Purifying the Future: Layers of Potential with 2D materials ft. Aine Coogan

Purifying the Future: Layers of Potential with 2D materials ft. Aine Coogan

In Other Words

A ~2-year project (paper just out in J. Mater. Chem. A) on 2D-material membrane filters that block wastewater dyes down to 2–3 nm, made reusable by adding copper/aluminium layered double hydroxides that photocatalytically destroy the trapped dye under a cheap €5 LED plus a little hydrogen peroxide.

Key Takeaways

• Materials-chemistry PhD at Trinity College Dublin on tunable 2D layered double hydroxides for water purification, catalysis and chirality/biomedical uses.
• Used ChatGPT ethically to pass a major reviewer revision, it suggested an alternative fluorescent radical-probe experiment when the required EPR kit wasn’t available (she then validated it against real papers and ran it).
• Any AI suggestion must be cross-checked and referenced, it can invent elements not in your starting materials.
• Loves outreach with kids because their open questions sharpen her research thinking and presentation skills.
• Wishes centre on Ireland chronically underfunding research (<1% of GDP vs EU’s 3%) and PhD students having no worker rights despite teaching and supervising.