Metal-Organic Frameworks and Alloys for Environmental and Energy Applications

Scott Oliver, Ph.D.

Professor | Materials Chemistry | University of California at Santa Cruz

We are studying positively charged metal-organic covalent networks for potential applications based on their extra-framework, exchangeable anions.  The cationic charge of the host coupled with its intrinsic stability allow applications not possible for anionic clays, zeolites and MOFs that can only contain cations.  Our recent advances on reversible trapping of water-borne anionic pollutants such as perchlorate and perrhenate will be described.  The materials display greater capacity, kinetics, reversibility and selectivity compared to conventional polymer-based anion exchange resins and hydrotalcites/layered double hydroxides.

The second part of the talk will highlight our recent reports on the release of hydrogen from gallium-aluminum alloys.  Post-consumer aluminum is “melted” into the gallium at room temperature, giving rise to Al nanoparticles in liquid gallium.  With no energy input, hydrogen is rapidly released in quantitative amounts within 15 minutes once water is added.  No catalysts/acid/base is needed and any source of water may be used.  The only other reaction product, alumina containing gallium nanoparticles, will also be described.

Speaker Bio: Scott Oliver is a Professor of Materials Chemistry at the University of California at Santa Cruz.  He received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, where he worked on nanoporous aluminophosphates under the supervision of Professor Geoffrey Ozin.  He was then an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University in the group of Professor George Whitesides, focusing on 3D mesoscale self-assembly.  He joined Binghamton University in 1999 as an Assistant Professor before relocating his lab to UC Santa Cruz in 2004.  His group works on the development of materials that can selectively remove pollutants from water, including perchlorate and chromate (chromium VI).  Other current projects include hydrogen generation from metal alloys, biodiesel formation and upcycling of post-consumer plastics.  His group is very interdisciplinary, encompassing materials, inorganic, analytical and environmental chemistry and utilizes a wide variety of characterization techniques.