Capture meets conversion.
Multifunctional materials integrate CO₂ capture and conversion. We study performance and durability over repeated cycles.
CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATION
Engineering
the next frontier.
Exploring how chemistry, materials, and systems can reshape carbon, energy, and resource management.
Explore our research ↗MOLECULAR INSIGHT.
PROCESS INNOVATION. ENVIRONMENTAL PURPOSE.↓
PROCESS INNOVATION. ENVIRONMENTAL PURPOSE.↓
RETHINK THE MATERIAL.
REIMAGINE THE PROCESS.THE SUSTAINABLE LAB / USC
REIMAGINE THE PROCESS.THE SUSTAINABLE LAB / USC
02 / RESEARCH FRONTIERS
Rethinking reaction energy.
Electrified reactors and photothermal catalysts bring electricity and sunlight directly into chemical processes.
Materials that transform.
Perovskites, exsolved nanoparticles, and alloys reveal how evolving interfaces govern catalytic performance.
New futures for waste.
Catalytic and thermochemical pathways transform biomass and discarded polymers into useful materials and chemicals.
LATEST NEWS · NOVEMBER 2026
Engineering metal–support interfaces.
Our newly accepted article, “Engineering Metal-Support Interfaces for Tunable CO₂ Hydrogenation Pathways over Exsolved Ni/CaTiO₃/CaO,” examines how metal–support interfaces influence CO₂ hydrogenation pathways.
Read the article ↗
OCTOBER 2026 · INVITED TALK
Dynamic materials in Palma.
Leslie presented in the Exsolution Materials track at MATSUS Fall 2026, sharing our work on dynamic materials for integrated CO₂ capture and conversion.
We thank Samsung and the NSF CBET Catalysis program for supporting this work.
Explore selected talks ↗SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS
RESEARCH
Speaking & media ↗Solar-powered carbon capture.
Collaborative work on photothermal materials and CO₂ capture and release.
Read the publication ↗SCIENCE FRIDAYWaste as a resource.
Leslie joins Ira Flatow to discuss water filters made from agricultural waste.
Listen to the conversation ↗USC VITERBIElectrifying the future.
Sairaj Patil’s Joule-heated reactor research among USC graduate research winners.
Read the story ↗CONNECT
Let’s build
what comes next.
Research collaborations.
Speaking invitations.
Graduate opportunities.