In situ imaging of chemically reacting flows

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With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program, and co-funding from the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professors Louis Bouchard and Omar Yaghi and their groups at University of California, Los Angeles are proposing to develop novel methodologies to visualize chemical reactions in real-time and in a non-invasive manner. Chemical catalysis and the optimization of chemical reactors rely on the accurate knowledge of chemical reaction thermodynamics, but methods to probe reaction dynamics non-invasively are currently lacking. Such methods would enable the optimization of catalysts and help improve the design of chemical reactors. Any improvements in the reaction efficiency could potentially translate into economic savings and reduced negative impact of chemical catalysis to the environment. In this project, the reserachers will develop novel imaging methods to be applied to existing and emerging catalysts such as metal organic frameworks and metal nanoparticle catalysts, which are attractive not only to conventional industrial catalysis but also for modern microreaction technology. The learned knowledge from the development of novel imaging technology will be used to devise new experiments to benefit undergraduate education. The researchers are involved in developing new experiments for undergraduate chemistry labs and in developing extracurricular teaching activities that benefit local public schools, where many minority students are enrolled.