Research Areas

Chemical Engineering & Processing

The rapid pace of globalization provides unprecedented opportunity for developed and developing countries to restructure and grow their economies. However, society must meet the heightened demand for energy and materials utilizing sustainable resources and with technologies that will have limited environmental impact. Our department is ideally positioned to be a major contributor in chemical processing to address this global need. The focus of our department in this research area is:

Advanced Materials

Research includes:

biomass-derived materials and nanocomposites
computational methods for the rational design of energy storage materials, electrodes and batteries
lightweight aerospace composite
next-generation batteries
optoelectronic semiconductor nanostructures polymer electrolytes
recombinant protein-based high-performance materials

Advances in the discovery, synthesis, characterization, and processing of materials for (1) batteries and energy storage, (2) that are renewable and derived from biomass, or (3) produced using novel low-temperature plasma processing technologies.

Faculty

Chemicals

Research includes:

heterogeneous catalysis of renewable chemicals
electrochemical routes for industrial synthesis
synthetic biology for chemicals and pharmaceuticals

Development of novel chemical processing technologies that address future global challenges and needs

Faculty

Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials

Research includes:

flame and furnace aerosol nanoparticle reactors
gas-phase nanoparticle synthesis in plasmas far away from local equilibrium
liquid-phase nanoparticle synthesis
nanoscale interfacial chemistry and solid nucleation

Developing an understanding of the principle that control nanoparticle formation and growth as well as novel synthesis and processing technologies for the production of nanoparticles used in air and water treatment, agriculture, batteries, catalysis, fuel cells, medicine (i.e., cancer treatment).

Faculty