Workshop speaker

Hanno zur Loye

Dr. Hanno zur Loye is the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education and David W. Robinson Palmetto Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina College of Arts and Sciences. He is also a co-Thrust 1 leader for the new NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 award, MADE in SC.

His research interests lie in the area of solid-state chemistry. The unifying theme in the research is the synthesis of novel solid-state materials and the correlation of structure with observed properties.

His lab has pioneered a new research direction, the growth of complex uranium-containing oxide and fluoride crystals for fundamental and practical reasons. In general, they utilize two complementary approaches to achieve the synthesis of new complex uranium-containing oxides and fluorides based on 1) the synthesis of polycrystalline powders having compositions predicted by radius ratio rules and 2) a materials discovery approach based on crystal growth from high-temperature solutions. The synthesis of both- small, high-quality crystals containing U(VI), U(V) and U(IV) cations for structure analyses and large, high-quality crystals for use in oriented magnetic measurements and single crystal neutron diffraction experiments is on-going.

The “Center for Hierarchical Waste Form Materials”, grew out of this uranium based research and was one of only four funded in 2016, and is the only one currently in South Carolina. The mission of this new DOE center is to combine experiment and modeling to develop the chemistry and structure motifs needed to create hierarchical materials that effectively immobilize nuclear waste in persistent architectures. Savannah River National Laboratory, where large amounts of nuclear waste are stored, is a member of this center. The research plan of the center will address the disposal of waste stored at the Savannah River Site by developing the fundamental knowledge necessary to create new materials to safely sequester nuclear waste through the computationally-informed design of novel hierarchical materials, and by generating innovative chemical approaches and structure motifs through the use of advanced synthesis and characterization methods. This center is well positioned to make a real impact in this important issue facing our nation.

The underlying theme in all areas under investigation is the desire to understand how structure and composition affect properties, which will ultimately allow the lab to synthesize compounds with specific structures and, consequently, specific properties.