(150b) Harnessing Nanoscale Science to Clean Water through Catalysis

Manipulating catalytic materials at the nanoscale has been a fruitful means to understand structure-property relationships but also to expand their applicability to the treatment of contaminated water. I will give three examples of how my research group has, over the years, developed catalysts to de-construct unwanted chemicals in water: chlorinated solvents through hydrogenation, nitrate/nitrate anions through hydrogenation, and the "forever chemicals" ("PFAS") through oxidative photocatalysis. Also drawing upon examples from the just-completed NEWT Center (the Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment Engineering Research Center), I will describe the issues in nanotechnology RD&D that arise, when research transitions from deionized water to real water, and transitions from mL per batch reaction to gallons/min throughput and beyond.