Building a Strong Workforce for Developing Functional Materials for Sustainable Energy in Texas through Holistic Collaborations and Partnerships

Dr. Anindita Das ¹, Assistant Professor

Co-PI(s): Drs. Tomce Runcevski ¹, Grant E. Johnson ², Venkateshkumar Prabhakaran ², José L. Bañuelos ³

1: Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75205

2: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354

3: University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968

There is an urgent need to develop a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce capable of mitigating challenges related to producing and storing renewable domestic energy. In this project, students and early-career researchers at Southern Methodist University (SMU), a Carnegie R2 Emerging Research Institution (ERI) in Dallas, will work together with faculty at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a high-level research (R1) minority serving institute (MSI), and scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to understand hydrogen interactions and dynamics in atomically precise coinage metal-hydride clusters. Because of their well-resolved crystal structures, coinage metal-hydride clusters are attractive candidates for studying structure-property-function relationships in energy sciences with atomic precision. However, determining the hydride locations in their crystal structures is extremely challenging because of the difficulty in growing large and high-quality single crystals for neutron diffraction. This project aims to directly address these knowledge gaps by developing high-precision methods to synthesize and study the structures of coinage metal-hydride clusters by combining different approaches, including spectroscopic, X-ray, and neutron diffraction techniques. Overall, this multi-institute partnership will expose trainees at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellows) at SMU to a holistic learning experience involving (a) synthesis and X-ray characterization of metal-hydride cluster nanomaterials, (b) training in cutting-edge techniques like mass spectrometry, ion soft landing, and spectroelectrochemistry, and (c) experience with neutron diffraction methods through student visits to PNNL in addition to lectures by PNNL and UTEP scientists to SMU students. Additionally, this project will (i) facilitate the development of research-informed courses wherein emerging concepts in interdisciplinary energy sciences will be incorporated in graduate- and undergraduate-level courses at SMU’s Chemistry Department; (ii) broaden participation in STEM activities at an early stage by providing hands-on research exposure to SMU undergraduate students as well as students from Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area, and (iii) provide a unique training platform wherein graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at SMU are exposed to multiple different approaches used to answer complex research questions, thereby developing essential skills needed for leadership roles in STEM fields.