Dr. Hunter Sellars’ primary research focus is utilizing porous and functional materials for adsorption applications. They are currently involved in several research projects related to point source and direct air capture of carbon dioxide, taking on both an experimental and analytical role within these teams.

The majority of their experimental work is split between two research questions. The first is a Basic Energy Science project investigating the mechanisms of oxidative degradation in supported aminopolymer DAC adsorbents. Their role is twofold: physical and chemical characterization of degraded composites’ material properties (including surface area, mobility, and elemental composition); and synthesis of porous supports with controlled porosity and chemistry to understand their impact on composite stability. The second is a collaboration with Palo Alto Research Center, investigating the performance of free-standing aminopolymer aerogels. LLNL’s role, in which Elwin is the primary experimentalist, focuses on development of testing capabilities, and their application to realistic testing of powder and structured adsorbents prepared by PARC’s chemistry team.

Outside of experimental work, Elwin is a member of the team leading the direct air capture section of the Roads to Removal report, analyzing the potential for several carbon dioxide removal technologies within the United States. With the team, Elwin takes on a supporting role, conducting geospatial analysis of alternative heat sources and investigating energy, equity and environmental justice concerns related to DAC technologies.

Ph.D. Materials Science, Imperial College London (2021)

M.Eng. Chemical Engineering, University College London (2017)

[1] S. R. Mcintyre, E. Hunter-Sellars, P. R. Haycock, D. R. Williams; Considerations when determining Counter-diffusion constants in liquid phase catalytic reactions using the Zero Length column (ZLC) method; Chem. Eng. Sci. 258, 117733 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2022.117733

[2] C. Ye, A. Wang, , Breakwell, C. Breakwell, R. Tan, C. Grazia Bezzu, E. Hunter-Sellars, D. R. Williams, N. P. Brandon, P. A. A. Klusener, A. R. Kucernak, K. E. Jelfs, N. B. McKeown, Q. Song; Development of efficient aqueous organic redox flow batteries using ion-sieving sulfonated polymer membranes; Nat Commun 13, 3184 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-30943-y

[3] E. Hunter-Sellars, P. A. Saenz-Cavazos, A. R. Houghton, S. R. McIntyre, I. P. Parkin, D. R. Williams; Sol–Gel Synthesis of High‐Density Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Monoliths via Ligand Assisted Methods: Exceptional Porosity, Hydrophobicity, and Applications in Vapor Adsorption; Adv. Funct. Mater. 31 (5), 2008357 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202008357

[4] I. Del Gaudio, E. Hunter-Sellars, I. P. Parkin, D. R. Williams, S. Da Ross, K. Curran; Water sorption and diffusion in cellulose acetate: The effect of plasticisers; Carbohydr. Polym. 267, 118185 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118185

[5] E. Hunter-Sellars, J. Tee, I. P. Parkin, D. R. Williams; Adsorption of volatile organic compounds by industrial porous materials: Impact of relative humidity; Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 298, 110090 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2020.110090

Royal Society of Chemistry, Materials Chemistry Horizon Prize 2023 (Stephenie L Kwolek Prize)

Fundamentals of Adsorption 2022, Poster Prize (1^st Place)