Cynthia Friend

T.W. Richards Professor of Chemistry; Professor of Materials Science; Director of Rowland Institute & Director EFRC-IMASC
- Harvard University Center for the Environment
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Dept. of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Office: Mallinckrodt Laboratory 18
Assistant: Leah DeFrancesco
Email: friend@fas.harvard.edu
Web: http://faculty.chemistry.harvard.edu/friend-lab/people/cynthia-m-friend
Research Interests:
- The development of a mechanistic framework for selective catalytic syntheses promoted by oxygen on coinage metals (Au, Ag, and Cu) and their alloys. Our objective is to provide a basis for designing "green" chemical processes.
- Investigation of hybrid metal/metal oxide materials, including nanostructures, for chemical and photocatalysis. One aspect of this work is driving thermodynamically uphill reactions, such as CO2 reduction and water splitting.
- The study of new methods for controlled doping of semiconductor materials so as to modify their optical properties using femtosecond lasers and novel methods for introducing dopant precursors. Our objective is to create materials that efficiently harvest solar energy for photovoltaics and photoelectrochemistry. This work is part of a new Solar energy grant funded by NSF.
Faculty Department:
Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Research Areas: