Environmental Nanotechnologies for Clean Energy Applications
PI: Gary Halada
To truly understand interactions between the environment and natural and human-made materials, it is essential to understand reactions at the nanoscale. It is at this level, from single molecules to ultra-thin films on surfaces, that structural and chemical transformations first occur which affect critical environmental processes, such as corrosion of advanced alloys, association of hazardous waste with soii or buildings, and transformation of radioactive materials by microbes. In addition, to create the next generation of materials and technologies to solve critical environmental problems we need to create new methodologies and research partnerships that will provide the necessary combination of tools, software and knowledge for cross-disciplinary problem-solving. Examples of our ongoing research include:
-
Optimizing radioactive clean-up technologies through modeling the effect of electron transfer on uraniumorganic complexes
-
Using functionalized carbon nanotubes in ultrasensitive electrochemical sensors
-
Developing new safe and effective technologies for remediation of contaminated structures
-
Characterizing the interaction of toxic metals with biomacromolecules to better understand the nature and fate of mixed waste
-
Studying the chelation of pollutants through state-of-the-art quantum mechanical molecular modeling and density functional theory
-
Using photochemical reactions on iron nanoparticles for environmental remediation