Tags: Inorganic Seminar


Probing the Influences of a Lewis Acid on Mn (IV)-Oxo Bonds: A Guide Towards O-O Bond Formation

The process of photosynthesis has been intensely studied since its discovery in the late 1720’s.1 Understanding how plants oxidize water to O2 is of relevant importance due to its potential use in fuel cell technology. Water splitting cells generate H+ and electrons for the fuel cell to use. Inside the chloroplast, plants contain the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) a Mn4O5Ca cluster that is responsible for O2 evolution.2 It has been demonstrated…


Bismuth Nanoparticle Incorporated Composites for Lightweight Radiation Shielding

The development of radiation-based medical technologies, nuclear energy, and the ambitions of space exploration have greatly increased the incidence of human radiation exposure over the past decades. Given their exceptional radiation attenuating properties, lead-based materials have predominantly been used as the preferred shielding material for personnel and equipment. However, the toxicity and heavy weight of lead-based materials gives rise to…


Near-Infrared Luminescent Materials: From Archaeological Significance to Biomedical Applications

Near infrared (NIR) luminescent materials have emerged as a growing field of interest, particularly for biomedical imaging and optics applications1 including but not limited to transition metal based NIR luminescent pigments. Egyptian blue (CaCuSi4O10), an inorganic pigment with Cu2+ as the photoactive luminescent center (emission at λ = 910 nm), has several applications such as environmental optical sensing material2 and fingerprint…


Crystal Growth of Group IV Transition Metal Di- and Tritellurides

A significant amount of research has focused on the synthesis, characterization, and properties of 2D and quasi-1D layered materials since graphene’s remarkable discovery in 2004. Specifically, researchers have gravitated towards low-dimensional materials as the most promising way to construct cheaper and faster devices that can improve state-of-the-art silicon-based technology within the electronics industry. Examples include the transition…


Photodynamic Therapy: Illuminating a Cure for Cancer?

Nearly 40% of the world’s population will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in their lifetime.1  The current treatment for such diseases usually includes a combination of invasive surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. The focus is on chemotherapy as it is the first line treatment in most cases. This therapy often leads to side effects ranging from mild to severe, and it often is ineffective in a large percentage of cases as a mode of…


Magmas and volcanoes: Decoding the chemical signals leading to magma unrest and eruption

Volcanologists strive to forecast the likelihood, magnitude, and style of eruptions. The competition between gas retention and release exert a major control on magma ascent and eruption, but the mechanisms to predict volcanic eruptions remain unresolved. To contribute to this grand challenge, I apply volcano petrology as a forensic discipline to reconstruct the dynamics of magma ascent in the Earth’s interior and the eruption dynamics of active…


In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy for Li-ion and Beyond-Li Batteries

Energy storage is an essential enabler for future sustainable technologies by linking renewable resources with the power grid. Following the great success of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in the commercial consumer electronics market, the increasing demand for improved energy density, lifetime, and safety in large-scale and power-intensive device applications calls for new materials with novel structures. The fundamental understanding of…


Overview of Porphyrin Distortions and Their Impact on Protein Function

Tetrapyrroles serve as a class of small molecules that can perform diverse and complex reactions. From the transport and storage of oxygen in animals to the conversion of light into chemical energy in plants, these macrocyclic cofactors are essential to life on earth.1 The most well-studied of the tetrapyrrole family are the iron containing heme porphyrins. In the absence of a protein environment, heme porphyrins take a planar conformation,…


Solution-based Synthesis and Applications of Multi-functional Nanoscale Systems

Our group is fundamentally interested in the design of a series of novel multi-functional nanoscale systems, using diverse chemical strategies. Such a multi-functional material often possesses unique catalytic and optoelectronic properties that are distinctive from and at times, superior to those of its individual constituent components. In essence, our hope and expectation is that chemical synthesis can be used to tune and tailor structure –…


Molecular Catalysis for Ammonia Oxidation

The extensive use of fossil fuels in industrial and transportation have arisen some issues for the environment such as air pollution, rises in sea level and frequency of extreme weather events.[1] In order to lessen those negative effects of using fossil fuels, a sustainable source of renewable energy is needed to achieve the zero-carbon emission target. Toward this goal, the development of energy transportation based on the interconversion of…
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