Abstract: Low-temperature plasmas offer a unique chemical environment. Electricity is converted to chemical reactivity. No thermal input is required. Energetic and reactive species are produced. A wide range of operating conditions is possible, from vacuum pressures to higher than atmospheric pressure.  These properties make it possible to transform various feedstocks into useful chemicals and materials.

This talk will discuss applications of low-temperature plasmas to the synthesis of chemicals and materials in resource-limited environments.  For example, can we make food on an island or in a desert?  Can we make oxygen for breathing on the Moon?  I will discuss how we are making progress towards addressing these questions using low-temperature plasmas, and what challenges remain.

Bio:  Mohan is a California kid, having been raised in the Bay Area and completing all of his post-secondary education there, including a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California Los Angeles in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. To the surprise of his family and friends, he then moved out of California to the Midwest in 2005 to begin his independent academic career in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. After going through all the levels of a professorship and close to 15 happy years in Cleveland, he moved deeper into the Midwest in 2020, joining the Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. At the core, Mohan’s passion is to develop atmospheric-pressure plasmas as a chemical platform for the synthesis of novel materials and small molecules. The applications have changed over the years from electronics to energy. With lots of help from amazing students, postdocs, and collaborators, he has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles, edited one book, and contributed several book chapters.  Outside of campus, Mohan is involved in several organizations, but is especially dedicated to AVS where he has served as the Program Chair for the AVS 68^th International Symposium in 2022, and is currently a member of the Board, serving as a Co-Chair of the Symposia and Conferences Committee.

NPRE 199 Undergraduate Seminar is a series of lectures and discussions on current research and developments in the NPRE discipline areas.  Presentations are led by visiting scientists and engineers from industry and research facilities as well as faculty and advanced students.  Seminars are open to the Illinois community, space allowing.  Undergraduate students wishing course credit for attending should register in NPRE 199.