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VERSION:2.0
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X-WR-CALNAME:CEE 269 EnvEng Seminar - Wenquing (Vicky) Xu "Unleash the Powe
 r of Interfacial Chemistry for Pollutant Detection and Remediation"
X-WR-TIMEZONE:Pacific Time (US & Canada)
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260722T233439Z
UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_47985584741026
DTSTART:20241111T203000Z
DTEND:20241111T213000Z
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:One of the grand challenges for Environmental Engineer
 s in the 21st century is designing a future without pollution and waste. I
 n this talk\, I will discuss my group’s efforts in interfacial chemistry
  to develop reactive adsorbents and sensors for environmental remediation 
 and pollutant monitoring. First\, I will discuss the critical role of pyro
 genic carbonaceous matter (PCM\; e.g.\, biochar and activated carbon) in p
 romoting a broad range of chemical and microbial synergies\, from affectin
 g redox-active elements' global biogeochemical processes to influencing en
 vironmental remediation and water treatment. However\, due to PCM's inhere
 nt chemical heterogeneity\, it is difficult to identify what critical prop
 erties contribute to its reactivity. We have developed a tunable PCM-like 
 polymer (PLP) network through controlled polymer synthesis. This allows us
  to delineate the contribution of individual properties (e.g.\, functional
  groups\, porosity) to PCM's reactivity\, particularly in accelerating the
  surface-enhanced hydrolysis of nitroaromatics. Understanding these critic
 al properties is crucial for designing reactive adsorbents that can concen
 trate and destroy contaminants\, reducing material replacement costs. In t
 he second part\, I will discuss our progress in developing a novel molecul
 arly imprinted polymer (MIP) that is both conductive and redox-active for 
 electrochemical detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in
  water. We created three MIPs via an electropolymerization approach. Our M
 IPs showed high selectivity\, stability\, reusability\, and low detection 
 limit (below pg L-1)\, providing an innovative sensor platform for rapid P
 FAS detection and laying the groundwork for monitoring other pollutants.Bi
 o: Dr. Wenqing Xu is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmen
 tal Engineering at Villanova University\, PA. Currently\, she is on sabbat
 ical and works as a UPS Foundation Visiting Professor at Stanford Universi
 ty. The central focus of her research program is to better understand the 
 various ways that nature detoxifies contaminants by the integration of che
 mical\, biological\, and material sciences approaches to (i) attenuate pol
 lutant transport and thereby protect source water and (ii) degrade contami
 nants with novel materials to provide safe drinking water. Dr. Xu has serv
 ed as a principal and co-principal investigator of projects funded by the 
 department of Defnese (DoD-SERDP)\, the National Science Foundation\, the 
 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences\, and the Environmenta
 l Protection Agency on research involving the development of reactive adso
 rbents for pollutant abatement\, such as chlorinated solvents\, pesticides
 \, munitions constituents\, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)\, 
 and disinfection byproducts (DBPs). She has taught undergraduate courses s
 uch as Introduction to Environmental Sciences and Engineering\, Water and 
 Wastewater Treatment\, Capstone Design\, and graduate courses such as Aqua
 tic Chemistry and Physicochemical Processes. She is a recipient of various
  awards\, including the NSF CAREER award (2018) and the University Scholar
 ly Achievement Award (2020). She is active in several professional enginee
 ring associations and is the associate editor of the journal Environmental
  Engineering (ASCE). She is also an award committee member for the Frankli
 n Institute in Philadelphia. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in env
 ironmental engineering from Nankai University in China (2007) and Johns Ho
 pkins University (2009)\, respectively\, and a Ph.D. degree in environment
 al engineering from Yale University (2014).
GEO:37.429138;-122.17552
LOCATION:Shriram Center\, 104
SUMMARY:CEE 269 EnvEng Seminar - Wenquing (Vicky) Xu "Unleash the Power of 
 Interfacial Chemistry for Pollutant Detection and Remediation"
URL;VALUE=URI:https://events.stanford.edu/event/cee-269-enveng-seminar-wenq
 uing-vicky-xu-unleash-the-power-of-interfacial-chemistry-for-pollutant-det
 ection-and-remediation
CATEGORIES:Class/Seminar
CATEGORIES:Lecture/Presentation/Talk
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