Dr. Michael Wong
Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Nanoparticle Materials
The problems of high gasoline prices, environmental pollution,
and inefficient drug delivery can be addressed by using
materials made of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles are small
bits of matter (with sizes on the 1-100 nm length scale,
which is much smaller than red blood cells, for instance)
that have very strange but useful properties that are different
from the large chunks of the same matter - these properties
only show up when the particles are nano-sized! We may be
able to take advantage of these properties by chemically
making the right type of nanomaterial. Our research group's
objective is to design and synthesize new types of nanoparticle
materials which could be helpful for catalysis (reduced
energy, environmental problems) and encapsulation (better
drug delivery). Experience in a chemistry lab is recommended
but not required. Required are the enthusiasm to "do"
chemistry and the interest to learn about nanotechnology.
The student will learn by reading journal articles and books,
by working closely with graduate students, and by doing
hands-on experiments. There will be opportunities for being
a co-author of scientific papers, to give presentations,
and to work on your own long-term research project.
Water Purification through Nanocatalysis
Drinkable water is in short supply in many parts of the world, even in the US. Groundwater, the source of much of the US drinking water, can be found to be contaminated with man-made chemical compounds that are harmful to animals and humans. Trichloroethene (industrial solvent) and perchloroethene (dry-cleaning fluid) are two such compounds. My laboratory has discovered and developed a new way to remove such pollutants from water, using palladium-on-gold nanoparticle catalysts. The interested Century Scholar would participate in this environmental nanotechnology research by helping to synthesize, characterize, and test new nanoparticle compositions for improved catalytic removal of these and other water pollutants. As this research is multidisciplinary, it is not necessary to become a chemical engineer to work on this project.
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