(4fs) In-Situ Spectroscopic Investigations to Understand the Behavior of Heterogeneous Catalysts

Heterogeneous catalysts play a pivotal role in our society and further innovation surrounding catalytic systems will only increase in the future. Environmental challenges brought on by consumption of fossil fuels will only further push the need to design and implement sustainable energy technologies that use catalysts. Strategies such as biomass upgrading to liquid fuels and CO₂ conversion will only become viable with the rationale design of catalysts for these reactions. Lewis acidic catalysts, such as metal oxides, have been shown to catalyze aldol condensation, isomerization and other relevant reactions. There are, however, unknowns as to how reactants interact with the surface of these materials especially under reaction conditions. Due to this, I have developed an overarching research thrust that has been the investigation of heterogeneous catalytic systems under reactor conditions using solid state NMR (SSNMR) and in-situ optical spectroscopies (UV-VIS, FTIR, Raman). I specifically want to investigate CO₂ conversion and traditionally acid catalyzed reactions such as Beckmann rearrangement, paraffin alkylation and the Hock process. For the latter reactions, sulfuric acid is widely used the catalyst but has significant environmental concern associated with its use.

My current research focuses around understanding the interaction of small oxygenates on Lewis acidic catalysts. More specifically, I have investigated the role of reduction on both bulk and supported molybdenum oxide catalysts for aldol condensation of ethanol and acetaldehyde. These studies were done using the aforementioned techniques to determine which surface species formed, how the surface of the catalyst changed when reduced and what the role of the reduced surface was in the reaction. I have looked at interactions of a model sugar with various oxide catalysts with SSNMR to look at both species that formed and adsorption strength based on NMR relaxometry measurements. My experiences with these projects have motivated me to take the lessons I have learned and apply them to other catalytic systems with the hopes of making them more sustainable and more efficient.

Teaching Interests:

I mentored 4 undergraduate students during my time in graduate school. I geared my approach to mentoring them depending on the background they came in with and experiences they had outside the classroom. This proved to be valuable in how I communicated with each of the students and how I motivated them in the lab. Putting in that extra time to understand a student can undoubtedly pay off in the log-run, a method I would continue as a professor. I have been a TA for four semesters and find myself truly at home in whether it is in front of a classroom or in office hours. As an instructor I will employ innovative pedagogical methods to keep students engaged and excited about the classes they are taking. For example I would like to incorporate game based learning into my classrooms. Another goal I have is to develop a scholarship program like the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC. This program seeks to promote underrepresented students in STEM and encourage them to pursue graduate school. As an alum, I bring tangible experience and a large network of other alums from various backgrounds and careers. This coupled with my inherent drive to see equity at the highest levels of scientific research, gives me the framework to develop a scholarship program that can truly make a difference in academia and society at large.