Iowa State University Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

The department's American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE ISU) student chapter again honored faculty with their own unique awards at the CBE Scholarships and Awards Banquet. Those receiving recognition included Molly Kozminsky (Ideal Class Law Award), Brittany Hallmark-Haack (Best Gardener Award), R. Dennis Vigil (Outstanding Current Department Chair Award), Ratul Chowdhury (Everything, Everywhere, All At Once Award), Tom Mansell (Second Best AIChE Advisor Award), Jennifer Heinen (Final Boss Award) and Luke Roling (Vibe Check Award).

New CBE Publication! From Eric Cochran and co-authors, “Fabrication of visible light active Sn-doped ZnS@CuO composites for wastewater remediation” shares the results of creating new materials called Sn-doped ZnS@CuO composites to clean wastewater using visible light. Researchers used simple methods to make these materials and tested different amounts of CuO to find the best performance. They discovered that a composite with 75% CuO could remove 96% of the harmful dye methylene blue from water. The study shows that these composites can effectively break down toxic pollutants, offering a promising solution for environmental cleanup. Read the full study in Ceramics International https://lnkd.in/g-_4TQky. #IowaStateCBE Iowa State University - College of Engineering

Our thanks to department alumnus Scott Carver ('98 Ph.D.) who was an honored guest at the Scholarships and Awards Banquet and addressed attendees. He is senior vice president for manufacturing and process sciences at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. He's shown with Reginald R. Baxter Endowed Department Chair Dennis Vigil at the event. Other speakers included students Madison Mohar of the department's American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter and Ryan Godin who talked about the department's Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Organization.

The department's Scholarships and Awards Banquet honored numerous undergraduate students, graduate students and those who make their many scholarships and fellowships possible. Donors in attendance included Mike Morgan (representing Paul E. Morgan Engineering Scholarships) with student Alexander Bessie; Robert Mittman (brother of Wayne Mittman, and Barbara Beals, daughter of Wayne and Gladys Mittman), representing the Wayne and Gladys Mittman Scholarship with student Madison Mohar; and Robert M. Brown and Matt Brown (Robert R. Brown and Matthew R. Brown Engineering Endowment Scholarship with student Aden Rose). Thank you to all who provide support of our students!

New CBE Publication! In “Fully Atom-Efficient Solvent-Mediated Biopolymer Manufacturing: A Base Case Illustrated with Macromolecular Surfactants Tailored to Stable Polymer–Water Interfaces,” Eric Cochran and team present a new, eco-friendly method for creating polymer surfactants using natural oils. They used a technique called RAFT polymerization, which allows them to control the properties of the surfactants. They found that these new surfactants are very effective at stabilizing mixtures of oil and water, outperforming traditional surfactants by keeping the mixtures stable over time and reducing particle size. This innovation not only improves the production of surfactants but also opens up new applications for using these materials in various industries, promoting sustainability in the process. Read the full study in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces https://lnkd.in/g9Dm-gp5 #IowaStateCBE Iowa State University - College of Engineering Baker Kuehl, Sharan Raman, Andrew Becker, Vivek Garg, Jefferson Roberts-Dobie, Anna McCaslin, Joran Brensdal, Jacques Attinger, Lauren Burton, Michael Forrester, Austin Hohmann

CBE's Matthew Panthani was recently elected to 2nd Vice Chair of the AIChE Materials Science & Engineering Division. Congratulations, Dr. Panthani! #IowaStateCBE Iowa State University - College of Engineering

New CBE Publication! This study presents a new method for making polyamides (PAs) in larger quantities (over 30 grams) suitable for testing. Peter M. Meyer, Ph.D, Michael Forrester and Eric Cochran used a two-step process to create these materials, which helps achieve high molecular weights (15 to 35 kDa) without discoloration. They modified commercial equipment to ensure even mixing and heating. The resulting polyamides showed strong mechanical properties similar to those used in industry. This result eliminates one of the significant roadblocks associated with developing new, industrially relevant polyamides and should be broadly applicable to researchers struggling with the challenges of polyamidation. Read “Synthesis of laboratory nylon: A scale-up method for high molecular weight polyamides”, published as part of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research special issue *2024 Industrial Research: From Lab to Commercialization*: https://lnkd.in/gfVHg5ET #IowaStateCBE Iowa State University - College of Engineering

CBE Chair Dr. R. Dennis Vigil hosted CBE alum Dr. Scott Carver for today’s Doraiswamy Seminar. Scott shared lessons learned from his 25+ years at Regeneron and generously offered our graduate students insights about transitioning into the workforce. Iowa State University - College of Engineering recently honored Scott with a PACE Award and we are excited to work with him on the CBE Advisory Council next spring! Read more about Scott’s PACE award at https://lnkd.in/gq_W-dK6 #IowaStateCBE ?

New CBE Publication! Eric Cochran and co-authors published “Exploring the Potential of Novel ZnO-SnSe Composites for Efficient Photodegradation of Methylene Blue under Visible Light,” in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. They addressed the challenge of removing toxic pollutants from industrial wastewater using new materials called ZnO-SnSe composites. They created ZnO-SnSe composites through a simple and cost-effective method. Their analysis found that ZnO-SnSe composites were much better at breaking down methylene blue compared to the individual materials, achieving over 98% degradation in 300 minutes. This improvement is important for developing effective solutions for water purification, helping meet stricter environmental regulations and advancing photocatalytic technology. Read the full study at https://lnkd.in/gf5vmj2p #IowaStateCBE Iowa State University - College of Engineering

Reminder: Graduate program application deadlines are approaching! Join our final information session to get your questions answered. Wednesday, November 20, 8 pm CST. Details at https://lnkd.in/gcPQsgCt #IowaStateCBE #ChemicalEngineering #GradSchool