Faculty

Selected Honors & Awards

Exemplary Research Mentor Award, Concordia University Irvine, 2017
Outstanding Reviewer for Chemical Communications, 2016

Courses

ChE 225: Thermodynamics 
ChE 456: Electrochemical Engineering: Fundamentals and Applications

Recent Publications

Wilsey, M.K.; Taseska, T.; Meng, Z.; Yu, W.; Mueller, A.M., "Advanced electrocatalytic redox processes for environmental remediation of halogenated organic water pollutants" Chemical Communications, 2023, DOI:10.1039/d3cc03176

Forsythe, R.C.; Cox, C.P.; Wilsey, M.K.; Yu, W.Q.; Muller, A.M., "High Surface Area Assemblies of Gold Nanoparticles on Hydrophilic Carbon Fiber Paper with Ionomer Overlayers for Aqueous CO2 Reduction Electrocatalysis to Clean Syngas," Springer Link, 2023. DOI: 10.1007/s11244-023-01850-3.

Taseska, T.; Yu, W.; Wilsey, M.K.; Cox, C.P.; Meng, Z.; Ngarnim, S.S.; Müller, A.M., "Analysis of the Scale of Global Human Needs and Opportunities for Sustainable Catalytic Technologies," Springer Link, 2023.  DOI: 10.1007/s11244-023-01799-3.

Forsythe, R.C.; Cox, C.P.; Wilsey, M.K.; Müller, A.M., "Pulsed Laser in Liquids Made Nanomaterials for Catalysis," ACS, 2021. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c01069

Wilsey, M.K.; Cox, C.P.; Forsythe, R.C.; McCarney, L.R.; Müller, A.M., "Selective CO₂ reduction towards a single upgraded product: a minireview on multi-elemental copper-free electrocatalysts," Catalysis Science & Technology, 2021, 11, 2, 461-424. DOI: 10.1039/d0cy02010a

Petel, B.E.; Meyer, R.L.; Maiola, M.L.; Brennessel, W.W.; Müller, A.M.; Matson, E.M., "Site-Selective Halagenation of Polyoxovanadate Clusters: Atomically Precise Models for Electronic Effects of Anion Doping in VO2," I, 2019, 142, 2, 1049-1056. 

Giesbrecht, P.K.; Müller, A.M.; Read, C.G.; Holdcroft, S.; Lewis, N.S.; Freund, M.S, "Vapor-fed Electrolysis of Water using Earth-abundant Catalysts in Nafion or in Bipolar Nafion/poly(benzimidazolium) Membranes," Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 2019, 3, 12, 3611-3626.

Müller, A.M.; "Optical Control of Layered Nanomaterial Generation by Pulsed-Laser Ablation in Liquids," Journal of Modern Optics, 2019, doi.org/10.1080/09500340.2019.1682204.

Sinclair, T. S.; Gray, H. B.; Müller, A. M., "Photoelectrochemical Performance of BiVO₄ Photoanodes Integrated with [NiFe]-Layered Double Hydroxide Nanocatalysts," Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2018,2018 (9), 1060-1067; selected for front cover (9/2018).

Roske, C. W.; Lefler, J. W.; Müller, A. M., "Complex nanomineral formation utilizing kinetic control by PLAL," J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2017,489, 68-75.

Blumenfeld, C. M.; Lau, M.; Gray, H. B.; Müller, A. M., "Mixed-Metal Tungsten Oxide Photoanode Materials Made by Pulsed-Laser in Liquids Synthesis," ChemPhysChem 2017,18 (9), 1091-1100.

Hunter, B. M.; Hieringer, W.; Winkler, J. R.; Gray, H. B.; Müller, A. M., "Effect of Interlayer Anions on [NiFe]-LDH Nanosheet Water Oxidation Activity," Energy Environ. Sci. 2016,9 (5), 1734-1743.

Hunter, B. M.; Gray, H. B.; Müller, A. M., "Earth-Abundant Heterogeneous Water Oxidation Catalysts," Chem. Rev. 2016,116, 14120-14136.

Sinclair, T. S.; Hunter, B. M.; Winkler, J. R.; Gray, H. B.; Müller, A. M., "Factors Affecting Bismuth Vanadate Photoelectrochemical Performance," Mater. Horiz. 2015,2 (3), 330-337.

Hunter, B. M.; Blakemore, J. D.; Deimund, M.; Gray, H. B.; Winkler, J. R.; Müller, A. M., "Highly Active Mixed-Metal Nanosheet Water Oxidation Catalysts Made by Pulsed-Laser Ablation in Liquids," J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014,136 (38), 13118-13121.

Research Overview

Sustainable energy is the greatest challenge humankind faces in the 21st century. This problem can only be solved by the development of new materials for solar energy conversion into storable fuels. My group is at the forefront of innovation, capitalizing on a proven-to-be-successful laser synthesis method that I advanced into a reactive technique, combined with rational design of nanocatalysts, benchmarking electrochemical performance assays, and product analyses. We prepare bimetallic nanocatalysts for selective, fuel-forming carbon dioxide electroreductions, water splitting, and green chemistry transformations; nanoparticles for anti-cancer applications are also a target. We leverage the advantages of pulsed-laser-in-liquids synthesis to realize tailored nanomaterials. Our technique is game changing because it permits the preparation of controlled nanostructures in sufficiently large quantities to study them in bulk, and does that quickly enough that series of nanomaterials are accessible. Systematic physical-property–functionality relationships of these laser-made nanomaterials establish what controls functionality and allow us to gain the atomistic-detail understanding that is key for disruptive benefits. We also immobilize the best nanocatalysts on light absorbers, probe how interfaces affect fuel-forming catalysis, and make integrated solar fuels devices. Our approach uniquely advances fundamental heterogeneous electrochemical energy engineering and nanomedicine.