NEWS

Dr. Yuri Lvov, professor of chemistry and nanosystems engineering in Louisiana Tech’s College of Engineering and Science and Institute for Micromanufacturing, and grad student Yusuf Darrat, together with international co-authors, received the prestigious 2018 Best Paper Award and a $1,000 check from the Materials Research Society (MRS) at the recent MRS meeting in Boston. The MRS is an international group of the world’s leading materials research scientists dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration advancing the frontier of knowledge related to materials.

Dr. Lvov’s paper, “Science and Technology of Advanced Materials,” already has 40 citations and is beginning to influence cutting-edge research around the world. He was recognized in 2008 as the Small Times Innovator of the Year for his work in applied nanotechnology and was the 2006 Louisiana Outstanding Researcher in Emerging Technologies. He has 15 patents issued or pending.

“Our research strategy on mesoporous catalyst design with metal-ceramic core-shell nanotube architecture has had a great international response,” Lvov said, “and promises a new generation of catalytic materials.”

“This is basic science that is pushing forward the leading edge of knowledge in chemistry and materials and will impact research being done in chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering by scientists all over the world,” said Davy Norris, the University’s Chief Research & Innovation Officer. “It’s another example of the global relevance of research being done at Tech and the influence our faculty are having on the frontiers of knowledge in critical scientific fields.

“The most immediateapplication of this work is in catalysis, which is basically how we speed up natural chemical processes to execute them in much shorter duration and using much less energy for the purpose of manufacturing or processing of something like fuel or materials,” Norris said. “Just for reference, the global market for catalysts is approximately $40-50 billion.”

With Louisiana Tech Professor Dr. Daniela Mainardi, Lvov and Darrat are working on a National Science Foundation (NSF) proposal to advance their research on the same topic and explore avenues with significant potential commercial applications.

Lvov and Darrat, along with Dr. Erica Murray, research assistant professor in Tech’s Institute for Micromanufacturing, have already submitted another NSF proposal on halloysite nanotube catalytic layers for developing the next generation of gas sensors.