Understanding the mechanisms associated with chemical catalysis is vital for not only the rational improvement of their capabilities, but also for the advancement of the fundamental knowledge affiliated with the systems in question. These new insights can help predict new reactivities towards more challenging substrates which will allow for easier...
Interfacial science brings together diverse areas of interest such as electronic materials, quantum materials, bio-membranes and catalysts. In-situ X-ray characterization techniques can be used to understand the assembly of atoms, molecules and supported nanoparticles at interfaces in complex environments. This thesis work focuses on the use of various X-ray characterization...
Nanotechnology research broadly encompasses the exploration of the unique chemical,optical, electronic, or biological properties of materials with dimensions < 1 µm. Inorganic
nanoparticles are one such class of materials, with properties that are exceptionally sensitive to
particle size and structure. This is especially evident in the field of heterogeneous chemical...
This thesis focuses on identifying structure-property-performance relationships in supported nanoparticle catalysts, where an active catalyst material is supported on a high surface area substrate. Identifying these relationships in supported nanoparticle catalysts can be quite challenging, as the complex structure of these catalysts results in numerous potential sources for changes to...
In the first two decades of the 21st century, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention in both fundamental-research and-industrial application areas. Derived from a vast library of both inorganic metal nodes and organic linker bridges, MOFs are crystalline materials whose structures and chemical environments can both be tuned...
The lanthanides, with their limited orbital effects and high oxophilicity, represent a class of catalytic metals highly distinguished from more commonly-utilized transition metals. Homogeneous lanthanide catalysts often afford high catalytic rates and impressive selectivity. However, challenges regarding the synthesis and utilization of highly air- and water-sensitive organo-lanthanide complexes have limited...
Electrochemical cell devices are increasingly being sought for energy conversion and storage applications due to their high efficiencies and their potential for operating free of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Solid Acid Electrochemical Cells (SAECs), which most commonly employ CsH2PO4 (CDP) as the electrolyte component, are uniquely suited to meet the...
Multimetallic nanoparticles represent an important class of electrocatalysts which are critical for many energy and environmental applications including fuel cells, hydrogen production, and greenhouse gas elimination. The properties of these nanoparticles depend on their composition, size, shape, and structure. Therefore, developing new strategies which provide a high level of control...
The Controlled, Site-Isolated Synthesis of Polyelemental Nanostructures in Polymer Nanoreactors Pengcheng Chen Polyelemental nanoparticles are an attractive class of materials due to their potential applications, which span the fields of catalysis, plasmonics, electronics, magnetics, targeted drug delivery, and bio-imaging. However, conventional synthetic methods for such structures are limited, especially when...
Supported transition metal oxides are an important class of catalysts with a wide range of industrially relevant applications. However, commonly used synthesis techniques to prepare these catalysts often result in a complex mixture of surface species. This inhomogeneity makes it difficult to understand what specific structures might be responsible for...