Research
The overarching goal of our research is to develop innovative chemical processes and materials that address critical energy, environmental, and sustainability challenges. In particular, we recognize the severity of global waste issues and resource shortages, along with the growing demand for transformative, sustainable, and intelligent manufacturing solutions. By leveraging novel dynamic and non-equilibrium processes, we advance a range of electrothermal and electrochemical techniques for chemical synthesis and material upcycling.
Plastic Upcycling and Biomass Valorization
Plastics have been instrumental to the development of our society. However, they also pose a global waste problem that requires urgent solutions. Taking advantage of the great programmability of electrified techniques, we explore a portfolio of dynamic reaction protocols (i.e., pulsed temperatures and voltage, transient timescales, ultrafast heating and cooling rates, etc.) for the valorization of plastic waste. In addition, we develop efficient heterogeneous catalysts to tailor reactivities of various plastic species, especially under dynamic reaction conditions. The knowledge can be generalized to many other applications such as agricultural waste and other biomass valorization.
Dynamic and Non-equilibrium Thermochemical Synthesis
We are interested in non-equilibrium and dynamic chemical processes combined with novel reactor designs to synthesize value-added chemicals from carbonaceous gaseous feedstocks, such as methane and carbon dioxide. In parallel, we explore the dynamic catalysis phenomena occurring during the temporal and spatial evolution of temperature under non-equilibrium conditions, which influence surface strain, catalyst/support interactions, active sites, and more. This knowledge can be applied to a wide range of thermochemical reactions, including oxygenates and nitrogen oxide conversions.
Critical Minerals and Materials
The exponential demand for lithium batteries has made critical elements such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel a sustainability priority. However, a significant portion of lithium-ion batteries are not properly recycled due to the lack of effective methods. In our lab, we focus on electrified pyrometallurgy and electrometallurgy for efficient lithium recovery and selective separation of transition metals. Additionally, we investigate electrothermal and electrochemical techniques for extracting critical metals, minerals, and materials from both natural and waste resources.
Funding
