Nanomaterials for Energy and Environment Labs

The goals of the Nanomaterials for Energy and Environment Labs (NEEL) are to develop advanced functional nanomaterials for sustainable energy production and environmental protection, and to investigate the structure and reactivity of catalytic systems under operational conditions such as high pressure and temperature. Research topics include, but are not limited to: hydrogen production from bio-alcohols on a series of transition metal oxide nanoparticles; bio-alcohols or biofuel production from biomass over novel catalytic materials; completely green catalytic materials for solar water splitting and oxygen reduction reactions; fuels production and purification for solid-oxide fuel cells and proton- exchange fuel cells, among others; water treatment with catalytic nanoparticles encapsulated in a hierarchical framework; nitrogen and sulfur removal from crude oil and other organics; structural and electronic properties of various materials using synchrotron-based in situ time-resolved techniques, such as catalytic, pharmaceutical and energetic materials. Our aim is to contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment for current and future generations.