Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Biography

2020-present

Chair, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame

2009-present

Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame

2004-present

Concurrent Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame

2004-2009

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame

1991-2004

Ford Motor Company

1991

Ph.D., Ohio State University

1986

B.Sc., University of Michigan-Dearborn

Selected Awards

2011

Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

2009

BP Foundation Outstanding Teacher Award for the College of Engineering, University of Notre Dame

Research Interests

Professor Schneider's group applies state-of-the-art first-principles molecular simulation tools, based primarily on density functional theory (DFT), to study a range of problems in heterogeneous surface reactivity and catalysis. These quantum-mecahnics-based calculations take advantage of some of the latest and most powerful computers available to produce accurate predictions of chemical structure, energetics, and reactivity for systems that were impossible to study even just a few years ago. Statistical thermodynamics and kinetics provide the links to macroscopic prediction. The simulations are coupled with simple but powerful concepts of chemical structure and bonding—key to both the effective use of the tools and extraction of useful physical insight. The group partners closely with experimentalists both to validate results and to provide an avenue for their rapid application.

Current research focuses on heterogeneous reactivity at metal and metal-oxide surfaces. This type of reactivity is common to many environmental processes and underpins many technologies used to mitigate or eliminate the impacts of society on the environment, especially activities related to the production and consumption of energy. Some examples include catalytic removal of emissions from combustion exhaust, catalytic conversion of petroleum fuels, solid-state gas sensing, and fuel cell catalysis. Understanding gained at the molecular level allows us to better control-and ultimately to tailor-chemical systems to perform functions more cleanly, efficiently, and durably. The research group is highly interdsciplinary, cutting across the traditional boundaries of chemical engineering, chemistry, physics, environmental science, materials science, and the emerging field of nanoscience.

Recent Publications

• Ma, H. Y.; Sharma, R. K.; Welzel, S.; van de Sanden, M.; Tsampas, M. N. and Schneider, W. F. "Observation and Rationalization of Nitrogen Oxidation Enabled Only by Coupled Plasma and Catalyst" 2022 Nature Communications, 13 (1), 402. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27912-2.
• Goswami, A.; Ma, H. Y. and Schneider, W. F. "Consequences of Adsorbate-Adsorbate Interactions for Apparent Kinetics of Surface Catalytic Reactions" 2022 Journal of Catalysis, 405, pp.410-418. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2021.12.005.
• Ma, H. Y. and Schneider, W. F. "Plasma-Catalyst Modeling for Materials Selection: Challenges and Opportunities in Nitrogen Oxidation" 2021 Journal of Physics D-Applied Physics, 54 (45), 454004. DOI: 10.1088/1361-6463/ac1bd1.
• Easa, J.; Yan, C.; Schneider, W. F. and O'Brien, C. P. "CO and C3H6 Poisoning of Hydrogen Permeation Across Pd77Ag23 Alloy Membranes: A Comparative Study with Pure Palladium" 2022 Chemical Engineering Journal, 430 (3), 133080. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2021.133080.
• Engelmann, Y.; van 't Veer, K.; Gorbanev, Y.; Neyts, E. C.; Schneider, W. F. and Bogaerts, A. "Plasma Catalysis for Ammonia Synthesis: A Microkinetic Modeling Study on the Contributions of Eley-Rideal Reactions" 2021 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 9 (39), pp.13151-13163. DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.1c02713.
• Waitt, C.; Miles, A. R. and Schneider, W. F. "Adsorbate Free Energies from DFT-Derived Translational Energy Landscapes" 2021 Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 125 (37), pp.20331-20342. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.1c05917.

 

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