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Workshop / Seminar

CHE 598 Seminar

Spark
Spark G45 and Floyd 224 for Tri-Cities campus
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Kristin Bryant photo

About the event

Kristin Bryant earned her Bachelor’s degree in Bioengineering from Washington State University in 2015. During her undergraduate studies, Kristin completed a semester abroad in Spain, worked as a research assistant at the USDA Western Regional Small Grain Genotyping Lab, and completed a summer internship at Matrix Genetics in Seattle where her research focused on improving photosynthesis in blue-green algae to increase production of high-value products for biofuels. Kristin started her Ph.D. work in 2015 under Dr. Steven Saunders. Her work involves repurposing reversible ionic liquids originally designed for CO2 capture for the synthesis of highly active, monodisperse, and ligand-free supported nanoparticle catalysis. She has presented her work at seven national and regional conferences including the Pacific Coast Catalysis Society, American Chemical Society, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers national meeting where she won a 2nd place award for her poster presentation.

Switchable Surfactants for the Preparation of Supported Nanoparticle Catalysts 

Synthesis methods for the preparation of monodisperse, supported nanoparticles remain problematic. Traditional synthetic methods require the use of stabilizing agents (i.e. ligands, surfactants, etc.) to prevent over growth and aggregation of nanoparticles. However, the presence of these stabilizers on catalytic surfaces can be detrimental to activity and therefore are typically removed via a high-temperature calcination. Calcination leads to significant and unpredictable growth of the nanoparticles, resulting in a decrease in total surface area and ultimately a decrease in catalytic activity. In this seminar, we will discuss how switchable surfactants can be used to prepare size controlled, ligand-free supported nanoparticles that are highly active prior to any thermal treatment. It will be shown that even low-temperature calcination of bare nanoparticles significantly changes properties of the active phase beyond those associated with changes in nanoparticle size. Additionally, it will be demonstrated that nanoparticle growth during calcination in catalysts prepared via traditional methods is likely a result of weakened van der Waals interactions between the nanoparticle and support due to the presence of stabilizing ligands.

 

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