Dr. Maguy Abi Jaoude is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU). She leads the "Environmental and Bio-Catalysis" Theme at the Center for Catalysis and Separation (CeCaS), since 2022. She also collaborates with the Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT). Before joining Khalifa University as an Assistant Professor in 2013, she served as an adjunct analytical chemistry instructor at the University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1 – France.
Dr. Abi Jaoude completed her doctorate through a French CNRS fellowship. She earned her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1 – France, in 2008 and 2011, respectively.
Throughout her academic career, she has served on various program development and University committees, for which she received the 2018 Khalifa University Faculty Service Excellence Award. She is an expert reviewer for internationally renowned chemistry journals and external funding agencies. She is a fellow of the American Chemical Society.
Dr. Abi Jaoude’s current research program focuses on the development of mixed oxide photo(thermal)catalysts and green separation approaches for the advancement of air and water purification technologies, and for the extraction of critical metals from e-waste. Her research interests encompass the use of hydrothermal, sol-gel, and electrospinning processes to design low-dimensional, faceted, or directed metal-oxide structures of transition and rare earth elements. She is also interested in exploring the use of green designer solvents for tailoring the synthesis of catalysts and ultrafiltration membrane technologies, and for solving complex metal extraction and recovery processes in waste recycling aiming to contribute to the circular economy of chemicals.
Dr. Abi Jaoude is a member of the Abu Dhabi Environmental Research Network (ADERN) since 2023.
One-dimensional (1D) nanomaterials have peculiar physico-chemical and optoelectronic properties compared to their bulk counterparts. Many of these properties are essential to the advancement of adsorption and heterogeneous catalysis technologies for environmental applications (e.g., air purification and gas sensing). In this project, we use the electrospinning process to design and produce 1D metal-oxide composite fibers with tailored morphologies and textures. We focus on preparing heterostructures and solid solutions of oxides from transition and rare-earth element systems and intensifying the synthesis methodology for greener synthesis and improved atom economy.
Check out our prior work at: Surface coating and Technology 350 (2018) 245 ; Ceramics International 42 (2016) 10734
In this project, we focus on the design of advanced mixed-oxide photocatalysts, both in bulk and in situ, to tackle the poor visible-light harvesting ability of the traditional TiO2 across the solar spectrum and advance the reactor technology for continuous-flow applications. Using Design of Experiments coupled with extensive material characterization, we aim to unravel intercorrelations among key material properties (such as surface area, crystal and defect structures, semi-conductor bandgaps, and interfacial structure) to understand structure-property-performance relationships. The photocatalysis over bulk materials is examined with a slurry reactor. For continuous flow studies, we focus on intensifying the optical fiber reactor technology. Our photocatalysts are examined for environmental depollution, targeting the removal and abatement of contaminants of emerging concerns in water and the treatment of indoor air pollutants. The catalysts we design are also explored in the emerging photothermal catalysis field.
Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) are a new generation of highly functional solvents with attractive properties for use in green synthetic chemistry. They have a tunable viscosity, polarity, and conductivity. They are also known as designer solvents for their rich and complex intermolecular chemistry.
In this project we use DESs for the development of sustainable separation and synthesis processes. For example, we have used these solvents to advance the surface chemistry of phase inversion UF membranes to introduce hybrid separation mechanisms for improved water filtration applications.
Currently we are exploring different classes of these designer solvents for the synthesis of single and mixed metal oxides of transition and rare earth elements. Also, we are exploring the benefits of these solvents to advance leaching, extraction and recovery of technologically critical elements from waste materials.
Check out our prior work at: Chemical Engineering Journal 433 (2022) 134596; Separation and Purification Technology 266 (2021) 118585; Chemical Engineering Journal 408 (2021) 128017
