The Catalysis and Nanomaterials Laboratory, led by Professor Michael S. Wong, is located in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University, Houston, TX. Our laboratory is engaged in fundamental and applied research at the interface of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Materials Science, with the central theme of functional nanoparticle-based materials. Treating nanoparticles (NPs) as building blocks and assembling them into useful structures is a powerful concept in "bottom-up" nanotechnology, in which the dimension-dependent properties of the NPs can be handled and exploited in a usable form (such as porous oxides and microcapsules). Through such materials we can address long-standing problems in the environment, energy, and health.

We are interested in (1) understanding the basics of NPs synthesis and scale-up; (2) understanding the basics of NP self-assembly into NP "suprastructures;" (3) developing microcapsule and mesocapsule materials for advanced encapsulation and biomedical applications; (4) designing new materials and processes for water treatment and purification; (5) designing NPs for better understanding and control of water-phase catalysis; and (6) understanding the nature of active sites using model supported metal oxide materials and new spectroscopic tools for environmental and industrial catalysis.

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