Root, Thatcher W.

"Deuterium NMR Characterization of Brønsted Acid Sites and Silanol Species in Zeolites," (with J.M. Kobe, T.J. Gluszak and J.A. Dumesic), Journal of Physical Chemistry, 99 5485 (1995).
"Microcalorimetric and Infrared Spectroscopic Studies of CO, C₂H₄, N₂O, and O₂ on Cu-Y Zeolite," (with G.D. Borgard, S. Molvig, P. Balaraman and J.A. Dumesic), Langmuir, 11 2065 (1995).
"Morphological Studies of Lightly-Sulfonated Polystyrene using ²³Na NMR: Effects of Polydispersity in Molecular Weight," (with E.M. O'Connell and S.L. Cooper), Macromolecules, 29 2124 (1996).
"Refining the Description of Protein Chromatography," (with E.N. Lightfoot, J.L. Coffman, F. Lode, Q.S. Yuan and T.W. Perkins), Journal of Chromatography A, 760 139 (1997).
"Protein Diffusion in Porous Chromatographic Media Studied by Proton and Fluorine PFG-NMR,"(with J.L. Coffman and E.N. Lightfoot), Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 101 2218 (1997).
"Refining the Scale-up of Chromatographic Separations,"(with F.G. Lode, A. Rosenfeld, Q.S. Yuan, and E.N. Lightfoot), Journal of Chromatography A, 796 3 (1998).

Selected Awards, Honors and Societies

NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award (1987)

Summary

The principal theme of our research is developing an understanding on a microscopic level of reactions on surfaces and interactions at interfaces. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is emerging as a technique for examining adsorbates on surfaces, giving both structural information and kinetic parameters. Using it in conjunction with other catalyst characterization techniques, we have a powerful combination for attacking basic problems in surface chemistry.

Areas of ongoing investigation include the activity, stability, and mechanism of Cu-zeolite catalysts for automobile NO_x emission control, catalyst poisons and promoters, acid site strength and character, and the use of NMR as an in situ reaction probe for concentrations and intermediates. These investigations range from idealized, well-characterized model catalyst systems to commercial reaction systems with immediate industrial importance.

A new initiative is a Graduate Research Training program in Catalyst Design for Environmentally Benign Manufacturing, conducted jointly with Professors Dumesic, Hill and Swaney. These projects focus on development of new catalytic processes and processing strategies to generate desirable products while reducing or eliminating adverse environmental impact. One such project is investigating alternative, chlorine-free reaction schemes for producing isocyanates, which are key ingredients in production of widely-used polyurethanes. A second focuses on design of framework-substituted zeolites that can catalyze partial oxidation reactions using hydrogen peroxide.

NMR spectroscopy also addresses other key issues in chemical engineering fields. In collaboration with Emeritus Professor Edwin N. Lightfoot, we are characterizing diffusion in porous media and examining adsorption, desorption and motion of proteins to understand behavior of molecules in chromatographic columns during separations of bioengineered products. By using appropriate labeled molecules, adsorption and diffusion are monitored in porous media with NMR spectroscopy while magnetic resonance imaging shows concentration and velocity profiles inside packed columns.

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Date last modified: Friday, 30-Apr-2004 12:31:20 CDT
Date created: 16-Aug-1999
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