Prof. Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska’s current research is in atomic structure and properties of graphene monoxide, a new two dimensional material that is the first solid form of carbon monoxide known to exist at ambient conditions. This material was created inside the electron microscope and discovered by in-situ electron diffraction. Profs. Gajdardziska and Hirschmugl co-founded a university incubated startup, COnovate Inc, to bring graphene-monoxide-based nanocomposite materials to market, at first in anodes of Lithium-ion batteries.
This entrepreneurial activity arises from decades of fundamental research on which Dr. Marija GJ uses atomic resolution transmission electron microscopy, diffraction, and spectroscopy methods to understand how the combination of ionicity and limited dimensionality leads to new physical properties and useful applications. Her foundational research programs have aimed to elucidate stabilization mechanisms for two dimensional polar oxide surfaces and interfaces by studying their atomic and electronic structures. The focus has been on polar oxide systems with applications in energy, environment, and novel forms of electronics. Her group has also worked with a wide range of nanostructures, including hybrid nanosensors and complex oxide nanoparticles with promising multiferroic properties. In the area of biophysics she has collaborated with colleagues from life sciences to develop targeted magnetic nanotechnology therapies for stroke and cancer, and to study naturally occurring magnetic nanocrystalline biominerals created by the iron storage proteins in plants and bacteria. She has contributed to technique developments in nanodiffraction, electron holography, reflection electron microscopy, and dynamical in-situ transmission electron microscopy. Her research has been supported by extramural grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Research Corporation, and intramural Catalysis, UW Milwaukee and Madison, and Research Growth Initiative grants.