Physical Sciences at ORNL’s Post

Check out our recent publication in ACS Catalysis where we have made efforts to capture the elusive [RuV=O]+ intermediate involved in water oxidation catalysis. https://lnkd.in/ecRxppAZ.

Interesting talk by Mark Somers of the Leiden Institute of Chemistry at the #ReedijkSymposium. He talked about his theoretical work on studying the interaction of hydrogen with the copper (111) interface and its implications for heterogeneous catalysis. https://lnkd.in/eRYruhFd

The Welch Foundation, one of the nation’s leading private funders of basic chemistry research, has awarded the 2025 Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research to Haotian Wang, an associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. Wang is recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to carbon dioxide electrochemistry, which pave the way for sustainable energy solutions. https://bit.ly/4j9MBlN

Our latest research on lithium isotopes fractionation is now out! In collaboration with UKAEA and University of Cambridge, we demonstrate the concept of process intensification for a greener and more efficient lithium enrichment, essential for fusion power plants, but currently only possible through a polluting and dangerous process. You can find out more in https://lnkd.in/e42zDejX Panagiota Angeli UCL Chemical Engineering Edward Tipper Cong Duan

Researchers at ChBE Illinois have received a grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF) to explore ways to efficiently separate carbon dioxide from gas mixtures using polymer-based membranes. Assistant professor Alexa Kuenstler, who is leading the research, said that polymer-based membranes are critical to separation applications, including preventing emissions at point of use or remediating legacy emissions through new technologies such as direct air capture. “A key challenge, however, is maintaining a high selectivity – meaning as much carbon dioxide is removed as possible – while simultaneously keeping permeability high, which controls the throughput of gas you can reasonably clean,” Kuenstler said. The team plans to look at ways to chemically modify membranes to take advantage of solubility differences between gases as a mechanism for selectivity. As laid out in their proposal, they will use functionalized free chains within rubbery networks to create well-defined, semi-interpenetrating networks and test for links between diffusion processes and key solubility parameters. “Our work will interrogate the roles of polymer structure and specific molecular interactions in mediating both selectivity and permeability such that we can synergistically optimize both,” Kuenstler said.

Consequence of the widespread use of these NaH/solvent matrices in synthetic chemistry. We report herein detailed investigations into the thermal stability of these mixtures and studies of the formation of gaseous products from their thermal decomposition. We expect this contribution to promote awareness of these hazards within the wider scientific community, encourage scientists to identify and pursue safer alternatives, and most importantly, help to prevent incidents associated with these reactive mixtures.

Happy to share our recent review article "Unveiling the Significance of Tert-butoxides in Transition Metal-Free Cross Coupling Reactions," published in Topics in Current Chemistry, Springer. Here we discuss tert-butoxides as an emerging greener alternative to transition metal-catalyzed protocols, reducing hazardous side products and promoting sustainability in cross-coupling reactions. Thanks to #SERB #AmityUniversity #AICCRS https://lnkd.in/gMazUp4f

Publication alert! 📢 One of our latest studies by Ahed A., published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C, delves into the evolution of environmental catalysts from our Chair of Inorganic Chemistry and Electrochemistry. We're exploring the effects of substituting iron (Fe) in lanthanum cobaltite (LaCoO3) catalysts to improve CO oxidation. 🧪 With increasing concerns over the toxicity of cobalt-based perovskites, like LaCoO3, our research is focused on creating eco-friendly solid-state catalysts. By incorporating alternative transition metals such as iron (Fe), we're striving to boost catalytic performance while reducing environmental impact. 🌍♻️ #electrochemistry #fuelscience  #fuelsciencecenter  #fsc #sustainability #propulsionsystems 

Chemical structure's carbon capture ability doubled by Oregon State University research - Oregon State University College of Science: Oregon State University scientists have found a way to more than double the uptake ability of a chemical structure that can be used for scrubbing carbon dioxide from factory flues. https://lnkd.in/es8d9UT2

Best talk of the day here at the American Chemical Society Fall National Meeting? Hands down – James Adair's discussion of how to manage biofuel process water with microbes.   Full disclosure: I am absolutely biased here. James is a superstar #PhD student in my lab.   Watching your students succeed is the absolute best part of being a #faculty member.   James crafted an amazing #presentation. What did he do particularly well? 📕 James told a story. The presentation “set the scene” with a societal challenge, narrowed to a #research question, and discussed the “what” he did woven into the results, so people didn’t feel like he was reading them a paper. 📌 James made several very clear points. He carried three themes throughout the talk and linked his points into the theme. 🙋🏻♀️ James stayed cool as a cucumber during Q&A. He was prepared, knew his science and took his time to listen to the questions and respond thoughtfully. 🫶 James showed passion and a commitment to his science.   James’ first paper (in collaboration with Buz Barstow) on this work going under review soon! I can’t wait to update you on his next successes.