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Ethos
Ethos
We use electric fields to push molecules, materials, and interfaces into doing interesting things. Our lab studies how large static, dynamic, and bipolar electric fields influence crystallization, assembly, and environmental sensing, especially in systems where the field does more than simply drive Faradaic chemistry. We work across electrochemistry, materials science, environmental chemistry, applied physics, and scientific communication, with a bias toward creative experiments.
PROJECTS
Sensors
Sensors
We build simple, cheap, and creative ways to measure harmful contaminants in drinking water. Our work focuses on simple point-of-use chemical sensors for contaminants like heavy metals and PFAS, often using bipolar electrochemistry mixed with electrochemiluminescence, solid-state luminescence, molecular imprinting, and microfabrication.
Crystal Growth
Crystal Growth
We use electric fields to grow useful crystalline materials. One branch develops bipolar electrochemical liquid-liquid-solid (ec-LLS) growth of semiconductors like Ge and Si at suspended liquid metal microdroplets. A second uses huge electric fields (>1 billion V/m!) in the electrical double layer to tune molecular nucleation and control API polymorph selection.
Pedagogy
Pedagogy
We develop authentic research experiences for the undergraduate classroom. These projects turn real chemical problems into open-ended course modules, including complex equilibria modeling inspired by the Flint water crisis, hybrid perovskite thin-film solar cells, non-aqueous redox flow batteries, on-chip microcapillary electrophoresis separations, environmental water analysis, and other messy, real-world chemical systems.
PEOPLE
Eli Fahrenkrug
Eli received his B.S. in Chemistry from The Evergreen State College in 2011 and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2016, where he helped pioneer electrochemical methods for growing semiconductor crystals at liquid metal electrodes. His interest in electrochemistry started at Hummingbird Scientific, where he helped develop tools for watching electrochemical reactions at the atomic scale. After Michigan, he spent time as a visiting scientist at the Institute of Semiconductors at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and helped build one of the world’s highest-elevation microbreweries on the Tibetan Plateau. Eli joined Colorado College in 2017. He teaches across general, analytical, instrumental, inorganic, solid-state, snow, and environmental chemistry. In the lab, he likes growing crystals, building sensors, and making snow. Outside the lab, he co-founded the Fountain Valley Water Project, moonlights as a wedding officiant, cooks Sichuan food, hikes with his dogs Pizza and Strugi, sees live music, and pursues Type 2 and Type 3 fun.
Current Researchers & Alumni
Michelle Laferriere ’27, eQCM Investigation of Active MIP PFAS Sensor Layer, CC, 2026.
Evie Doran ’27, Synthesis of Gallium Microparticles, 2025; eQCM Investigation of Active MIP PFAS Sensor Layer, CC, 2026.
Alina Miranda ’27, Synthesis of Gallium Microparticles, 2025; Bipolar Electrodeposition, CC, 2026.
Micah Denslow ’27, Optimization of Titratable Acidity Method for High-Fidelity Quantitation of CAM Photosynthetic Activity in Plants, CC, 2026.
Peter Renwick ’27, Optimization of Titratable Acidity Method for High-Fidelity Quantitation of CAM Photosynthetic Activity in Plants, CC, 2026.
Henry Batson ’27, Solid-State Reporting in Closed-Cell Bipolar Electrochemical Sensors, CC, 2026.
Magdaly Rowley-Lange ’26, Optimization of Titratable Acidity Method for High-Fidelity Quantitation of CAM Photosynthetic Activity in Plants, CC, 2026.
Ethan Bost ’26, Bipolar Electrochemical Liquid-Liquid-Solid Crystal Growth, CC, 2024–2026. Presented: Senior Seminar 2026.
Lola Muntiu ’26, eQCM Investigation of Active MIP PFAS Sensor Layer, CC, 2026. Presented: Senior Seminar 2026.
Rebecca Wilner ’26, Bipolar Electrochemical Liquid-Liquid-Solid Crystal Growth, CC, 2024–2026. Presented: Electrochemical Society National Meeting, Spring 2026, Seattle, WA, 3rd Place Best Student Poster Award; Midstates Symposium 2025; CSURF 2026; Senior Seminar 2026.
Maggie Nguyen ’26, In-Situ Raman Electropolymerization MIP, CC, 2024. Presented: Senior Seminar 2025.
Ethan Rothschild ’25, In-Situ Raman Electropolymerization MIP, CC, 2024. Presented: Senior Seminar 2025.
Sophia Bograd ’25, Electrochemical Kinetics Liquid Metal Electrodes, CC, 2024. Presented: Senior Seminar 2026.
Simone Zhang ’25, Controllable PFAS Binding to MIPs, CC, 2022, 2024. Presented: PRiME 2024, Honolulu, HI; Senior Seminar 2025.
Cathy Xiao ’25, Electric Field Polymorph Nucleation, CC, 2022. Presented: SCoRE 2022; Senior Seminar 2025.
Delia Freliech ’23, Optical MIP-BPE Sensors for Rapid PFAS Detection, CC, 2022. Presented: EV Thesis 2023.
Matthew Silverman ’23, Benchtop Snow Nucleation, CC, 2022. Presented: Western Snow Conference 2023; SCoRE 2022; CSURF 2022.
Aidan Powell ’22, Benchtop Snow Nucleation, CC, 2022.
Sammy Ries ’24, MIP PFAS Sensors, CC, 2022. Presented: SCoRE 2022; Midstates 2022; ECS National Meeting 2023; Senior Seminar 2023.
Piper Catlin ’22, MIP PFAS Sensors, CC, 2022. Presented: Senior Seminar 2022.
Will Zagrodzky ’23, Electric Field Polymorph Nucleation, CC, 2022. Presented: SCoRE 2022; ACS Spring 2023.
Ian Huelsbeck ’23, Optical MIP-BPE Sensors for Rapid PFAS Detection, CC, 2022. Presented: SCoRE 2022; Midstates 2022; ECS National Meeting 2023; Senior Seminar 2023.
Adam Keim ’23, Electric Field Polymorph Nucleation, CC, 2021. Presented: SCoRE 2021.
Mir Qi ’23, Electric Field Polymorph Nucleation, CC, 2021. Presented: SCoRE 2021.
Nicole Chavarria ’23, Fountain Valley Water Project, CC, 2019–2021. Presented: SCoRE 2019, 2020; Midstates Conference 2021.
Anna Sofia Vera ’23, Optical Bipolar Electrochemical PFAS Sensors, CC, 2020.
Rowan Kinney ’23, Optical Bipolar Electrochemistry of Metal Ions in Water, CC, 2019–Present. Presented: SCoRE 2020.
Ryan Freedman ’22, Bipolar Electrochemical Environmental Sensing, CC, 2021. Presented: SCoRE 2021; EV Thesis 2022.
Westly Joseph ’21, Optical Bipolar Electrochemical PFAS Sensors, CC, 2020.
Camilla Gardner ’21, Optical Bipolar Electrochemical PFAS Sensors, CC, 2020.
Elias Mondaca ’22, Bipolar Electrochemical Sensors, CC, 2020–2021. Presented: ECS National Meeting 2021; SCoRE 2020 and 2021; Midstates Conference 2020 and 2021; Senior Seminar 2021.
Cecelia Mweka ’20, Electric Field Control of Crystal Polymorphism, CC, 2019. Presented: SCoRE 2019.
Halle White ’20, Molecular Imprint Polymer Sensing of GenX in a Bipolar Electrochemical Format, CC, 2019.
Mags Vlasimsky ’19, Molecular Imprint Polymer Sensing of GenX in a Bipolar Electrochemical Format, CC, 2019.
Cameron McDonald ’20, Developing a Virtual Reality Course Companion for Organic Chemistry, CC, 2019.
Max Kronstadt ’20, Fountain Valley Water Project, CC, 2019. Presented: SCoRE 2019; Pike’s Peak Environmental Forum, invited; Pike’s Peak Library District panel, invited.
Sam Sanson ’20, Fountain Valley Water Project, CC, 2019. Presented: SCoRE 2019; Pike’s Peak Environmental Forum, invited; Pike’s Peak Library District panel, invited.
Karina Grande ’20, Fountain Valley Water Project, CC, 2019. Presented: SACNAS 2019; SCoRE 2019; Pike’s Peak Environmental Forum, invited; Pike’s Peak Library District panel, invited.
Keenan Wright ’19, Fountain Valley Water Project, CC, 2018–2019. Presented: SCoRE 2018; Peak Alliance for a Sustainable Future PIPS 2019; CSURF 2019.
Jose Monge-Castro ’21, Finite Element Analysis of Closed Bipolar Electrochemical Cells for Metal Ion Quantification, CC, 2018. Presented: Associated Colleges of the Midwest Conference 2018; CC IGNITE 2019, invited; Colorado College Big Idea Innovation Awards 2019, 2nd place, $10,000; PittCon National Conference on Analytical Chemistry 2020, Best Undergraduate Poster Award; COMSOL Conference North America 2020.
Riley O’Sullivan ’19, Optical Bipolar Electrochemistry of Metal Ions in Water, CC, 2019.
Bradley Thomas ’19, BPE Metal Ion Sensor LED Project, CC, 2018.
Nick Humphrey ’19, Optical Bipolar Electrochemistry of Metal Ions in Water, CC, 2018–2019. Presented: PittCon National Conference on Analytical Chemistry 2019, Best Undergraduate Poster Award; SCoRE 2018; Colorado College Big Idea Innovation Awards 2019, 2nd place, $10,000.
Prakhar Gautam ’20, Electric Field Control of Crystal Polymorphism, CC, 2018–2019; VR Platforms for Chemical Education, CC, 2019. Presented: CC IGNITE 2018, invited; Colorado College Big Idea Innovation Awards 2019, semifinalist; ACS Southwest Regional Conference 2019.
Jeronimo Miranda ’18, BPE Metal Ion Electrochemiluminescence Project, CC, 2018. Presented: Colorado College Big Idea Innovation Awards 2019, 2nd place, $10,000.
OUR WORK
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