Catalysis, Kinetics, and Electrochemical Reaction Engineering

Process mechanisms and kinetics are at the center of a large body of research within the Department. For example, projects in Professor Roberts' lab include higher alcohol synthesis from carbon monoxide and hydrogen, continuous polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide, and characterization and modeling of multiphase reactors. Professor Lamb has an active research effort in catalysis and materials synthesis, with recent interest in synthesis and characterization of Pd/Au vinyl acetate catalysts.

In Professor Fedkiw's laboratory, electrochemical kinetics studies are applied to solid polymer electrolyte-based reactors, electroorganic reactor design and control, and electrochemical removal of pollutants. He is also conducting studies of interfacial phenomena, particularly as applied tometal radical complexation effects and aerobic coupling and oxidation reactions. In a collaborative effort with faculty in the Department of Materials Science, his group is using electrodeposition methods to prepare nanocrystalline metal deposits. In another collaboration, electrodeposition is being examined as a low-cost method to prepare large-area arrays of needle-shaped emitters for vacuum microelectronic devices. Professors Fedkiw and Khan are collaborating to study functionalized fumed silica for applications in composite polymer electrodes for lightweight rechargeable lithium batteries.