Emmanuel P. Giannelis

Research in our group focuses on energy production, conversion, and storage. Currently, our efforts center around two main themes: (a) the design and synthesis of nanoparticles that self-assemble at interfaces and control the properties of emulsions and foams, and (b) the development of high surface area porous materials, including porous carbons, as sorbents and catalyst supports.

• Emulsions and Foams
  • We investigate specially engineered nanoparticles that can withstand high-temperature, high-salinity environments and assemble at liquid–liquid or liquid–air interfaces. The assembly behavior—and ultimately the system’s properties—can be fine-tuned by controlling various parameters such as nanoparticle size, surface chemistry, and surface charge. Originally developed for oil–water emulsions, our work has expanded to include systems for CO₂ storage and the remediation of nanoplastics and perfluorinated compounds (“forever chemicals”). A notable outcome of this research is the development of fluorine-free oil-repellent coatings. This technology has been licensed by DryFiber and recently led to a joint development agreement with AGC Chemicals Americas Inc. to produce and commercialize the coatings for nonwoven fabrics and technical textiles. Discussions are underway with a new startup to license and commercialize this newly developed PFAS remediation technology.
• Porous Materials
  • A recent addition to our portfolio of synthetic approaches includes the use of hypergolic reactions—typically used in rocket propulsion—as a novel synthetic route for porous materials. In that respect, we recently demonstrated a family of carbons with record-high surface area and porosity. These materials exhibit excellent CO₂ sorption capabilities with extremely fast adsorption kinetics. In addition, when employed as supercapacitor electrodes, they deliver exceptionally high volumetric energy density and power (the highest reported for activated carbons). The unique experimental conditions of hypergolic reactions offer a novel pathway for designing and synthesizing electrocatalysts with enhanced properties, a direction currently being extended to nanoparticle and single-atom catalysts.
• Carbon-based Single Atoms Electrocatalysts
  • A recent extension of our synthetic approaches focuses on the design and development of single-atom electrocatalysts (SACs), in which metal active sites are atomically dispersed on various substrates including carbon-based supports, to drive advanced electrocatalysis and electrochemical conversion reactions. A central emphasis is placed on the electrochemical reduction of CO₂, with the goal of enhancing catalytic activity, improving product selectivity, and suppressing competing side reactions. Beyond their practical advantages, SACs serve as model systems with well-defined active centers, enabling mechanistic studies and the establishment of fundamental structure–property relationships.