Chemical Research

• See the press release here.
• See the article in The Michigan Daily here.

Synthetic polymers have an enormous impact on our lives, yet the manner in which they are produced, used, and disposed of is unsustainable. Globally, we produce over 300 million tons of plastics per year, and a stunning >90% of plastics are made from petroleum feedstocks and only a scant 9% of plastics are recycled. Products that are recycled through current mechanical processes are frequently downgraded into lower-quality materials. We are currently exploring methods for “chemical recycling”. This approach includes developing depolymerization procedures and synthetic methods for repurposing degraded polymers into equal-quality or value-added materials.

Listen to Anne’s interview on NPR’s Stateside where she talked about recycling plastics.

As renewable, but intermittent energy sources become more prevalent, there is an increasing need for scalable, high-capacity methods to store energy. One of our group’s newer projects looks at developing soluble, high-potential organic redox active materials for energy storage applications such as non-aqueous redox flow batteries. We are especially interested in “ambipolar” molecules which can be both oxidized and reduced, enabling devices with the same active species on both sides of the battery. Using a combination of synthetic and electrochemical methods, we are exploring the relationships between molecular structure and properties including potential, cycling stability, and solubility. This work is part of a large, collaborative grant – JCESR – funded by the DOE.

The spread of microplastics throughout the environment is a growing problem with potential for long-term harm to the nation’s ecosystems. Numerous studies have quantified their presence, identified their sources, and pointed out their negative impact on human and environmental health. One major source of microplastics is wastewater, for example effluent from washing machines that contains fibers from clothing. While many larger plastic particles can be sequestered by municipal wastewater treatment facilities, a sizable number of smaller plastics still convey. This project will develop efficient microplastic remediation strategies to capture and eliminate this source of pollution before it enters our waterways. In addition to this goal, the materials used to capture the microplastics will themselves be made of recycled plastics, and the captured microplastics will be upcycled into industrially usable materials. Together, these three project goals will bolster a sustainable plastics economy with less reliance on fossil fuels as well as reduced plastic waste in rivers, lakes, and oceans. This project is part of a funded EFRI through the NSF, and is in collaboration with colleagues Prof. Jose Alfaro, Prof. Brian Love, and Prof. Paul Zimmerman.

See this press release from UM about the grant for more information.

See this highlight of Anne’s public lecture (Nov 18) on microplastics pollution and solutions.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are both pervasive and persistent. Dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ due to their resistance to biodegradation, a staggering ~98% of the US population has measurable levels of PFAS in their blood. Remediation strategies are urgently needed to attenuate the detrimental impacts of PFASs. One of the most promising remediation technologies involves adsorption of PFASs onto substrates. Our group is pioneering a new class of adsorption materials for PFAS remediation.