Research Interests
The central research theme of our group is to uncover inorganic materials with exotic physical and chemical properties. To pursue this goal, our group focus on synthetic inorganic chemistry of crystalline and amorphous materials, including nano to microporous amorphous solids, hetero-anionic composites, and ultra-low dense high surface area gels, nanoparticles, and deposition of the thin film. We converge numerous analytic tools, including Synchrotron X-ray Pair Distribution Functions (PDF) and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XANES and EXAFS), to understand the synthesis, morphology, and structure-function relationships of the newly synthesized materials. The ultimate goal of synthesizing such diverse classes of materials is to discover innovative materials that meet the required properties for applications related to sustainable energy, environment and sensing, specifically:
Electrochemical Energy Storage (Batteries and Supercapacitors)
- Electrode materials for Li- and Na-ion batteries for electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage
- Incremental development of lithium oxide-based cathodes for fast-charged batteries.
- Synthesis and fabrication of high energy density supercapacitor
Environmental Remediation (Wastewater and Nuclear Waste Treatments)
- Remediation of radioactive ions from defense legacy tank waste
- Wastewater treatment for chemically toxic metals cations and oxo-anions
- Gaseous mercury and radio-iodine removal
Radioisotopes of Cs, Sr, and U Removal: Islam & Co-workers, Small 2024, 2400679; Chem. Mater. 2023, 35,10446-10456
Heavy Metal Removal: Islam & Co-workers, Chem. Engineer. J. 2021, 426, 131696
Tc/Cr Removal from nuclear waste: Islam & Co-workers, Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56, 12, 8590–8598
Our Collaborators
Dr. Kathryn Taylor-Pashow (Savannah River National Laboratory)
Dr. Ruhul Amin (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
Prof. Chad Risko (University of Kentucky)
Prof. Beth Guiton (University of Kentucky)
Dr. Mengya Li (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
Dr. Kamila Wiaderek (Argonne National Laboratory)
Prof. Mercouri Kanatzidis (Northwestern University)
Dr. Partha P. Mukherjee (Purdue University)
FUNDING
We are thankful to the National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, US Department of Defense, US Department of Education, and the HBCU Clean Energy Prize for funding our research, education, and workforce development program
NSF-MPS (CSDM-B) NSF-DMR (PREM) NSF-DMR (Early Career)
DOE-BES, DOE-EM, DOE-VTO, DOE HBCU Clean Energy Prize 2024
DEVCOM-ARL
US Department of Education