2017 Miller Prize - Leah Dodson

Dodson’s project featured in her talk was the investigation of catalysts in model systems. Specifically, she studied the possible use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as a catalyst to break carbon-oxygen (C–O) bonds in carbon dioxide (CO2) produced in a factory. Breaking C–O bonds in CO2 is a key step in turning this greenhouse gas back into usable fuel––and keeping it out of the atmosphere. Dodson’s experiment worked surprisingly well. In the experiment, TiO2 anions effectively broke CO2 molecules, forming metal carbonyl in the process. This experiment was the basis for her symposium talk, which resulted in the Miller Prize.