Luke Davis

Research/Areas of Interest

I am interested in synthesis and characterization in inorganic and materials chemistry. I am especially interested in fundamental or applied chemistry that has important societal implications.

My research laboratory has ongoing projects in several areas:

Zero-emissions ironmaking.
The synthesis of iron metal from iron ore contributes ca. 4% of global carbon dioxide emissions. I am interested in alternative thermochemical methods, such as the use of ammonia, for making iron from iron oxides. This project has extended to other critical metals also.

Thin-film photovoltaics with earth-abundant, sulfide-based absorber layers.
Thin-film photovoltaics (solar cells) provide electricity from sunlight with just a few hundred nm of light-absorbing material. We are exploring binary and ternary sulfides as top-cell materials for tandem photovoltaics.

Earth-abundant molecular light absorbers and emitters.
Molecular light absorbers and emitters are used in photoredox catalysis, dye-sensitized solar cells, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). We are exploring high-spin complexes of iron and manganese to prepare new molecules that absorb and emit light.

I am developing new research programs in other areas:

New superconducting materials.
Near-room-temperature superconductors have recently been realized in compressed hydrides. I am interested in new hydride compounds that are stable at ambient pressure and might serve as ambient-pressure, ambient-temperature superconductors.

Volatile molecules carrying metal-atom equivalents for superconducting wires.
Cryogenic superconducting wires enable quantum bits based on Josephson junctions. We are developing new molecules and methods to deposit the electropositive metals that make up these wires from chemical vapors.