Institute for Cooperative Upcycling of Plastics (iCOUP)
Director
Aaron Sadow
Lead Institution
Ames Laboratory
Class
2020-2024
Mission
To uncover macromolecular and catalytic phenomena at the interface of molecular-scale chemistry and mesoscale materials science to enable upcycling of energy-rich plastics.
Research Topics
catalysis (homogeneous), catalysis (heterogeneous), polymer upcycling, bio-inspired, mesoscale science, materials and chemistry by design, Interface (solid/solid), mesostructured materials, synthesis (novel systems)
Systems Studied
Systems: oxide, polymer, molecules, porous
Interfaces: organic/inorganic, inorganic/inorganic, liquid/solid
Nanostructured: 2D, 3D
Experimental and Theoretical Methods
X-ray diffraction and scattering, X-ray spectroscopy, neutron diffraction and scattering, electron microscopy, high-throughput screening methods, molecular dynamics (MD), density functional theory (DFT), monte carlo (MC), mesoscale modeling, multiscale modeling, machine learning
Partner Institutions
- Ames Laboratory
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Cornell University
- Northwestern University
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of South Carolina
