Research Léon Luntadila Lufungula

Abstract

The performance of a material in an application strongly depends on the physical and chemical nature of its surface at the atomic level. Therefore, the modification of surfaces is widely applied in materials research. The interest in efficient modification methods, specifically designed for metal oxides, has grown considerably because the resulting materials are very stable. Grafting of silicon- or phosphorus-containing groups on the surface is a well-known method for such modifications. Using bifunctional reagents changes the way in which the surface-modified material interacts with adsorbates and provides increased adsorption selectivity. Therefore, these hybrid materials are promising candidates for selective metal sorption to extract valuable or hazardous metals from solutions or waste streams. Even though the grafting of metal oxides has become more prevalent in recent years, little is known about the structural characteristics of the organic-inorganic interface and how this relates to the material's selectivity for certain compounds. This project aims at providing insight into the adsorption behaviour of these materials by performing advanced calculations as part of a multidisciplinary study.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Blockhuys Frank
• Fellow: Luntadila Lufungula Léon

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The performance of a material in an application strongly depends on the physical and chemical nature of its surface at the atomic level. Therefore, the modification of surfaces is widely applied in materials research. The interest in efficient modification methods, specifically designed for metal oxides, has grown considerably because the resulting materials are very stable. Grafting of silicon- or phosphorus-containing groups on the surface is a well-known method for such modifications. Using bifunctional reagents changes the way in which the surface-modified material interacts with adsorbates and provides increased adsorption selectivity. Therefore, these hybrid materials are promising candidates for selective metal sorption to extract valuable or hazardous metals from solutions or waste streams. Even though the grafting of metal oxides has become more prevalent in recent years, little is known about the structural characteristics of the organic-inorganic interface and how this relates to the material's selectivity for certain compounds. This project aims at providing insight into the adsorption behaviour of these materials by performing advanced calculations as part of a multidisciplinary study.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Blockhuys Frank
• Fellow: Luntadila Lufungula Léon

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

• Research Project