Dr. Hunter Sellars’ primary research focus is utilizing porous and functional materials for adsorption applications. They are currently involved in several projects applying materials and surface science to the capture of carbon dioxide.  

The majority of their experimental work focuses on the adsorption performance and stability of active materials. One example of this 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. They have been involved with a collaboration with Palo Alto Research Center, investigating the performance of free-standing aminopolymer aerogels. LLNL’s role, in which Elwin was the primary experimentalist, focused 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 has conducted high-level analysis of different carbon removal strategies. The culmination of their work in one such project, the Roads to Removal report, analyzed the deployment of direct air capture powered by renewable electricity within the United States. These projects span several skill areas including geospatial analysis of available land, storage, and energy supply, transportation of carbon dioxide, 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] E. Hunter-Sellars, J.D. Kerr, H.V. Eshelman, Z.A. Pollard, A.J. Varni, M.A. Sakwa-Novak, M.A.T. Marple, S.H. Pang; Oxidation of Supported Amines for CO2 Direct Air Capture: Assessing Impact on Physical Properties and Mobility via NMR Relaxometry; Macromol. Chem. Phys. 225, 14 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202400023

[2] E. Hunter-Sellars, N.E. Ellebracht, T. Dai, S.H. Pang;  Roads to removal: options for carbon dioxide removal in the United States. Chapter 7: Direct Air Capture with Storage (DACS) and Renewable Energy; LLNL-TR-852901 (2023). https://doi.org/10.2172/2301853

[3] S. Li, Y, Guta, M.F. Calegari Andrade, E. Hunter-Sellars, A. Maiti, A.J. Varni, P. Tang, C. Sievers, S.H. Pang, C.W. Jones; Competing Kinetic Consequences of CO2 on the Oxidative Degradation of Branched Poly(ethylenimine); J. Am. Chem. Soc. 146, 41 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c08126

[4] P. A. Saenz-Cavazos, E. Hunter-Sellars, P. Iacomi, S.R. McIntyre, D. Danaci, D. R. Williams; Evaluating solid sorbents for CO2 capture: linking material properties and process efficiency via adsorption performance; Front. Energy Res. 11 (2023). https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2023.1167043

[5] 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 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202008357

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Global Security Gold Award (2024)

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

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