Congratulations to Dr. Linxiao Chen, assistant professor of chemical, biomolecular and corrosion engineering and The University of Akron, who was recently awarded $328,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) CBET-Catalysis Program.
Chen received this funding for his research project titled ‘Leveraging Epitaxial Growth to Deconvolute Particle Size and Density Effects in Thermal Catalysis,’ which aims to develop a new general method to study which catalyst structure leads to the desired performance in breaking down polyolefin-based plastics (e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene) into smaller molecules that can be used as building blocks for either the remanufacture of polymeric materials or the production of commodity chemicals.
“I am extremely grateful to be awarded my first NSF grant which will significantly boost the development of my research lab and career,” said Chen. “The project closely reflects the core values of our research group: using interdisciplinary, collaborative research approaches to solve challenges associated with sustainability and to understand the science behind catalytic processes. It is also a great vehicle to promote sustainability in the local polymer industry among students and the public.”