{{short description|American chemist}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Amy Lucia Prieto | alma_mater = Williams College, BA, 1996<br /> University of California, Berkeley, PhD, 2001 | workplaces = Colorado State University, 2012 – Present<br /> Harvard University, 2002 – 2005 | image = | doctoral_advisor = Angelica Stacy | thesis_title = Electrodeposition of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials | thesis_year = 2001 | thesis_url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/34741717_Electrodeposition_of_nanostructured_thermoelectric_materials | birth_place = Bogotá, Colombia | awards = PECASE }}
'''Amy Prieto''' is a Professor of Chemistry at Colorado State University and the Founder and Chief Technical Officer of Prieto Battery.
== Education and early career == Prieto received her Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry and philosophy from Williams College in 1996. There, she undertook an honors thesis entitled "The Synthesis and Characterization of Precursors to Zirconium-Containing Liquid Crystals" under the mentorship of Lee Young Park. Before beginning her doctoral work, she was a summer research fellow at Bell Labs, which she credits with fostering an appreciation for cross-disciplinary collaboration.<ref name=":0" /> She then attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her PhD in inorganic chemistry in 2001. For her graduate work, she worked in the laboratory of Angelica Stacy on her thesis entitled ''Electrodeposition of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials'' working to synthesize solid-state materials.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://cen.acs.org/energy/energy-storage-/Amy-Prieto-is-building-safer-more-powerful-batteries/98/i9|title=Amy Prieto is building safer, more powerful batteries|website=Chemical & Engineering News|language=en|access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref>
Following her PhD, she began a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, working in the Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center in Hongkun Park's research group, where she studied and characterized the electronic properties of single molecules and nanoparticles.<ref name=":0" />
== Research == In 2005, Prieto joined the faculty at Colorado State University as a synthetic chemist and materials scientist. Prieto's research program focuses on Lithium-ion batteries, as well as developing nanoparticles and nanowire structures for a variety of applications.
== Prieto Battery == In 2009, she founded Prieto Battery.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Molella|first1=Arthur P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=enJHCgAAQBAJ&q=%22amy+prieto%22+harvard&pg=PT368|title=Places of Invention|last2=Karvellas|first2=Anna|date=2015-09-15|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|isbn=978-1-935623-69-4|language=en}}</ref> The company is geared towards developing and commercializing a rechargeable battery that will last longer, charge faster, and be free of toxic or flammable materials that make up traditional batteries.<ref name=":0" /> It took her four years to form the company and an additional five to develop a working prototype.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/next-generation/how-to-make-battery-power-more-powerful-17085182|title=How to Make Battery Power More Powerful|last=Sofge|first=Erik|date=2014-08-12|website=Popular Mechanics|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref> By 2014, Prieto and collaborators had created a small pilot production line in her laboratory at CSU to demonstrate their viability to larger investors.
Unlike traditional batteries, Prieto's battery is solid-state, meaning the battery uses solid electrodes and a solid electrolyte, rather than liquid or polymer gel electrolytes.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/smartphone-battery-life-2-problems-4-fixes-smartphones-unlocked/|title=Smartphone battery life: 2 problems, 4 fixes (Smartphones Unlocked)|last=Dolcourt|first=Jessica|website=CNET|language=en|access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref> The battery makes use of a three-dimensional copper foam that undergoes a coating process through two electroplating steps: one to create a positively charged electrode (anode made of copper antimonide) and one to create the negatively-charged electrode (cathode).<ref name=":0" /> Because the foam is a porous 3-dimensional material, the electroplating coats both the foam's outer surface and its pores, creating a high surface area for ion transfer. The company claims that ions travel shorter distances than in conventional batteries, increasing power density (20C)<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Hanley |first=Steve |date=2023-05-23 |title=Prieto Introduces Battery That Charges In 3 Minutes |url=https://cleantechnica.com/2023/05/23/prieto-introduces-battery-that-charges-in-3-minutes/ |access-date=2023-05-25 |website=CleanTechnica |language=en-US}}</ref> and reducing charging times. This makes Prieto's battery charge faster and store more energy than lithium-ion batteries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cen.acs.org/materials/energy-storage/Entrepreneur-rethinks-lithium-ion-batteries/96/i29|title=Entrepreneur rethinks lithium-ion batteries with an eye toward storing renewable energy|website=Chemical & Engineering News|language=en|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/18/prieto-battery-smartphones-3d/|title=Your smartphone battery is going to get way better if Prieto can turn its 3-D battery into a commercial reality|last=Post|first=Tamara Chuang {{!}} The Denver|date=2017-06-18|website=The Denver Post|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref> The batteries are lightweight, flexible, use non-toxic materials, can come in a variety of shapes, and do not overheat or catch fire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/542796/new-foam-batteries-promise-fast-charging-higher-capacity/|title=Startup Prieto Manufactures Batteries Made of 3-D Foam Structures|last=Martin|first=Richard|website=MIT Technology Review|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-11}}</ref><ref name=":3" />
Investors in Prieto Battery include Stanley Ventures and Intel Capital.<ref name=":2" /> In 2016, Prieto demonstrated her batteries to Stanley Black & Decker, using one of their 3D printers.<ref name=":2" />
== Awards and honors ==
* Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017 * Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, 2012<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124707|title=President Obama Honors Early Career Scientists and Engineers|website=www.nsf.gov|language=English|access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref> * National Science Foundation CAREER Awards, 2010<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0956011&HistoricalAwards=false|title=NSF Award Search: Award#0956011 - CAREER: Energy Storage and Conversion- Coupling the Direct Electrodeposition of Crystalline Intermetallics with Targeted Outreach to Elementary Schools|website=www.nsf.gov|access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref> * L'Oréal USA for Women in Science Fellowship, 2004<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/23564-New-Women-in-Science-Fellowship-Program-Honors-Future-Science-Leaders|title=New Women in Science Fellowship Program, Honors Future Science Leaders – Press Releases on CSRwire.com|website=www.csrwire.com|access-date=2020-03-10}}</ref> * Fellow, Sigma Xi, 1996
== Selected publications ==
* {{Cite journal |last1=Riha |first1=Shannon C. |last2=Parkinson |first2=Bruce A. |last3=Prieto |first3=Amy L. |date=2009-09-02 |title=Solution-Based Synthesis and Characterization of Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 Nanocrystals |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja9044168 |journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society |language=en |volume=131 |issue=34 |pages=12054–12055 |doi=10.1021/ja9044168 |pmid=19673478 |issn=0002-7863|url-access=subscription }} * MS Sander, AL Prieto, R Gronsky, T Sands, AM Stacy (2002) [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1521-4095%2820020503%2914%3A9%3C665%3A%3AAID-ADMA665%3E3.0.CO%3B2-B Fabrication of High-Density, High Aspect Ratio, Large-Area Bismuth Telluride Nanowire Arrays by Electrodeposition into Porous Anodic Alumina Templates]. ''Advanced Materials''. 14 (9), 665–667. * {{Cite journal |last1=Prieto |first1=Amy L. |last2=Sander |first2=Melissa S. |last3=Martín-González |first3=Marisol S. |last4=Gronsky |first4=Ronald |last5=Sands |first5=Timothy |last6=Stacy |first6=Angelica M. |date=2001-07-01 |title=Electrodeposition of Ordered {{chem|Bi|2|Te|3}} Nanowire Arrays |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja015989j |journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society |language=en |volume=123 |issue=29 |pages=7160–7161 |doi=10.1021/ja015989j |pmid=11459497 |hdl=10261/31242 |issn=0002-7863|hdl-access=free }} * {{Cite journal |last1=Arthur |first1=Timothy S. |last2=Bates |first2=Daniel J. |last3=Cirigliano |first3=Nicolas |last4=Johnson |first4=Derek C. |last5=Malati |first5=Peter |last6=Mosby |first6=James M. |last7=Perre |first7=Emilie |last8=Rawls |first8=Matthew T. |last9=Prieto |first9=Amy L. |last10=Dunn |first10=Bruce |date=2011-07-01 |title=Three-dimensional electrodes and battery architectures |url=https://doi.org/10.1557/mrs.2011.156 |journal=MRS Bulletin |language=en |volume=36 |issue=7 |pages=523–531 |doi=10.1557/mrs.2011.156 |s2cid=138283425 |issn=1938-1425|url-access=subscription }}
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Prieto, Amy}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Williams College alumni Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:Colorado State University faculty Category:21st-century Colombian scientists Category:21st-century Colombian women scientists Category:American women chemists Category:Colombian chemists Category:Living people Category:American women academics Category:21st-century American women Category:Recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers