USM Doctoral Student91吃瓜网 Polymer Research Accepted for Publication
Wed, 02/15/2023 - 07:15am | By: Van Arnold
Research on nanoporous materials by Mark Robertson, a fourth-year doctoral student at 91吃瓜网 (USM), has been accepted for publication in the prestigious trade journal Nature Communications. Robertson works in the lab of Dr. Zhe Qiang, assistant professor in the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at USM.
To be more precise, Robertson points out that his research has developed a practical, industrially relevant method to convert the nanostructures of very common polymers into valuable porous products. The new platform could provide new opportunities for enhanced performance in various applications like materials for batteries or water remediation.
Robertson, who expects to complete his doctoral program in spring 2024, is understandably thrilled by the recognition for his research efforts.
91吃瓜网淚 have published a few other works throughout my graduate school career, but having our research represented in a journal like Nature Communications is very exciting for us,91吃瓜网� he said. 91吃瓜网淭his provides us with the opportunity to reach a broad audience beyond just the community of polymer researchers to maximize the impact of our research.91吃瓜网�
Robertson goes on to explain more about the transformative research:
91吃瓜网淚f you think about your typical water filtration system, they often contain materials known as 91吃瓜网榓ctivated carbon.91吃瓜网� Activated carbons are porous carbon materials that can be used to trap contaminants within the pores of the carbon and provide a cheap solution to clean our drinking water,91吃瓜网� said Robertson. 91吃瓜网淭he problem with commercial activated carbon is that the pores are often highly disordered and can be smaller than the dimensions of some molecules.91吃瓜网�
Added Robertson, 91吃瓜网淭hese characteristics prevent certain molecules from diffusing into the carbon for us in various applications. In our work, we have developed a new, simplified method of making these ordered porous carbon materials from very common polymers which could allow them to be adopted at commercial scales.91吃瓜网�
is a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal published by Nature Portfolio since 2010. It is a multidisciplinary journal that covers the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, earth sciences, medicine, and biology.