lab, I enjoy running, backpacking, rock climbing, cooking, and baking. Originally from Columbus, NE, I am a Midwestern at heart and love life in Evanston/Chicago, especially for the beauty of Lake Michigan and all the great places to eat.

Selected Honors

  1. ISEN Cluster Fellow (2017-2018)

Publications

  1. Lloreda-Jurado, P. J., Wilke, S. K., Scotti, K., Paúl-Escolano, A., Dunand, D. C., & Sepúlveda, R. (2020). Structure-processing relationships of freeze-cast iron foams fabricated with various solidification rates and post-casting heat treatment. Journal of Materials Research, 1-10.
  2. Um, T., Wilke, S. K., Choe, H., & Dunand, D. C. (2020). Effects of pore morphology on the cyclical oxidation/reduction of iron foams created via camphene-based freeze casting. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 845, 156278.
  3. Wilke, S. K., Lundberg, R. A., & Dunand, D. C. (2020). Hierarchical Structural Changes during Redox Cycling of Fe-Based Lamellar Foams containing YSZ, CeO2, or ZrO2. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12(24), 27190-27201.
  4. Wilke, S. K., & Dunand, D. C. (2020). Finite Element Model for Coupled Diffusion and Elastoplastic Deformation during High-Temperature Oxidation of Fe to FeO. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 167(8), 080532.
  5. Wilke, S. K., & Dunand, D. C. (2020). In operando tomography reveals degradation mechanisms in lamellar iron foams during redox cycling at 800° C. Journal of Power Sources, 448, 227463.
  6. Wilke, S. K., & Dunand, D. C. (2020). Fe-Ni Foams Self-Heal during Redox Cycling via Reversible Formation/Homogenization of a Ductile Ni Scaffold. Journal of Materials Chemistry A.
  7. M. Salameh, S. Wilke, B. Schweitzer, P. Sveum, S. Al-Hallaj, M. Krishnamurthy. Thermal State of Charge Estimation in Phase Change Composites for Passively Cooled Lithium-ion Battery Packs, IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications 54 (2018), 426-436.
  8. S. Wilke, B. Schweitzer, S. Khateeb, S. Al-Hallaj. Preventing thermal runaway propagation in lithium ion battery packs using a phase change composite material: An experimental study, Journal of Power Sources 340 (2017) 51–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.11.018
  9. S. Al-Hallaj, S. Wilke, B. Schweitzer. Energy Storage Systems for Smart Grid Applications, in Water, Energy & Food Sustainability in the Middle East (Eds. A. Badran, S. Murad, E. Baydoun, N. Daghir), Springer International Publishing, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48920-9.
  10. D.C. Casillas, D.C. Wilkinson, C.-H. Lai, S.K. Wilke, M.J. Ignatowich, S.M. Haile, B.S. Dunn. High-temperature structural stability of ceria-based inverse opals, Journal of the American Ceramic Society 100 (2017), 2659-2668. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jace.14781.
  11. S. Wilke, B. Schweitzer, S. Khateeb, S. Al-Hallaj. Semi-Empirical Modeling of Capacity Fade: A Practical Approach for Battery Pack Manufacturers, ECS Transactions 73 (2016), 109-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1149/07301.0109ecst.
  12. F.-A. LeBel, S. Wilke, B. Schweitzer, M.-A. Roux, S. Al-Hallaj, J.P.F. Trovao. A Lithium-Ion Battery Electro-Thermal Model of Parallellized Cells, IEEE 84th Vehicular Technology Conference (Fall 2016).
  13. B. Schweitzer, S. Wilke, S. Khateeb, S. Al-Hallaj. Experimental validation of a 0-D numerical model for phase change thermal management systems in lithium-ion batteries, Journal of Power Sources 287 (2015), 211-219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.04.016.
  14. E.C. Brown, S.K. Wilke, D.A Boyd, D.G. Goodwin, S.M. Haile. Polymer sphere lithography for solid oxide fuel cells: a route to functional well-defined electrode structures, Journal of Materials Chemistry 20 (2010), 2190-2196. http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/B920973E.