Events Calendar

Astani CEE Department Seminar

Speaker: Charles-Francois de Lannoy , Duke University

Talk Title: The Environmental Applications and Implications New Composite Materials

Abstract: Increasing our potable water supply, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of water/wastewater treatment, and decontaminating natural water systems are all cyclically dependent. Addressing future water concerns requires that we investigate all components of this water-health nexus simultaneously. As water sources are further strained, long-term solutions to efficient and effective ways of dealing with our water problems will become increasingly vital to our society. Among the many current approaches is the development and novel use of new materials. Nanocomposite materials, in particular, are leading the way towards highly effective solutions to these challenging environmental problems.

I have developed a suite of novel nanomaterials with direct environmental applications. These materials take the form of electrically conductive membrane coatings, active separation surfaces, catalytic nanomaterials for environmental decontaminations, and reactive adsorbents. In all forms, we are cognizant of the environmental implications of nanomaterials, and strive towards sustainable material development and responsible environmental use.

In this talk I will focus on two approaches: 1) new strategies for water/wastewater treatment and 2) degradation of aquatic environmental contaminants. In the former case I will introduce the development and application of our novel electrically conductive active membrane surfaces. Membrane technologies, while efficient and effective methods to treat water and wastewater, are plagued by several problems, in particular biofouling. Our active membrane surfaces demonstrate superior biofouling resistance in challenging environments and over long-term studies. The second topic of my talk will explore new nanocomposite reductive adsorbents for environmental decontamination. These nanocomposites have high reductive potential for rapid and effective degradation of emerging environmental contaminants, high transport properties for large site area coverage, and environmentally inert byproducts for safe in-situ application.

The nanocomposite materials that I have developed and the various platforms we have tested have the potential to pave the way for indiscriminately broad-scoped solutions to dynamically evolving global environmental problems.


Biography: Dr. Charles-François de Lannoy received his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Certificate in Nanoscience from Duke University in 2014 under Prof. Mark Wiesner, and his B.Sc. in Honours Physics with High Distinction from McGill University. He is currently a post-doctoral research associate at CEINT (Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology) an NSF-EPA supported center at Duke University. His research is focused on the investigation of nanocomposite materials and their application and implication to environmental systems. In his Ph.D., Charles developed, characterized, and tested polymer-carbon nanotube composite membranes for diverse applications in water purification and desalination technologies. He is among the pioneers in a new field in electrically conductive polymer membrane surfaces, which have wide applications to biofouling resistant surfaces, catalytic surfaces for contaminant degradation, and active separation surfaces for charged particle separation. He has published several papers in ES&T, Langmuir, and the Journal of Membrane Science, his work has been awarded several awards at national and international conferences, and he has two provisional patent filings at Duke University for two of the materials that he has developed.

Host: Astani CEE Department

Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 209

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Cassie Cremeans