News & EventsDepartment Events
Events
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Sep24
EVENT DETAILS
lessFall 2024 Classes Begin (No Northwestern Monday in Fall)
TIME Tuesday, September 24, 2024
CONTACT Office of the Registrar nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR University Academic Calendar
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Sep26
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present student seminars by Kavi Chintam and Yang Li as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
Kavi Chintam (Seitz lab) will present a seminar titled "Developing Online Product Detection Techniques to Investigate Fundamentals of Electrochemical Reactive Carbon Capture."
ABSTRACT: Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions comprise about 80% of total greenhouse gas emissions as of 2022. Transportation, electric power, and industry are the top three economic sectors that contribute to greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions. Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (ECR) provides a method to convert CO2 emissions into valuable products in tandem with renewable energy, providing opportunity to a more sustainable process. Reactive carbon capture (RCC) takes ECR a step further, enabling the in situ conversion of carbon dioxide immediately following its capture from air or a point source. This eliminates the traditional energy-intensive steps of release and storage after carbon capture, which also bring concerns regarding safety and environmental justice. However, there are still many uncertainties with RCC, such as understanding the conversion process mechanism, the relative energies of the capture and conversion processes, and the merits and demerits of various catalysts. Developing consistent, reliable, and accurate methods to investigate fundamental aspects of RCC is imperative to better inform research directions for the community. Differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) provides a way to track products from RCC processes in situ and online, but the complexity of DEMS data quantification must also be elucidated to fully realize the potential of this method. I will present my work on use of a model RCC system to outline effective DEMS data collection and quantification methods to provide benchmarks for the community and to compare RCC data reliably as the field grows.
Yang Li (Olvera de la Cruz lab) will present a seminar titled "Poly(propylene sulfone) superstructures as protein anchors."
ABSTRACT: Protein adsorption is an extensively investigated area due to its extensive applications in the bio-related field such as drug delivery, biosensors and surface coatings. The phenomenon is a highly complex process with various determining factors, such as geometry, charge, hydrophobicity, and crystallinity. Generally, specific binding and non-specific binding strategies are employed to capture proteins. Specific binding between a molecule-recognizing group is usually efficient, such as protein A binding with human antibody IgG. However, obstacles exist to find specific binding groups for all proteins. Therefore, a universal protein adsorption material is required. To optimize the application, stable and non-destructive adsorption of proteins onto surfaces is desired. In general, hydrophilic surfaces usually render weak adsorption with low degree of denaturation, whereas hydrophobic surfaces render strong adsorption with high degree of denaturation.
Poly(propylene sulfone) (referred to as PPSU) is an emerging material that exhibits extraordinary protein affinity while preserving protein functions. The versatile PPSU polymer can conjugate with various proteins to form different systems such as colloid suspension and hydrogels. With different morphology, PPSU-protein complexes achieve different functions such as drug delivery and controlled drug release. A detailed examination of the binding surface between PPSU superstructures and proteins reveals that the surfaces of PPSU adapt to the protein domains, maximizing binding interactions while preserving the hydration shell of the proteins. This binding mechanism is inherently non-selective, applying uniformly across various protein surfaces. Leveraging this adaptable binding behavior offers opportunities for diverse applications, such as simultaneous multi-drug loading within a single vehicle and the protection of proteins from external environmental conditions.
As an emerging material, PPSU holds significant untapped potential across various fields. This talk represents an initial effort to explore its possibilities, with the hope that it will inspire further innovative applications of PPSU.Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, September 26, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Sep30
EVENT DETAILS
lessLast day to add a class or change a section for Fall (Last day for tuition adjustment related to enrollment changes (to or from full-time). No reductions are made to bills for dropped or swapped classes after this date)
TIME Monday, September 30, 2024
CONTACT Office of the Registrar nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR University Academic Calendar
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Oct3
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present a seminar by Michele Sarazen from Princeton University as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
Michele Sarazen will present a seminar titled "Designing microporous catalysts to overcome material and reaction limitations."
ABSTRACT: With the ubiquity of catalysts in industrial processes for chemical, fuel, polymer, and pharmaceutical production, catalyst design that limits deactivation and improves efficacy (in terms of mass transfer artifacts and/or selective conversions) can decrease process energy demands. Our work focuses on porous crystalline materials such as zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), where it is important to define active sites, to probe influences of transport, and to incorporate deactivation and materials stability. In the case of zeolites, incorporation of mesopores into bulk microporous frameworks is one route to alter mass transfer, particularly of bulky molecules. Here, we probe the condensed-phase hydrocarbon conversions (aromatics and waste polyolefins) on various microporous and hierarchical zeolites to deduce diffusional effects on rates, selectivities, and stability using kinetic analyses and observed changes in reaction and deactivation rates. In the case of MOFs, the less hydrothermally stable counterpart to zeolites, we delineate structural and reaction stability during liquid-phase reactions, specifically over the Cr and Fe variants of MIL-101 for styrene oxidation by hydrogen peroxide. Overall, we demonstrate that deactivation phenomena limit catalyst efficiencies in both zeolitic and MOF reaction systems but can be alleviated through synthetic and reaction modifications, which has broad implications for these and other industrial catalytic systems.
Michele L. Sarazen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University. Her research group couples synthetic, kinetic, and theoretical investigations of porous crystalline materials as catalysts and adsorbents for sustainable fuel and chemical production with an emphasis on reaction and deactivation mechanisms. She earned her BS in Chemical Engineering, summa cum laude, at the Pennsylvania State University and her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Before arriving at Princeton, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her recognitions include the NSF CAREER Award, AIChE 35 under 35, ICC Young Talent Laureate, Howard B. Wentz, Jr. Junior Faculty Award, National Academy of Engineering Frontiers of Engineering, The Catalysis Review “Mover and Shaker”, and MSDE Outstanding Early Career Paper Award. She has served as a Division Director and D&I Task Force member for AIChE in Catalysis and Reaction Engineering, Director of the Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York, Early Career Board member for Journal of Catalysis and Applied Catalysis A, and ACS CATL Division Program Chair.
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, October 3, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Oct10
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present a seminar by Zhe Qiang from the University of Southern Mississippi as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
Zhe Qiang will present a seminar titled "Polyolefin innovations for clean air and water."
ABSTRACT: Securing clean air and water is crucial for fostering a sustainable and prosperous future, where economic equity is closely linked to technological accessibility. This talk will explore how the transformative potential of commodity plastics, among the most cost-effective and widely accessible materials, can be harnessed to drive industrial decarbonization and water remediation. In the first part of the talk, I will address the challenge of process heat in the chemical and materials industries, a significant contributor to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. I will delve into the additive manufacturing of carbon-based Joule heaters derived from polyolefins and their recycled counterparts, demonstrating how the structure and properties of these complex carbons can be precisely tuned by altering filament composition and processing conditions. This approach enables the electrification of heating processes, thus facilitating the decarbonization of chemical and energy production. The second part of the talk will focus on the development of functional mesoporous materials from low-cost thermoplastic elastomers and their efficient application in removing micropollutants from water, particularly per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This presentation will highlight the transformative role of polyolefins in advancing a sustainable future for our planet and society.
Dr. Zhe Qiang is the SSCT Endowed Chair and Associate Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Polymer Engineering from the University of Akron and subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University. Dr. Qiang's research group focuses on the materials and manufacturing science of polymers and their derived functional materials, with an emphasis on sustainable development for the environment and society, including industrial decarbonization and waste recycling. Since beginning his independent career in 2019, Dr. Qiang has received many awards and honors, including being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science (2022), the ACS PMSE Early Career Investigator (2023), SAMPE Young Professional of the Year (2023), NSF CAREER Award recipient (2023), and AIChE 35 Under 35 (2023).
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Oct17
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present a seminar by faculty member Jeffrey Richards as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
More details to come.
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Oct24
EVENT DETAILS
lessMore details to come.
TIME Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Nov7
EVENT DETAILS
lessMore details to come.
TIME Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Nov14
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present a seminar by Lynden Archer from Cornell University as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
More details to come.
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)
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Nov21
EVENT DETAILS
lessThe Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present student seminars by Nikhil Chellam and Xiao Kun Lu as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
More details to come.
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
TIME Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION LR4, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Olivia Wise olivia.wise@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR McCormick-Chemical and Biological Engineering (ChBE)