Event

Dr. Jerome Robinson 

Brown University 

https://vivo.brown.edu/display/jrobin11

HOST: Walsh/ Schelter 

"Addressing Challenges in Sustainability Through Molecular RE-design"

From addressing the pressing environmental concerns associated with polymer waste to meeting the demand for carbon-neutral energy generation and storage, our society is facing enormous global challenges in sustainability. The development of efficient catalysts underpin the green chemical solutions needed to address these challenges, where the high metal-ligand lability and distinct chemoselectivity of the rare-earth elements (group III and the lanthanides) provide unique advantages in the design of novel catalytic approaches. In this talk, I will share our group's recent advances in catalyst design which seek to address challenges in (i) the synthesis of biodegradable oxygenated (co)polymers and (ii) controlling activity and selectivity of multi-electron, multi-step chemical and electrochemical reactions.

Research Statement 

Rare earth metals (REM's) are used as key components in a number of diverse technologies including renewable energy, chemical synthesis, electronics, data storage, and biomedicine. Structural control of the ligand environment is critical to enabling the applications of these materials; however, remains a significant challenge due to the high coordination numbers and lability of the ionic REM-ligand bonds. Research in the Robinson Group will focus on developing novel methods for controlling and characterizing ligand-metal lability to specifically enable applications in energy science, green chemistry, catalysis, and materials design. Researchers in the group will have the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary research in a collaborative, stimulating, and supportive environment. Students will become proficient in organic and inorganic syntheses, the handling of air- and moisture-sensitive materials, and state-of-the-art characterization methods.