This past October, VIPER students Clara Kim (VIPER ‘25) and Max Huang (VIPER ‘27) traveled to San Diego, California, to present their research at the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting—the world’s largest chemical engineering conference. With over 700 technical sessions focused on renewable energy, decarbonization, sustainable manufacturing, and green materials, the conference brought together experts, students, and professionals working to shape the future of chemical engineering.
Among more than 450 presenters in the undergraduate poster competition, both Clara and Max stood out, earning 2nd place awards in their respective categories—Materials Engineering and Sciences for Clara and Catalysis and Reaction Engineering for Max.
Tackling Plastic Waste Through Polymer Upcycling
Clara undertakes research in Dr. Daeyeon Lee’s lab, exploring polymer-nanoparticle interactions via contact angle measurements. Her research addresses a growing environmental challenge, polymer upcycling, which is an approach that transforms plastic waste into valuable new materials rather than simply recycling it.
Working with silica nanoparticles, a material commonly used in catalytic processes, she investigates how plastic additives impact the way plastics interact with catalyst surfaces. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), she measures how nanoparticles embed into polymer films at high temperatures, shedding light on how these additives influence catalytic efficiency. Her work paves the way for better support materials for polymer upcycling, making plastic reuse more effective and economically viable.
Advancing Green Hydrogen Production
Max’s research focuses on green hydrogen production, a key sustainable fuel alternative. Working in Dr. Aleksandra Vojvodic’s lab, he applies computational modeling to study how metal oxides serve as catalysts for water electrolysis, which is the process of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Instead of relying on traditional wet lab experiments, the computational approach enables the simultaneous screening of hundreds of potential candidates.
Through density functional theory (DFT) simulations, Max models catalyst nanoparticles and examines how they behave under acidic conditions and applied potentials. The goal is to improve both the catalyst’s stability and efficiency, two properties that often come at the expense of each other. Looking ahead, he plans to explore how machine learning models can be trained on large simulated dataset, with the hopes of further accelerating the discovery process.
A Conference of Connections and Impact
Beyond the awards, Clara and Max’s experience at AIChE was an opportunity to engage with leading researchers, exchange ideas, and gain fresh perspectives on the latest developments in sustainable energy and materials science. Their success at the conference reflects the exciting and meaningful work being done by VIPER students, pushing the boundaries of energy research and innovation.
Congratulations to Clara and Max on their well-deserved recognition!
