First name,Last name,Preferred title,Overview,Position,Department,Individual
John,Gladysz,Distinguished Professor,"My research has traditionally been centered around organometallic chemistry, and from this core area branches into catalysis, organic synthesis, enantioselective reactions, stereochemistry, mechanism, and materials chemistry. About half of my group is involved with catalysis projects. Areas receiving emphasis include (a) structurally novel new families of highly enantioselective catalysts, (b) metal-containing ""organocatalysts"" and (c) recoverable catalysts, particularly those with ""ponytails"" of the formula (CH2)m(CF2)nF; these can be recycled via ""fluorous"" liquid or solid phases, such as Teflon. The other half of my group synthesizes organometallic building blocks for molecular devices. These include (a) molecular wires composed of metal endgroups and linear (sp) carbon chains, including stable species with C28 bridges, (b) analogs in which the charge-transmitting bridges are insulated by a pair of polymethylene or (CH2)n chains that adopt a double-helical conformation, (c) polygons and multistranded molecular wires based upon such building blocks, and (d) molecular gyroscopes and compasses consisting of a rotating MLn fragment and an external cage (stator) that insulates the rotator from neighboring molecules, exactly as with the commercial gyroscopes used for aircraft and space-station navigation.",Faculty Affiliate||Distinguished Professor,Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n05e5403e
Donald,Darensbourg,Distinguished Professor,"The fundamentally interesting and challenging chemistry associated with carbon dioxide, coupled with its high potential as a source of chemical carbon, provides adequate justification for comprehensive investigations in this area. In our research program we have attempted to establish a clearer mechanistic view of carbon-hydrogen, carbon-carbon, and carbon-oxygen bond forming processes resulting from carbon dioxide insertion into M-H, M-C, and M-O bonds.
Relevant to the latter process our research has addressed the utilization of carbon dioxide in the development of improved synthetic routes for the production of polycarbonates. The hazardous and expensive production process currently in place industrially for these materials involves the interfacial polycondensation of phosgene and diols, accentuates the need for these studies. Although we and others have made significant advances in the synthesis of these useful thermoplastics from carbon dioxide and epoxides much of the fundamental knowledge concerning the reaction kinetics of these processes is lacking, due in part to the practical challenges associated with sampling and analyzing systems at elevated temperatures and pressures. This information is needed for making this process applicable to the synthesis of a variety of copolymers possessing a range of properties and uses. Our studies are examining in detail the mechanistic aspects of metal catalyzed carbon dioxide/epoxide coupling reactions employing in situ spectroscopy methods. For this purpose Fourier-transform infrared attenuated total refluctance (FTIR/ATR) spectroscopy is being utilized. Other related investigations involve the development of structural and reactivity models for the industrially prevalent double metal cyanide catalysts(DMC) used in polyethers and polycarbonate synthesis from epoxides or CO2/epoxides, respectively.",Distinguished Professor||Faculty Affiliate,Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n06bf3bf8
Peter,Rentzepis,Professor,My research interest include lasers and their application to science and technology.,Faculty Affiliate||Professor,Energy Institute||Electrical and Computer Engineering,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n08418952
Francois,Gabbai,Professor,"Our research is concerned with the chemistry of both organic and organometallic polyfunctional Lewis acids. While an important component of our work deals with the synthesis of new examples of such polyfunctional Lewis acids, it is our ultimate intent to harness and utilize the cooperative effects occurring in such systems for the discovery of unusual structures, bonding modes, supramolecules and reactivities. Our research efforts present important ramifications in the domain of molecular recognition, supramolecular materials and catalysis.",Faculty Affiliate||Professor,Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n0d5d68bb
Sarbajit,Banerjee,Professor,"Much of our research program is directed at understanding the interplay between geometric and electronic structure at interfaces as well as in solid-state materials and to examine how this translates to functional properties. Our research thus spans the range from materials synthesis, mechanistic understanding of crystal growth processes, and structural characterization to device integration and mechanistic studies of catalysis and intercalation phenomena. We further seek to translate fundamental understanding of interfaces and materials to develop functional thin films and devices for a wide range of applications ranging from Mott memory to thermochromic window coatings and thin films for the corrosion protection of steel.",Professor||Faculty Fellow||Faculty Affiliate,Center for Health Systems and Design||Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n1fff3688
Ying,Li,Professor,"The research in our laboratory focuses on advanced materials and processes for sustainable energy and clean environment. Our group is specialized in synthesis of nanomaterials and multifunctional materials, catalysis and photocatalysis, carbon capture and conversion, natural gas utilization, solar photochemical and thermochemical processes, rechargeable batteries, membrane technology (wastewater treatment, desalination, drinking water purification), and aerosol engineering. For example, we have designed multifunctional nanomaterials to catalytically convert CO2 and water to syngas under solar irradiation, which can be further processed to produce liquid fuels. We also perform advanced microscopic and spectroscopic studies to understand materials properties, interfaces and surface chemistry.",Faculty Affiliate||Professor,Mechanical Engineering||Energy Institute,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n2b854905
James,Batteas,Professor,"The research in our group is organized around three main projects: nanoscale materials and devices, biological surfaces and interfaces and nanotribology,
with the overarching goal of developing custom engineered surfaces and interfaces. This requires obtaining a fundamental (molecular level) understanding of the underlying chemistry and physics of the systems in question to afford rational approaches to test and develop new technologies. In much of our research we employ a range of scanned probe microscopies such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to probe structure and to manipulate materials at the nanoscale.",Faculty Affiliate||Professor||Faculty Fellow||D. Wayne Goodman Professor of Chemistry,Center for Health Systems and Design||Energy Institute||Chemistry||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n413d1dff
Marcetta,Darensbourg,Distinguished Professor,"Bio-inspired Catalysts for Hydrogen Production: The ultimate, home-run, goal of our work is to synthesize and develop a robust, highly active hydrogen-producing catalyst comprised of earth-abundant transition metals within a ligand environment that is inspired by the biological Figure 3hydrogenase (H2ase) enzyme active sites. Progress in precise structural modeling of the illusive ""rotated"" structure displayed in the as-isolated, mixed-valent FeIIFe state in the past decade has permitted in depth analysis of electronic structure by Mo ssbauer, EPR (ENDOR), and computational chemistry. New electrocatalysts for hydrogen production: The connection between the Fe(NO)2 unit and the Fe(CX)3 (X = O or N) unit found in hydrogenase enzyme active sites offers opportunity for design of new catalysts, one of which is shown. In this regard we explore the ability of N2S2 metal complexes to bind as metallodithiolate ligands to various metal acceptors. The properties of such complexes vary The connection of these to light harvesting molecules for dye sensitized, sacrificial electron donor, hydrogen production is also of interest. When Iron Meets Nitric Oxide: Good Chemistry, Intriguing Biology. The affinity of iron for diatomic molecules, O2, CO, N2, and NO, is central to the most important of life processes, including those of human physiology. Figure 6In this research area we target synthetic chemistry involving dinitrosyl iron complexes (DNICs) that serve as biomimetics of products of FeS cluster degradation by excesses of NO, or as derived from the chelatable iron pool (CIP) in cells. The electronic ambivalence of the DNIC unit is expressed in the ease with which it interconverts between oxidized and reduced forms, {Fe(NO)2}9 and {Fe(NO)2}10, respectively (Enemark/Feltham notation), and serves as impetus to explore analogous reactions known to involve the CuII/CuI redox couple. The accessory ligands which stabilize one redox level over the other, including N-heterocyclic carb",Distinguished Professor||Faculty Affiliate,Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n6f445741
Micah,Green,Professor,,Professor||Faculty Affiliate,Energy Institute||Chemical Engineering,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n7276eb81
Hongcai,Zhou,Professor,"Research topics: Energy Storage for Transportation, Supramolecular Chemistry, Hydrogen and Methane Storage, Carbon Dioxide Capture, Clean-Energy-Related Separation, Metal-Organic Frameworks, Mesh-Adjustable Molecular Sieves, Mesoporous Materials, Biomimetic Synthesis.","Professor, Affiliated Faculty||Faculty Affiliate",Energy Institute||Materials Science and Engineering,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n8c5a2ac9
Yossef,Elabd,Professor,,Professor||Faculty Affiliate,Energy Institute||Chemical Engineering,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/n94839ce3
Perla,Balbuena,Professor,,University Distinguished Professor||Faculty Affiliate||Professor,Energy Institute||Chemical Engineering||Chemical Engineering,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nb82a0bc7
Michael,Nippe,Associate Professor,"Our research focuses on inorganic molecular approaches to contribute to the development of novel systems for solar to energy conversion, small molecule activation, and molecules for information storage. Synthetic methods build the foundation of the group and are complimented by a broad array of spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques.
We are seeking students who are interested in creative inorganic synthesis, structure-function relationships in catalysis, electronic structure of heterometallic d-block/f-block complexes, and molecular species with unusual charges.",Faculty Affiliate||Associate Professor,Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nbcad74f5
Xiaofeng,Qian,Associate Professor,"My research focuses on: Materials Theory, Discovery, and Design for Energy Applications and Device Design Aided by HighThroughput Computing; Two-Dimensional Materials and Their Coupled Multi-Physical Properties and Novel Device Concepts; Electronic, Thermal, Ionic, and Excitonic Transport in Nanostructured Materials; First-Principles Methodology Development towards Efficient and Accurate Prediction of Ground-state and Excited-state Properties of Materials; and Multiscale Materials Modeling of Complex Physical and Chemical Processes.",Faculty Affiliate||Associate Professor||Assistant Professor,Energy Institute||Materials Science and Engineering||Materials Science and Engineering,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nd67bf9a1
Janet,Bluemel,Professor,"Major research interests in my group include (1) immobilized catalysts, (2) the surface chemistry of oxide materials and (3) solid-state NMR spectroscopy.
Immobilized catalysts (1) allow the advantages of heterogeneous catalysts to be combined with those of homogeneous catalysts. In particular, surface-immobilized homogeneous catalysts are easy to recycle, and can be highly active and selective. Furthermore they are amenable to systematic design. We find the most interesting results when heterobimetallic systems, such as the Sonogashira Pd/Cu catalyst for the coupling of aryl halides and terminal alkynes, are involved. Effective immobilization requires a thorough understanding of the surface chemistry of the oxide support materials (2). Therefore, we investigate not only the reactivity of metal complexes and linkers, but also their mobility on the surfaces.
The most powerful analytical tool for investigating amorphous materials is solid-state NMR spectroscopy (3). We optimized this method especially for surface-bound species, enabling us to study reactions on surfaces, or analyze the nature of our anchored linkers and catalysts.
These different research areas provide my students with a strong multidisciplinary background, spanning from synthetic chemistry, through materials sciences and catalysis, to surface analytical methods including solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Our expertise in these fields has led to many industrial contacts and collaborations.",Faculty Affiliate||Professor,Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/ne3b7e44f
David,Powers,Professor,"Catalysis lies at the heart of many unmet chemical challenges. Research efforts in our group focus on development of new catalytic chemistry to impact both chemical synthesis as well as chemical storage of solar energy. Projects span organic, organometallic, and inorganic chemistries and rely on the tools of modern synthetic chemistry and spectroscopy, as well as advanced characterization techniques supported at synchrotron X-ray sources. Representative research interests include: shape-selective catalysis, solar energy storage in organic solar-thermal flow batteries, and aerobic oxidation chemistry for C-H functionalization reactions. We are seeking students who wish to gain expertise in synthetic chemistry and reaction mechanism elucidation.",Professor||Faculty Affiliate,Energy Institute||Chemistry,https://scholars.library.tamu.edu/vivo/display/nfa6c8878