Professor Thomas Mallouk of the Pennsylvania State University - University Park is supported by the Inorganic, Bioinorganic and Organometallic Chemistry program to explore the rational synthesis of new layered inorganic oxides (layer perovskites) and study their chemical transformations, growth as thin films and arrays of nanoparticles, and application as proton conductors and catalyst supports for fuel cells.
This research will bridge the gap between topochemical reactions, which have been developed for early transition metal perovskites and the interesting physical properties which are usually available only with mid- to late-transition metals in octahedral B-sites. The research group will relate the solid state structures at both the atomic and nano-microscale levels to transport behavior by means of experiment and computational modeling. These materials can behave as both proton conductors and electrocatalyst support structures and thus, may have important industrial applications in energy storage devices.
Undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in this interdisciplinary research project that includes chemical synthesis, solid state property measurements, electrochemistry, and computational modeling. Professor Mallouk and his group will also continue to develop materials chemistry experiments for the general chemistry laboratories at Penn State, focusing on developing new integrated projects that apply chemical concepts and techniques to a structured, but exploratory, capstone laboratory involving inorganic materials. They will also continue to work with the staff of the Penn State Action Potential Science Experience to develop and present a nanoscience curriculum for 5th-8th graders in a one week science camp.
