DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Affiliations

Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
NAISE Fellow, Nanoscience and Technology Division, Argonne National Labs
International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN)
Member of Trienen’s Institute for Sustainability and Energy

Research Statement

The Swearer Lab is actively engaged in developing new materials and systems that can effectively harness electromagnetic energy applied to problems in modern chemistry. Our interdisciplinary research redefines how we approach catalyst design by integrating elements of nanophotonics and heterogeneous catalysis to develop more energy-efficient and selective routes to chemical transformations of industrial and societal importance. Members in the group develop a variety of skills ranging from colloidal synthesis and nanofabrication to advanced spectroscopies and imaging techniques.

Selected Publications

Swearer, D.F., Bourgeois, B.B., Angell, D.K., Dionne, J.A., Advancing Plasmon-Induced Selectivity in Chemical Transformations with Optically Coupled Transmission Electron Microscopy, Accounts of Chemical Research, (2021), 54, 19, 3632–3642 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.1c00309

Swearer, D.F., Fischer, S., Angell, D.K., Siefe, C., Alivisatos, A.P., Chu, S., Dionne, J.A., Single Particle Cathodoluminescence Spectroscopy with Sub-20 Nanometer, Electron Stable Phosphors ACS Photonics, (2021), 8, 6, 1539–1547. DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.1c00235

Zhou, L., Martirez, J.M.P., Zhang, C., Swearer, D.F., Tian, S., Robatjazi, H., Carter, E.A., Nordlander, P., Halas, N.J.; Light-driven Methane Dry Reforming with Single Atom Site Antenna-Reactor Plasmonic Photocatalysts Nature Energy, (2020), 5, 61 - 70. DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0517-9

Swearer, D.F., Knowles, N.R., Everitt, H.O., Halas N.J.; Plasmon-Assisted Chemical Looping for Ammonia Production ACS Energy Lett., (2019), 4, 1505 - 1512. DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.9b00860

Swearer, D.F., Robatjazi, H., Martirez, J.M.P., Zhang, M., Zhou, L., Carter, E.A., Nordlander, P. Halas, N.J.; Plasmonic Photocatalysis of Nitrous Oxide into N2 and O2 Using Aluminum-Iridium Antenna-Reactor Nanoparticles ACS Nano, (2019), 13, 7, 8076 - 8086. DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b02924

Lou, M., Swearer, D.F., Gottheim, S., Phillips, D., Simmons, J.G., Halas, N.J., Everitt, H.O.; Quantitative Analysis of Gas Phase Molecular Constituents Using Frequency-modulated Rotational Spectroscopy Review of Scientific Instruments, (2019), 90, 053110. DOI: 10.1063/1.5093912

Robatjazi, H., Weinberg, D., Swearer. D.F., Tian, S., Zhou, L., Nordlander, P., Halas, N.J.; Metal-organic Frameworks Tailor the Properties of Aluminum Nanocrystals Science Advances, (2018), 5, 2, eaav5340 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav5340

Zhou, L. Swearer, D.F., Zhang, C., Robatjazi, H., Zhao, H. Zhang, Y., Dong, L. Nordlander, P. Halas, N.J.; Quantifying Hot Carrier and Thermal Contributions in Plasmonic Photocatalysis Science, (2018), 362, (6410), 69 - 72. DOI:10.1126/science.aat6967

Swearer, D.F., Gottheim, S., Simmons Jr., J.G., Phillips, D.J., Kale, M.J., McClain, M.J., Christopher, P., Halas, N.J., Everitt, O.H.; Monitoring the Gas-Phase Reactants and Products of Chemical Reactions with Terahertz Rotational Spectroscopy ACS Photonics, (2018), 5 (8), pp 3097 - 3106. DOI:10.1021/acsphotonics.8b00342

Swearer, D.F., Newell, R., Leary, R.K., Robatjazi, H., Renard, D., Yazdi, S., Midgley, P. A., Halas, N.J., Ringe, E.; Transitional Metal Decorated Aluminum Nanocrystals ACS Nano, (2017), 11 (10), 10281 -10288. DOI:10.1021/acsnano.7b04960

Swearer, D. F., Zhao, H., Zhou, L., Zhang, C., Robatjazi, H., Martirez, J. M. P., Krauter, C. M., Yazdi, S., McClain, M. J., Ringe, E., Carter, E. A., Nordlander, P., Halas, N. J.; Heterometallic Antenna-Reactor Complexes for Photocatalysis Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., (2016), 113 (32), 8916 - 8920. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1609769113

Selected Honors/Awards

• Packard Fellowship - David & Lucile Packard Foundation 2023
• 3M Non-Tenure Faculty Award 2023
• Hershel M. Rich Invention Award - George R. Brown School of Engineering Rice University 2019
• Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship - Beckman Foundation 2019
• Schmidt Science Fellows (Finalist) 2019
• Student Training for Advising Research (SCI-STAR) Award - Rice University 2018
• Young Scientist U.S. Ambassador - 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, Lindau, Germany 2017
• Harry B. Weiser Leadership Award - Rice University 2017
• John J. Fannaly Nanotechnology Award - Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University 2016
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship - National Science Foundation 2015
• Bruce O. Hutchins Award - Drexel University 2014