CAREER: Ordered Mesoporous Mixed Metal Oxides: An Integrated Research and Education Program

University Of Cincinnati Main Campus, Cincinnati OH

Investigators

Abstract

This objective of this career development plan is to introduce the concept of molecular engineering of complicated mesoporous materials in both research and chemical engineering education. In research, it aims at developing comprehensive methods for designing mesoporous multicomponent V-Mo-M-O (M= Nb, Te, Sb, etc.) oxides and elucidating the fundamental relationships between the molecular structure and catalytic function. Model mesoporous V-Mo-M-O oxides will be synthesized via two novel self-assembly approaches employing molecular and nanocrystalline building blocks in the presence of mesoscale supramolecular surfactant arrays and block copolymers. Various surface chemical probes will be employed to elucidate the nature, number, structure and specific activity of surface redox, acidic and basic sites present in these model mixed metal oxide catalysts. The molecular structure-reactivity/selectivity relationships from this research program will be used to assist in the design of improved catalysts and the development of fundamental mechanistic models for alkane ammoxidation over mixed metal oxide catalysts. The education program is aimed at integrating molecular engineering of advanced materials into traditional chemical engineering education and training chemical engineers with a strong background in molecular engineering of chemical and biological systems. This program includes development of two new courses on molecular engineering for undergraduate and graduate students, implementation of a molecular engineering research program for undergraduates, and outreach to underrepresented groups. The outreach efforts will be directed towards improving higher education opportunities for minority and women engineers by alerting them to the graduate research opportunities in molecular engineering.