Research

The Wenny Group aims to achieve three goals: (1) introduce students to synthetic materials chemistry and analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction and gas adsorption measurements; (2) answer fundamental questions about confinement and adsorption while improving materials for gas separation and storage; and (3) encourage students’ development as well-rounded, creative, independent people ready to take their next step.

Hydrophobic Guests for Humidity-Resistant Gas Separations

Porous materials, such as zeolites and metal–organic frameworks, are renowned for their ability to separate and store gases in a process known as adsorption. However, the widespread implementation of adsorption-based processes to address environmental concerns is hindered by a sensitivity to water vapor, which can cause structural degradation or decrease adsorption capacity and selectivity. We seek to tune pore environments and generate humidity-resistant materials by using hydrophobic guest ions. We hope to bring adsorption processes closer to real-world conditions and to contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors that drive hydrophobicity in porous materials.

Metal–Organic Framework Nanoparticle Dispersions

Many applications of metal–organic frameworks would benefit from colloidally stable dispersions of nano-sized particles. However, most metal–organic frameworks do not have well-developed nanoparticle synthesis routes that reliably produce a variety of particle sizes. Even when a metal–organic framework has been made in nanoparticle form, generating a stable colloidal dispersion of those particles is often difficult and underexplored. Our group aims to develop reproducible syntheses and dispersion methods for a broad set of metal–organic frameworks with controlled nanoparticle size.

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