James H. Davis Jr
Education
- A.B. University of North Alabama, Florence, 1982
- Ph.D. Vanderbilt University, 1986
- Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Virginia, 1986-89
- Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Brandeis University, 1989-1995
Research
Our group is known for its activity in the area of ionic liquids (ILs). Ionic liquids are simply salts that melt at low temperatures, 鈥渓ow鈥 usually being construed to be < 100 oC. Because of the Coulombic nature of the interactions between their component ions, ILs commonly have little-to-no vapor pressure, meaning that they don鈥檛 evaporate. This combination 鈥 liquidity without evaporation 鈥 is rare and technologically valuable. In fact, the perceived utility of ILs in a host of practical applications has driven the intense pace of research dealing with them over the past 15 years. In that time frame, some 56,000 papers, patents, and abstracts involving them have been published.
A particular contribution made by our group to the development of the field has been in the introduction of functionalized or 鈥渢ask-specific鈥 ionic liquids. ILs of this type have, within their cation or anion structure (or both), an organic functional group that allows them to interact with other molecules in a specific fashion. Perhaps the most well-known of these are ILs with amine groups, which are now being heavily investigated as materials for the capture of CO2 from power plants and other anthropogenic CO2 sources.
See MoreDavis Group in the News
- 鈥淭hermally Stable Ionic Liquids鈥 Tribology & Lubrication Technology, November 2013, 8-9.
- 鈥淚onic Liquids Stable at High Temps鈥 Chemical & Engineering News, August 12, 2013, p. 27.
- 鈥淚mprovements Bring Carbon Capture Method Nearer鈥 Earth Times, March 26, 2012.
- 鈥淣ew twist on 1930s technology may become a 21st century weapon against global warming鈥 ACS Press Office, March 26, 2012. See the press release:
- 鈥淣ew Chains for Ionic Liquids鈥 Chemical & Engineering News, March 15, 2010, p. 11.
Published Works
See Dr. Davis' published works on Google Scholar: