Dr. Beverly Briggs Penland
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Assistant Professor
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Education
- B. S. Armstrong Atlantic State University (2005)
- Ph.D. University of Miami (2015)
Courses Taught
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CHEM 2100 Analytical Chemistry
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CHEM 3100 Instrumental Analysis
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CHEM 5130 Industrial Science
Research
Dr. Penland’ research focuses on the use of biomimetic techniques to mediate the formation of “green” metal nanoparticles. Biomimetic approaches mimic naturally occurring processes in order to synthesize nanoparticles under environmentally friendly conditions, such as ambient temperatures and non-toxic solvents. Through the use of biomolecules, such as peptides, to direct nanoparticle synthesis, materials are created that exhibit size and shape control, making them ideal materials for catalysis. Catalytic applications for these nanocatalysts include 4-nitrophenol reduction, hydrogenation, and carbon-carbon coupling reactions. A specific focus in this research is placed on improving current methods for peptide synthesis and improving catalytic methods to create highly active nanocatalysts without the use of toxic chemicals and high temperatures, as well as increasing the recyclability and reusability during catalysis. Dr. Penland’s research also focuses on employing inexpensive, abundant materials as starting materials for catalytic applications.
Selected Publications
- Wagner, J. T.; Long, A. K.; Sumner, M. B.; Cockman, I.; Smith, M.; Penland, B. B. Peptide Controlled Assembly of Palladium Nanoparticles on High-Aspect-Ratio Gold Nanorods. J. Phys. Chem. C, 2020, 124, 27743.
- Briggs, B. D.; Palafox-Hernandez, J. P.; Li, Y.; Lim, C. K.; Drew, K. L. M.; Woehl, T. J.; Bedford, N. M.; Seifert, S.; Swihart, M. T.; Prasad, P. N.; Walsh, T. R.; Knecht, M. R. Towards a Modular Multimaterial Nanoparticle Synthesis Assembly Strategy via Bionanocombinatorics: Bifunctional Peptides for Linking Au and Ag Materials. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 30845
- Bedford, N. M.; Hughes, Z. E.; Tang, Z.; Li, Y.; Briggs, B. D.; Ren, Y.; Swihart, M. T.; Petkov, V.G.; Naik, R. R.; Knecht, M. R.; Walsh, T.R. Sequence-Dependent Structure/Function Relationships of Catalytic Peptide-Enabled Gold Nanoparticles Generated under Ambient Synthetic Conditions. J. Am.Chem. Soc. 2015, 138, 540.
- Briggs, B. D.; Bedford, N. M.; Seifert, S.; Koerner, H.; Naik, R. R.; Frenkel, A. I.; Knecht, M. R. Atomic-Scale Identification of Pd Leaching in Nanoparticle Catalyzed C-C Coupling: Effects of Particle Surface Disorder. Chem. Sci. 2015, 6, 6413.
- Briggs, B. D.; Knecht, M. R. Nanotechnology Meets Biology: Peptide-based Methods for the Fabrication of Functional Materials. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2012, 3, 405.
Last updated: 1/25/2017