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Morris Bullock, PhD
Director, Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis
Morris Bullock, PhD
Director, Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis
Biography
In the built world, we often store electricity in batteries. But living things — people, plants, bacteria — store energy in their chemical bonds using proteins called enzymes, which stimulate reactions similarly to how industrial catalysts do. For much of his 35-year career, chemist Morris Bullock has been seeking out synthetic catalysts to imitate nature's energy storage methods. As the Director of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, much of his research has focused on stashing electrons in chemical bonds and pulling them out again, resulting in remarkably fast catalysts. More recently, he has turned his attention to bonds in ammonia which is normally used for fertilizer, however, some see its potential as non-polluting fuel. The goal is to oxidize ammonia: stripping the electrons out of the bonds between hydrogen and nitrogen atoms and then use them for electricity.
"If you do it right, the only thing that comes out is electrical energy and nitrogen. And that's great because nobody cares if you're blowing off nitrogen into the air — our atmosphere is mostly nitrogen," Bullock said.
Besides energy production, catalysts are used in generating pharmaceuticals, improving vehicle fuel efficiency, and pollution control. Bullock is trying to trade out the precious metals that all these industrial processes use for cheaper, more abundant ones, using nature as his model. "In biology, there's no such thing as a rhodium enzyme or platinum enzyme," he said. "All the amazing transformations in biology have to be done with Earth-abundant metals because that's what was there to make catalysts."
He does this by tracking the movements of protons and electrons deep within catalysts. Internal metals, such as cheap iron or pricey platinum, move protons and electrons around to make and break chemical bonds. Understanding these so-called proton relays, where protons move and electrons follow, is key to understanding how bonds form when two atoms share electrons.
Bullock is a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences. In April 2019 he spearheaded a workshop on Earth-abundant metals in catalysis. He has also served on various advisory councils for the U.S. Department Of Energy, editorial boards for journals such as Inorganic Chemistry, Organometallics, and Chemical Society Reviews. He also served as the chairman for the Gordon Research Conference on Organometallic Chemistry. Internationally, the UK's Royal Society of Chemistry recognized him with its Homogeneous Catalysis Award.