Metal oxides have been shown to be effective catalysts in converting greenhouse gases to useful chemical fuels, for example transforming carbon dioxide into methanol.

However, the development of new solid-state catalysts for these types of chemical transformations is “very much driven by ‘guess and check,’” says Ellen Matson, assistant professor of chemistry. “A critical challenge is understanding the atomic-level interactions between these gaseous environmental pollutants and the catalytically active sites on the metallic oxides.”

Now her lab has found a way to model these interactions experimentally, hopefully leading to the elimination of much of the guesswork in designing more effective catalysts for the production of chemical fuels. In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, lead author Brittney Petel, a PhD student in Matson’s lab, describes creating – for the first time – an oxygen-atom vacancy at the surface of a metallic oxide cluster, in this case a polyoxovanadate cluster containing vanadium. This exciting discovery proves that molecular assemblies can function as pieces of larger assemblies, serving as structural models for bulk metal oxide materials.

The vacancy, created by the removal or “cleavage” of an oxygen atom, makes it easier for the gaseous mixture to reach and bind with a redox-active vanadium cation, or positively charged ion.

“Theoretical investigations in recent years have suggested that creation of an oxygen-atom vacancy at the surface of metal oxide materials is often a key step in facilitating a reaction,” Matson says. “By extending this chemistry to polyoxometalates (a class of metal oxide clusters than can also include molybdenum or tungsten), we have demonstrated that our clusters can model the surface chemistry of extended solids. This idea has been tossed around for decades by chemists, and for the first time our lab is realizing these types of goals in cluster research.”

“What’s cool about modeling the surface chemistry with a discrete molecule like this is that we can monitor these types of complicated, multi-electron reactions spectroscopically. We can take CO₂ or another oxygenated substrate, add it to a reaction vessel that contains our reduced polyoxovanadate cluster, and watch, in real-time, how the two compounds react.”

“What we are hoping,” she adds, “is that our findings can influence the way materials chemists design their systems – how they pick the materials they’re going to put into their solid-state reactors to see if they produce the reactions they’re looking for.”

Read more here.

(The Shared Resource Laboratories (SRL) have invested $3 million in the last year in new state-of-the-art instrumentation.  These advanced technologies will enhance the University’s research capabilities in microscopy, mass spectrometry, genomics, and flow cytometry.  This is the third in a series on the new instrumentation.)

The Light Microscopy Core Facility has acquired an Abberior Instruments Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscope.

STED microscopy is a super-resolution imaging technique that allows researchers to image beyond the theoretical resolution limit of light.  A STED microscope can resolve objects located less than 20 nm (0.00002mm) apart, enabling researchers to visualize individual components of complex structures.

The instrument was purchased with an NIH grant awarded to David Yule, professor of pharmacology and physiology, and with additional support from the University.

It will be housed in the Confocal and Conventional Microscopy Resource Core.  The instrument is expected to be installed within the next three weeks and will be available to the University a few weeks after that.

The instrument will be introduced by a lecture early next year from the inventor of STED technology, Nobel Prize Laureate Stephan Hell of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany.

In the meantime, Christian Wurm of Abberior Instruments will give a lecture entitled “STED microscopes from the inventors: Novel concepts enable nanoscopy in tissue and living cells” at 11 a.m. this Tuesday, Aug. 14 in room 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Auditorium.

(The Shared Resource Laboratories, which are directed by Tim Bushnell, provide leading edge services and instrumentation to researchers across the University.  The new acquisitions were made possible through a combination of internal investment, NIH grant supplements, and NIH SIG grants.)

Medical Center tenure track faculty and their chairpersons may secure bridge funding during a hiatus in research support. The goal of this program is to allow researchers to maintain their research momentum in order to obtain external funding.

Up to $50,000 will be made available through the Interim Funding Program and applicants may request a maximum of $75,000. The applicant’s department or center is expected to provide at least 50% of the awarded institutional funds, i.e., $25,000 for the maximum award of $75,000. Applicants will be required to provide a budget for the full amount of the award.

All questions and applications should be directed to Anne Reed.

Submit proposals by Sunday, September 30, 2018.

Additional Information

Valerie Fleischauer, chemistry, “Applications of Physical Inorganic Spectroscopy to d – and f – block Metals: Catalysis, Electronic Structure, and Bonding.” 9:30 a.m., August 14, 2018. 1400 Wegmans Hall. Advisor: Michael Neidig.

Sergio Ascencio Bonfil, political science, “Electoral Competition, Party Politics, and Candidate Selection in Mexico.” 10 a.m. August 14, 2018. Harkness 329. Advisor: Gretchen Helmke.

Danae Polsin, physics, “High-Pressure Phase Transformations of Ramp-Compressed Aluminum and Sodium.” 2 p.m., August 14, 2018. Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) Seminar Room. Advisor: Thomas Boehly.

Xiaoyu Du, electrical engineering, “Mid-infrared InAs-based Photodetectors: Effects of Processing and Structures on Dark Currents.” 3 p.m., August 15, 2018. 426 Computer Studies Building. Advisor: Gary Wicks.

Michael Mark, chemistry, “Excited State Dynamics of Organic Chromophores Used in Solar Hydrogen Production.” 10 a.m., August 15, 2018. 473 Hutchison Hall. Advisor: David McCamant.

Aug. 13: Noon deadline to apply for Community Health Mini-Grants to be awarded in September by the Center for Community Health and Prevention. Up to $1,000 to address barriers to pursuing community health partnerships. Application directions for the grant can be found here. Contact Gail Hamilton via email or at 224-3062 for additional information.

Aug. 14: Lecture: “STED microscopes from the inventors: Novel concepts enable nanoscopy in tissue and living cells,” by Christian Wurm of Abberior Instruments. 11 a.m., 1-7619 Adolph (Lower) Auditorium. An Abberior Instruments Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) microscope is being installed this summer in the Confocal and Conventional Microscopy Resource Core.

Aug. 27: Deadline to apply to the Pilot Studies Program of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) for seed funding for highly innovative research that spans the translational spectrum in three categories: faculty, trainee, and UNYTE Translational Research Network. View the Request for Applications (RFA).

Aug. 27: Deadline to apply to the CTSI Incubator Program for “super-pilot projects,” two years in duration, that are intended to accelerate innovative scientific discovery in the life sciences and public health, leading to new independently funded research programs. Each award is funded at a maximum level of $125,000 per year for each of two years. View the Request for Applications (RFA).

Sept. 14:  Workshop on basic components of writing successful proposals for humanities grants and fellowships, plus writing session so that you can kick-start your proposals. 10 to 11:30 a.m., Rush Rhees Library Instruction Room B.  The session will end with an opportunity for immediate feedback on your proposal drafts and ideas. Geared toward graduate students in the humanities, but open to all interested grad students. Bring a laptop, and RSVP here.

Sept. 17: Deadline to apply for the Falling Walls competition. Winner of the Rochester competition, to be held October 2 in the Feldman Ballroom, will receive $500 and a trip to the Falling Walls Lab Finale in Berlin, November 7 to 9. Presenters will each have three minutes and three slides to summarize their groundbreaking ideas. Click here to register. Contact Adele Coelho, faculty outreach coordinator, at adele.coelho@rochester.edu for additional information.

Sept. 24: Deadline to apply for Novel Biostatistical and Epidemiologic Methods awards to overcome specific analytic limitations and significantly enhance the validity and accuracy, scope, or speed of clinical or translational research. A maximum of $35,000 will be awarded for a one-year period. View the request for applications (RFA).

Sept. 27: Workshop on Developmental Programming of Disease, focusing on current understanding of mechanisms that underlie early life programming. 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Class of ’62 Auditorium. Offered by the Department of Environmental Medicine and the University’s Environmental Health Science Center. Free and open to all. Registration is requested for ordering refreshments. Read more here.

Sept. 30: Deadline for Medical Center tenure track faculty and their chairpersons to apply for up to $75,000 in bridge funding during a hiatus in research support. All questions and applications should be directed to Anne Reed. For more information, click here.