Cationic Inorganic MaterialsCationic Inorganic MaterialsScott Oliver, University of California, Santa Cruz, DMR 0506279Scott Oliver, University of California, Santa Cruz, DMR 0506279

We are developing an entirely new class of inorganic materials. The goal is structures that bear a cationic (positive) charge, using anions (negatively charged molecules) as template. Such materials could be used as new catalysts, as well as for trapping heavy metal pollutants and pharmaceuticals, which are an increasing problem in urban waterstreams.

We have now discovered a series of cationic materials templated by nitrate, perchlorate and alkylenesulfonates (two recent examples are shown at right). These structures represent the such examples outside the naturally occurring clay known as hydrotalcite, or layered double hydroxides (LDHs).

Education and Training

11 graduate students, 39 undergraduates and 4 postdoctoral researchers have contributed to this project to date. In Summer 2007, the PI was advisor of 2 NSF SURF students, 1 UCSC ACCESS student and 1 undergraduate from the 2007 NSF Solid State Chemistry Summer Fellowship Program (Patrick Healy, center row, second from right).

Claudia Swanson (graduate student of the PI), demonstrates the TGA-MS system to the analytical chemistry class.

Curriculum Development

The PI (back left) was instructor of Analytical Chemistry in Fall 2006. This senior level course is the only analytical chemistry course offered at UCSC. The 16 students first learned the principles of TGA, DTA and DSC in lecture, and a demo was then conducted of the TGA-MS system in the PI’s lab.

Cationic Inorganic MaterialsCationic Inorganic MaterialsScott Oliver, University of California, Santa Cruz, DMR 0506279Scott Oliver, University of California, Santa Cruz, DMR 0506279