BS, University of Wisconsin PhD, Northwestern University Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science Additional Awards and Honors Catalysis, novel materials, sustainability, renewable energy, environmental chemistry, reaction engineering

Research Group Website

Catalytic reaction is an integral part of most environmentally friendly, energy- and material-efficient chemical processes. To meet the challenges of continuously changing nature of feedstock and demand, new processes must be developed, and existing processes must be improved. The desired innovation can be assisted greatly by an adequate understanding of catalytic reactions and an ability to design catalytic centers. Our research goal is to search for and develop the underlying chemical and engineering principles governing catalysis, especially regarding activity and product selectivity, and to make use of such knowledge to design novel and efficient catalysts and processes.

Recently, we have elucidated the active phase of the unusually high activity for low temperature carbon monoxide oxidation of a supported gold catalyst. By using a combination of spectroscopic measurements conducted under reaction condition as well as transient conditions, especially during activation of the catalyst, the changes in the catalysts as catalytic activity is developed are identified and quantified. The results illustrate the importance of the details of the chemistry in the preparative steps. Our catalysis synthesis effort is directed towards developing chemical techniques that permit synthesis of catalytic materials with controlled-size cavity and access windows. Using these new techniques, we have synthesized an alumina material in which the surface is consisted of amine-coordinated Al ions that are active in catalyzing aminolysis reaction with high activities. We have also completed the first synthesis of an asymmetric bicyclic siloxane, as well as a spherical net-like siloxane structure with interior functional groups and molecular size selectivity. These structures represent the first step in the total synthesis of a catalyst of controlled locations of functional groups and cavity and access window sizes. The synthetic technique can also be used in fields other than catalysis. We have used the know-how to produce a blood-air exchange component useful in artificial lungs.

Recent Publications

“Catalytic Nanomotors – Promising leads for new catalytic applications,” Harold H. Kung, Mayfair C. Kung, Appl. Catal. A: General, 309 (2006) 159.

“In-situ transient  FTIR and XANES study of the evolution of surface species in CO oxidation on Au/TiO2,” Juan D. Henao, Tiziana Caputo, Jeff H. Yang, Mayfair C. Kung, and Harold H. Kung, J. Phys. Chem. B, 110 (2006) 8689.

“Size-Selective Shell Cross-Linked Interior Functionalized Siloxane Nanocages,” Young-Woong Suh, Mayfair C. Kung, Yingmin Wang, Harold H. Kung, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 128 (2006) 2776.

“Activation of Au/TiO2 for CO Oxidation,” Jeff. H. Yang, Juan D. Henao, Mpfunzeni C. Raphlulu, Yingmin. Wang, Tiziana Caputo, A.J. Groszek, Mayfair. C. Kung, Michael. S. Scurrell, Jeffrey T. Miller, and Harold H. Kung, J. Phys. Chem. B, 109(20) (2005) 10319-10326.

“Rational Synthesis of Asymmetric BicycloSiloxane,” W. Xue, M.C. Kung, and H.H. Kung, Chem. Comm. (2005) 2164 - 2166.

“Nanotechnology: Applications and Potentials for Heterogeneous Catalysis”, Harold H. Kung and Mayfair C. Kung, Catalysis Today, 97 (2004) 219.

 “Catalytic Aminolysis of Epoxide by Alumina Prepared from Amine-Protected Al Precursor,” W.M. Xue, M.C. Kung, A.I. Kozlov, K.E. Popp, and H.H. Kung, Catal. Today, 85(24) (2003) 219-224.

Awards and Honors

• Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Cross-Canada Lectureship, Catalysis Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada
• Catalysis Society of South Africa Eminent Visitor
• Robert Burwell Lectureship of the North American Catalysis Society.
• Herman Pines Award of the Chicago Catalysis Club
• Paul H. Emmett Award, Catalysis Society
• Chair, Gordon Research Conference on Catalysis
• John McClanahan Henske Distinguished Lecturer, Yale University
• Olaf A. Hougen Visiting Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
• Editor, Applied Catalysis A: General

Prof. Harold H. Kung
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Northwestern University
2145 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208-3120

tel: 847/491-7492
fax: 847/491-3728
E-mail Professor Kung