The award, from the National Science Foundation, will enable continued collaboration between the Ruggiero Group at the University of Vermont, and the Mittleman Group at Brown University, to study the fundamental atomic-level dynamics that are responsible for gas storage and sequestration in porous organic solids known as clathrates.
The $700,000 award will enable members from the Mittleman and Ruggiero groups to work together on a dual-experimental and theoretical front to pinpoint particular terahertz motions that dictate the properties of this important class of materials. Organic clathrates are found all over the planet, with a very large portion of methane gas trapped within ice clathrates in the Arctic regions. This award builds on years of sustained collaboration between the two groups, and will allow for pushing the boundaries of modern experimental and computational techniques. The project will also serve to train students from both institutions in two important (and complementary) areas of the chemical sciences, and through outreach efforts with local high school students this project will help expand the reach of federally-funded research beyond the two campuses.
