Designing Molecular Sponges for Environmental Applications

This lecture by the instructor Wendy Queen focuses on the design of molecular-based sponges for environmental applications. The research team is developing porous materials to purify air and water by selectively attracting contaminants. They have created state-of-the-art materials for extracting heavy metals from water and precious metals from electronic waste, aiming to make these processes more sustainable and circular. The lecture also discusses the potential applications of these materials in water purification, precious metal extraction, and carbon dioxide capture, with the goal of building a startup company to commercialize these innovations and give back to underdeveloped regions.