Student: Maurice Payne, Graduate Student in Chemistry, University of Iowa
Faculty Advisor: Tori Forbes
Exploring the Properties of Metal-Organic Hybrid Materials
At the University of Iowa, I am working in the chemistry department under professor Tori Forbes synthesizing and characterizing hybrid metal-organic materials. This project originated from our group’s recent discovery of a metal organic nanotube that exhibits fast, low- 
temperature water uptake, in addition to being completely selective for water. Specifically, I am working to make additional hybrid nanotubes that also display special water storage and selection properties. The results of my work will help us to identify the features of these materials that convey the desired water properties upon the nanotubes. A long term vision for the fruits of this labor would be the employment of hybrid materials like ours in cheaper and more facile methods of water filtration. Due to the dwindling supply of Earth’s fresh water reserves, the need is there for breakthroughs in water treatment technologies that have low cost and low energy footprints. Hopefully, the work I am performing will contribute a piece, be it large or small, to this fundamental goal of delivering safe water to all ends of the Earth.