Dr. Challa V. Kumar’s research focuses on biological materials, materials that are both functional and biogradable. In this ACS “What Chemists Do” video profile, Dr. Kumar discusses the properties of a light-harvesting antenna that is more efficient than existing solar cell panels. Video>>>
Faculty News
Dr. Michael Hren Receives ACS/Petroleum Research Fund Award
Dr. Michael Hren has received an award from the American Chemical Society/Petroleum Research Fund for his project “Evaluating the Preservation Potential of Buried Organic Carbon: A Laboratory and Field Study of the Impact of Burial Diagenesis on Stable Isotopic and Organic Molecular Records” in the amount of $110,000.
Angeles Group Research Featured On ACS Infectious Diseases Cover
Dr. Alfredo Angeles, Dr. Vitaliy Gorbatyuk, and Daben Libardo’s (Ph.D. candidate, Angeles Group) research was featured on the December cover of ACS Infectious Diseases. Through the study of peptides, their research suggests that “ticks employ a variety of effectors to generate an amplified immune response.” Full article
Tracking Soldier Health Through Implantable Nanosensors
Dr. Fotios Papadimitrakopoulos, is the recent recipient of a ~$2.5M award from DOD/Army/MedicalResearch and Materiel Command for his project “Tracking the Health of Soldiers with Advanced Implantable Nano-Sensors.”
Why Is There Cyanide In My Table Salt
In an article originally featured in the J. Chem. Educ., Drs. Christian Brückner and Sarina Dorazio explore the answer to the following question: “Why is there cyanide in my table salt?” (J. Chem. Educ. 2015, DOI:10.1021/ed500776b). The article, also highlighted in C&EN’s “Newscripts” section, details cyanide’s use as an anticaking agent. Full Article
Dr. Mark Peczuh Receives Provost’s Teaching Innovation Mini Grant Competition Award
Dr. Mark Peczuh received a grant for the following proposal: Title: “Don’t Flip Out – It’s Just Organic Chemistry” Summary: In the project we will develop a version of second semester organic chemistry that is flipped. Lecture content will be delivered online and meeting times will be dedicated to problem solving and group work in […]
Boosting The Efficiency of Solar Panels
Dr. C. Vijay Kumar is the focus of a recent UConn Today article highlighting his research to improve the efficiency of solar panels. Dr. Kumar has developed a light-harvesting antenna that could double the efficiency of existing solar cell panels and make them cheaper to build. UConn Today A UConn researcher has developed a light-harvesting […]
Suib & He Group Research Highlighted on Chemistry of Materials Cover
A paper entitled “Colloidal Amphiphile-Templated Growth of Highly Crystalline Mesoporous Nonsiliceous Oxides” from the Suib and He groups (Chem. Mater. 2015, 27, 6173–6176) was featured on the front cover of Chemistry of Materials. They highlighted the utilization of polymer-tethered silica nanoparticles for the preparation of thermally stable and highly crystalline mesoporous transition-metal oxides with uniform […]
Novel “Green” Antenna Could Double Solar Efficiency
The Kumar Group and He Group have reportedly developed a unique “green” antenna that could potentially double the efficiencies of certain kinds of solar cells. Efficient solar cells maximize the absorption of the sun’s wavelengths. However, current silicon solar cells are not efficient in the blue part of the light spectrum. In response, Kumar’s team […]
New Peanut Allergy Test Goes Beyond Scratching the Surface
UConn Today Current peanut allergy tests are not very reliable when it comes to diagnosing the severity of an individual’s allergic reaction, which can range from hives to life-threatening anaphylactic shock. With an estimated three million people in the United States allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, having a more precise and reliable allergy test […]