CAREER: Understanding Metal-Micelle Cooperativity for Selective Catalysis in Water

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program within the Division of Chemistry, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Dr. Sachin Handa of the University of Louisville is developing catalysts that promote organic reactions in water - a green, safe, and abundant medium for performing chemical synthesis. Despite its desirable features, organic reactions are not usually performed in water because the compounds and catalysts used to build the molecules usually cannot dissolve in water. Micelles provide a solution by creating small pockets where the components of organic reactions can dissolve. The Handa group is studying the interaction of metal nanoparticle catalysts (high surface area metal particles) with a specific type of micelle to better understand how this environment alters, and in some cases improves, catalyst performance. Simultaneously, new reactions are being investigated with these systems. To complement these activities, Dr. Handa is also leading an initiative called “Better Society, Greener Planet” that targets the training of high school students from underrepresented groups, the reintegration of discontinued students into studies in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines, and community STEM engagement activities at local churches, temples, and mosques. Dr. Sachin Handa and his research group are working to better understand the fundamental properties of nanocatalyst-micelle interactions that support, control, and improve organic reactions in water. They are using systematic structural changes to the amphiphile to interrogate optimization and gain insight into how micellular nanocatalysts support longer lifetimes of unstable intermediates in water. These structure-activity relationship studies rely on the combined use of several analytical techniques, including dynamic light-scattering, cryo-TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy), IR (Infra-red) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition, mixed metal nanoparticle catalysts will be developed to investigate metal-cooperativity in these systems and new transformations are to be explored for deracemization and trifluoromethylation reactions. This work is simultaneously serving to train a diverse group of students in the development of catalysts for sustainable processes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.