February 18, 2025
11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Building 9, Level 2, Lecture Hall 1
Aerosol Science and Technology Enabling Synthesis of Advanced Materials to Promote Circular Economies
By Pratim Biswas, Dean of Engineering; Professor, Chemical Engineering & Material Engineering & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami (US)
Aerosols are particles that are suspended in a gaseous medium; and are ubiquitous and found in nature and engineered systems. They occur in a range of sizes, shapes and compositions and are relevant to important phenomena such as climate change, human health, environmental and energy processes. Understanding the formation processes of these particles enables the synthesis of a range of nanomaterials with controlled characteristics and tailored functionalities.
Following this brief introduction, we will discuss the use of sustainable precursors (byproducts from other processes) as feedstock in aerosol synthesis processes to produce functional nanomaterials. Such approaches help advance circular economies which lead to increased sustainability. One example is the conversion of carbon dioxide to value added materials. In this presentation, we will focus on the use of the fundamentals of the synthesis processes to design methodologies to convert lignin (biomass processing by-product) to a variety of functional nanomaterials such as carbon dots. Applications in battery technologies, drug delivery and consumer products will be described.