Mechanism of Natural Organic Matter Self-Assembly

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The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) program of the Division of Chemistry will support the research project of Prof. James Rice of South Dakota State University. Prof. Rice and his students will investigate the role of nanoparticles in the formation of self assembled Natural Organic Matter (NOM). They will apply scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and isotopically-labeled lipids and amphiphiles as probes in combination with solid-state NMR spectroscopy, small-angle neutron scattering, and neutron spin-echo spectrometry to provide molecular level understanding of the self assembly process leading to achieve this goal. The project has the potential to increase our molecular level understanding of mechanisms that contribute to the persistence of organic carbon in soils and thus the global carbon cycle. As a practical outcome, the ability to control NOM self-assembly could lead to the development of sequestration mechanisms and strategies to increase its residence time in the soil. The project will provide excellent training opportunities to students and postdoctoral fellows in a highly interdisciplinary research area of great environmental importance.