News Archive

Written by Peter Aina, University of Miami
Edited by Johnson Aina, HPS Student Support Committee

The Student Support Committee is proud to showcase another outstanding graduate student, Peter Aina, who is a chemical engineering PhD student in the Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering, University of Miami. We hope you get to know Peter through learning about his background and current PhD research.

Peter is a third-year PhD student working under Dr. Fateme Razaei, PhD. He obtained his bachelor's in chemistry with emphasis on physical/analytical chemistry for environmental applications at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. His undergraduate research was focused on the removal of heavy metals in industrial wastewater using an eco-friendly adsorbent. Here he developed a passion to pursue his master's degree in chemistry at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla where he was exposed to the use of advanced analytical techniques such as GCMS, LC-MS/MS, and NMR, amongst others. He applied his newly acquired knowledge towards evaluation of bromide ion in Ohio State drinking water and characterization of hydrogels.

Peter developed a porous material (UiO-67) for the removal of radioactive iodine (¹²⁹I) in industrial wastewater. The ¹²⁹I was immobilized using UiO-67 and consolidated in a type III cement. This consolidation offers a permanent trap, where the radioactive iodine was kept in a "sealed loop." Hence, it's difficult for this radioactive iodine to leach back and cause secondary contamination in the environment. Through this opportunity, Peter was able to publish his findings in the ACS applied materials and interface and applied engineering materials.

Peter also led a team that was comprised of three undergraduate research assistants on another project, which is centered on the development of a novel bifunctional material which functions as both absorbent and photocatalyst. This bifunctional material absorbs volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air and destroys adsorbed VOCs in the presence of visible light. He led a US Department of Defense funded project on the design and fabrication of a 3D-printed catalytic filter that protects military personnel and first responders against the lethal effect of chemical warfare agents. This project involves synthesis of reactive polymeric material and investigation of chemical warfare agent destruction mechanism using NMR.

Peter is expected to graduate in the fall of 2024. He looks forward to obtaining a full-time appointment at any national laboratory where he can adequately apply his skills to bolster the national security of the United States. Peter seeks to participate in projects that would allow him to contribute a greater understanding of the protection of military personnel against Type-G and Type-X nerve agents while applying this knowledge to a variety of high-priority projects (e.g., forensics, weapons, medicine, and energy). Through the combination of his chemical engineering, radiation protection, and chemistry backgrounds, Peter hopes to convey the importance of these technologies in an effective manner.