Two Purdue Chemical Engineering affiliated startup companies have achieved "Gold Award" investment status from the Elevate Purdue Foundry Fund. Founded by Professor You-Yeon Won and Rachel Kim, an MBA graduate from MIT Sloan, LoDos Theranostics is developing a unique nanoparticle ultraviolet radiation technology that could enhance cancer cell killing effects of radiation treatment, thus reducing radiation doses and patient side effects. Founded by associate research scientist Dr. Arun Giridhar, PinpointPharma LLC is commercializing a portable inkjet printer to produce precise, personalized medication dosages faster than conventional methods, which could improve overall drug effectiveness and decrease patient side effects.

Davidson School of Chemical Engineering assistant professor Letian Dou and a multi-institution team of researchers have recently published a paper in Nature Materials. The article, "Thermochromic halide perovskite solar cells," focuses on the team's research of the structural phase transition behaviors in mixed halide perovskite CsPbI_3-xBr_x thin films. The phase transitions result in solar cell films with two switchable characteristic states, each having distinct visible transparencies and photovoltaic device efficiencies. These films are expected to be useful in the development of smart photovoltaic windows.

Paul Seib (BSChE '58) has been named as Fellow in the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). This honor is presented to Dr. Seib, professor emeritus of grain science and industry at Kansas State University, for his prolific spirit of innovation. The 2017 fellows will be inducted as part of the seventh annual NAI Conference of the National Academy of Inventors on April 5, 2018, in Washington, D.C

Purdue Chemical Engineering Professor Jeffrey Miller is collaborating with researchers at Rice University to discover new science and technologies to purify water. Miller is working with the research group of Dr. Mike Wong of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The group is part of an NSF Engineering Research Center developing new science and technologies to purify water, preparing novel nano-structured metal particles for catalyst reactions. The current research uses catalysts to convert nitrates that occur in low levels in many water supplies into harmless compounds. Current findings are published in the journal, ACS Catalysis. Using the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory, the researchers can identify the novel structures of nano-particles responsible for their chemistry.

Two Davidson School of Chemical Engineering faculty were recently honored for their excellence in teaching graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. Rajamani Gounder and Dr. Jeffrey Siirola were recognized prior to the graduate seminar on December 5, with both faculty receiving certificates from Professor David Corti, Executive Officer of Chemical Engineering, on behalf of the School.