Event

Abstract:

The electrochemical reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia promises a sustainable route to fertilizers and fuels. A mechanism based on direct N2 splitting into metal nitride complexes, followed by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) to generate NH3, will be considered. Electrochemical kinetic and spectroscopic studies of rhenium and molybdenum complexes capable of reductive N2 binding and splitting provide molecular-level mechanistic details on key steps relevant to ammonia synthesis. The mechanistic studies are complemented by molecular orbital theory analyses probing fundamental aspects of dinitrogen bonding and reactivity, guiding the design of catalysts for ammonia synthesis.

Bio:

Alexander Miller is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). Alex obtained his B.S. at the University of Chicago in 2005 (working with Prof. Greg Hillhouse), and his Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology in 2011 (working with Profs. John Bercaw and Jay Labinger). After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington, Seattle working with Profs. Karen Goldberg and James Mayer, Alex joined the faculty at UNC-CH in 2012. His research group takes a mechanism-guided approach to the design and discovery of catalysts for sustainable chemical and fuel synthesis. Alex is the co-founder of The Safety Net, a web resource for academic laboratory safety and co-founded the Department of Chemistry’s Student and Postdoc Wellness (SWELL) Committee.

Research 

Research in the Miller group revolves around transformations relevant to global energy concerns, including the storage of solar energy in chemical fuels, proton-coupled electron transfer reactions, and hydrocarbon transformations. Our approach starts with the design and synthesis of transition metal catalysts, then shifts to examining catalyst performance with a focus on understanding reaction mechanism in order to inform catalyst improvements. Our catalysts feature multifunctional ligands: beyond simply supporting the metal center, the ligands position additional functionality in the secondary coordination sphere of the metal and work in concert with the metal center to enhance key steps in catalytic cycles.

Website:

http://millergroup.web.unc.edu

Host: Prof Goldberg