(2gk) Exploring the Potential Applications of Advanced Porous Nanomaterials for Real World Challenges: Molecular Simulations and Experiments

In recent decades, there has been a notable surge of interest in the application of advanced porous materials such as Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), Covalent Organic Framework (COFs), Porous Polymer Networks (PPN), and MXenes in many disciplines. These types of nanomaterials possess specific hallmarks that make them exceptionally suitable for various processes addressing real-world challenges, particularly those related to environmental issues.

Throughout my doctoral research and the following 10 years after obtaining my Ph.D., my research has been unwaveringly dedicated to solving global environmental challenges by employing these remarkable nanomaterials.

Carbon dioxide capturing from air, photocatalytic conversion of captured CO₂ molecules to value-added chemicals like methanol, utilization of the produced methanol in production of biofuels using waste fatty acids, all and all, have been carried out as a consecutive chain of my research using such materials to address one of the most significant environmental challenges, the mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions. Moreover, adsorption and separation of methane, as the second abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, and its utilization in vehicle through ANG (Adsorbed Natural gas) process has been successfully implemented by application of such materials. It is worth nothing that methane produces less harmful gases during its combustion compared to conventional liquid fuels. On the other hand, one crucial aspect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions involves the utilization of cleaner fossil fuels which can be obtained through the implementation of nanomaterial-boosted adsorptive and oxidative desulfurization processes.

In addition to the application of these nanomaterials in atmospheric cleaning processes, their utilizations as efficient adsorbents or photocatalysts for supplying clean drinking water has garnered significant attention in my research. The focus has been on designing water and wastewater treatment processes that employ these nanomaterials. The promising potential of these porous materials lies in their tunable properties, allowing them to be tailored for specific applications. This versatility positions them as viable candidates for a wide range of processes.

In pursuit of this objective, molecular simulation techniques offer the advantage of reducing time and costs associated with experimental approaches. By employing simulation techniques as a preliminary step prior to experiments, the process of selecting suitable functional groups to design and decorate MOFs can be conducted more effectively, resulting in the creation of materials with desired and specific features. For instance, functionalized ZIF-8 and ZIF-90 materials using alkali earth metals like Li, Na, and K could enhance their adsorption capacity toward CO₂ molecules. As another example, decoration of ZIF-8 using some metal nanoparticles such as pt, Au, Ag and Cu has improved its ability in photocatalytic processes by impressive reduction in the band gap energy.

My future research will continue to focus on these types of challenges and opportunities that are associated with advanced porous materials for solving global environmental challenges, with the ultimate goal of efficiently producing high-value chemicals. For example, as a part of my future research, I intend to investigate a specific application known as "PET conversion," which addresses one of the world's most significant environmental challenges. The conversion of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a major component in plastic waste, into either monomers or value-added products is crucial due to its massive annual production (approximately 70 million tons). Catalytic hydrogenolysis in the presence of suitable solid catalysts stands out as one of the most effective recycling strategies for this polymer. Consequently, my plan involves the development of efficient porous nanomaterials specifically designed for these types of reactions, aiming to effectively deconstruct PET waste.

Teaching interest

According to my extensive background in teaching of chemical engineering courses, my primary goal as an instructor is to create a classroom environment in which students from all backgrounds can achieve their potential and learn to think as an engineer and scientist. To accomplish this goal, my teaching philosophy relies on the following principles:

1. Teach all types of learners by using active learning strategies where all students are active in the class and participate in the teaching process. This is the most important aspect that underlies my teaching philosophy. I believe the traditional lecture is an important component of any class I teach; however, lecturing must be combined with other efficient methods of instruction, because not all students learn best from lectures. Based on my teaching experiences, I have learned a diverse array of methods to incorporate active learning in my classroom. For example, some methods of active learning techniques that I have been employing in my classes include group projects, think-pair-share, class discussion, cooperative problem solving, and writing exercises.

I have taught diverse graduate and undergraduate student population in different courses, and I have employed such strategy in my courses. For instance, when I’m teaching ^“Unit Operations for chemical engineers^” I usually ask the students to think about the principle of each process. Why is the process employed? How does the method work in actual situations? What are the shortcomings and advantages of each unit operation? Find alternative approaches for doing similar chemical operation, and etc. As another example in the ^“Heat and Mass transfer^” course, I always try to simulate the concepts of heat and mass transfer processes by giving some roles to students to play. I ask them to be molecules and play roles to digest basic concepts of this course. Or as another example in active learning strategy in teaching for postgraduate students such as ^“Advanced Mathematics^”, and ^“Computer-aided design of chemical processes^”, I basically ask them to think about why mathematic modeling is important for chemical processes? Why do industries need mathematical algorithms for their processes? And give them some group projects for simulation of real chemical units.

2. Understand the diverse backgrounds students bring to the classroom by using a combination of traditional lectures and active learning. As it was mentioned, my teaching style is designed to accommodate all types of students and designed to avoid situations that are hostile to student learning. Additionally, when discussing basic concepts relevant to class topics, I will highlight examples of real daily situations as well as actual unit operations in chemical industries so that students can see how such sources are important to industry. So, my goal is that by serving as a compassionate and empathetic instructor, I can create a welcoming learning environment for all my students.
3. Teach students to think like engineers and scientists: I believe that at the outset of any course, an instructor must first decide what learning outcomes they want students to achieve by the end of the course. Furthermore, it is important to me that the chosen learning outcomes depend on higher-order cognitive skills, as opposed to rote memorization. For example, while a certain amount of memorization in the heat and mass transfer course is unavoidable, such as knowing the formula of heat and mass flux in different mechanisms, merely recalling those formulas is a lower cognitive skill. An example of a higher order skill I would hope to elicit from my students would be to predict and explain which mechanism and corresponding flux would expect to see on the heat transfer in different medium. Particularly for postgraduate coursework, one of my learning outcomes would be the ability to read and explain scientific articles from literature relevant to the course. Only after I've decided on learning outcomes and how I will test student achievement of them can I proceed with the critical task of deciding what material to cover during class and how I will teach it.
4. I take the same rigorous, evidence-based approach I use with my research and apply it to my teaching. For this purpose, exams will be designed to assess whether students have achieved my learning outcomes. However, even in a class with several midterm exams in addition to a final, that creates only a handful of opportunities to receive quantitative information about how the class is performing. To better monitor student learning, I will use formative assessment, which is the use of formal and informal methods to gather data on how students are learning during a course and modify the teaching strategy accordingly. One effective way to use formative assessment is by using "classroom response system (clickers)". I might ask my students a question at the beginning of class, and again at the end of class, to see if they learned what I wanted them to over the course of the lesson. If not, that suggests that my strategy for the day might need to be modified, or perhaps I need to spend more time covering a particular topic. I could also ask them the same question again in a future class meeting, to see how well the lessons are retained. In the event that clickers are not readily available, there are other alternative methods of formative assessment I would use, including quizzes, short-ungraded exercises that students hand in during my teaching in a class, or active learning methods such as think-pair-shares, which I assess by walking around the classroom and listening.