(382aa) Engineering Oxide Active Sites with Overcoating Techniques

My research interests involve using precise synthesis strategies to create well-defined oxide surfaces for catalysis and developing novel methods to characterize them in situ.

in situ characterization of oxide active sites: Comparing activity across different oxide materials is challenging as activity depends on both the number of accessible active sites and the intrinsic activity of each site. I work with in situ titration to count active sites during reaction, enabling meaningful comparison of activity across materials on a per-site basis. I developed a new titration protocol for counting specific active sites in systems with multiple Lewis acid species.

Using “Molecular Templating” to Control Steric Environment on Oxide Catalysts: Molecular templating involves grafting dispersed organic molecules onto a catalytically active oxide surface, overcoating with an inert oxide, and removing the organic template, leaving behind cavities in the inert overcoat, creating sterically hindered access to the active oxide underneath. I investigate how the size of the template affects the size of the cavity generated and the resulting accessibility of the active support.

Using Organic Functionalization to Control Surface Environment on Metal Oxide Catalysts: In my most recent work, I modified the surface of oxide catalysts with organo-silanes. This approach offers a new route to modify interactions between nonporous catalysts and their substrate by engineering their surface properties.