Loredana Valenzano-Slough

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
—"Walden" - H.D. Thoreau

Contact

lvalenza@mtu.edu
906-487-1602
Chem Sci 701A

Associate Professor, Chemistry

PhD, University of Southampton, United Kingdom, 2003
MSc, University of Torino, Italy, 2000

Work History

Assistant Professor, Michigan Tech, USA, 2012-present
Assistant Research Scientist, Michigan Tech, USA, 2010-2012
Postdoctoral Associate, University of Torino, Italy, 2005-2010
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Leiden, The Netherlands, 2003-2005

Links of Interest

Research Group Page

Reviewer for:

ACS: JACS, J Phys Chem Lett, J Phys Chem A/C, Inor Chem
RSC: J Mat Chem A/B/C, Dalton Trans, CrystEngComm, PCCP, New J Chem
Elsevier: Chem Phys Lett, J Solid State Chem, Appl Surf Science, Comp Mat Science, Physica B: Cond Matt
Springer: J Porous Mat
AIP: J Chem Phys
MDPI: Materials

Research Interests

Computational characterization of molecules and materials: energetic materials, nanoporous materials, cementing materials, active pharmaceutical ingredients, crystal growth, nucleation, surfaces, effect of defects on the structures and properties of materials, effect of water/solvents on material evolution and degradation, biomolecules

Recent Publications

J. Huang, L. Valenzano, T.V. Singh, R. Pandey, G.N. Sant, The Influence of (Mg, Al, Fe) Impurities on Triclinic Ca3SiO5: Interpretations from First Principles Calculations, Crystal Growth and Design, in press (2014)
S. Chavan, F. Bonino, L. Valenzano, B. Civalleri, C. Lamberti, N. Acerbi, J. Cavka, M. Leistner, S. Bordiga, Fundamental Aspects of H2S Adsorption on CPO-27-Ni, J. Chem. Phys. C, 117, 15615-15622 (2013)
D. Gianolio, J.G. Vitillo, B. Civalleri, S. Bordiga, U. Olsbye, K.P. Lillerud, L. Valenzano, C. Lamberti, Combined Study of Structural Properties on Metal-Organic Frameworks with Same Topology but Different Linkers or Metal, 15th International Conference on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS15), Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 430, 012134 (2013)
S. Zhu, J. Bi, G. Vegesna, J. Zhang, F.-T. Luo, L. Valenzano*, H. Liu, Functionalization of BODIPY Dyes at 2,6-Positions through Formyl Groups, RSC Advances, 3, 4793-4800 (2013)
J. Zhang, S. Zhu, L. Valenzano, F.-T. Luo, H. Liu, BODIPY-based Ratiometric Fluorescent Probes for Sensitive and Selective Sensing of Cyanide Ion, RSC Advances 3, 68-74 (2013)
A.J. Kennedy, L. Valenzano*, Computational Prediction of the Behavior of MOF-74 under Hydrated Conditions, Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Fuel Chem., 57 (1), 913-916 (2012)
L. Valenzano*, W. J. Slough, W. F. Perger, Accurate Prediction of Second-Order Elastic Constants from First Principles: PETN and TATB, AIP Conf. Proc. 1426, 1191 (2012) Read More
W. J. Slough, L. Valenzano, W. F. Perger, The terahertz infrared spectrum of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine: targeting anharmonic modes for the fingerprinting and detection of RDX, AIP Conf. Proc. 1426, 1219 (2012) Read More
J. Criswell, W. F. Perger, K. M. Flurchick, L. Valenzano, W. J. Slough, The effect of a simulated volumetric expansion: Calculated vibrational properties and elastic constants of pentaerythritol, AIP Conf. Proc. 1426, 1179 (2012) Read More
K. M. Flurchick, W. F. Perger, W. J. Slough, L. Valenzano, Gamma phase RDX: Initial study of geometry, spectrum and EOS, AIP Conf. Proc. 1426, 567 (2012) Read More
W. F. Perger, W. J. Slough, L. Valenzano, K. M. Flurchick, Calculation of the vibrational spectra of α-rdx using the Grimme DFT potential, AIP Conf. Proc. 1426, 571 (2012) Read More
L. Valenzano, J. G. Vitillo, S. Chavan, B. Civalleri, F. Bonino, S. Bordiga, C. Lamberti, Structure-activity relationships of simple molecules adsorbed on CPO-27-Ni Metal-Organic Framework: in situ experiments vs. theory, Catal. Today 182, 67 (2012) Read More
J. C. Tan, B. Civalleri, C.-C. Lin, L. Valenzano, R. Galvelis, P.-F. Chen, T.-D. Bennet, C. Mellot-Draznieks, C. M. Zicovich-Wilson, A. K. Cheetham, Elasticity of Sodalite ZIF-8: a Porous Metal-Organic Framework Material with an Exceptionally Low Shear Modulus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 095502, (2012) Read More
S. Chavan, J. G. Vitillo, D. Gianoglio, O. Zavorotynska, B. Civalleri, S. Jakobsen, M.H. Nilsen, L. Valenzano, C. Lamberti, K. P. Lillerud, S. Bordiga, H2 storage in isostructural UiO-67 and UiO-66 MOFs, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 14, 1614 (2012) Read More
L. Valenzano, B. Civalleri, K. Sillar, J. Sauer, Heat of adsorption of CO and CO2 in metal organic frameworks: Quantum mechanical study of CPO-27-M (M = Mg, Ni, Zn), J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 21777 (2011) Read More
L. Valenzano, B. Civalleri, S. Chavan, S. Bordiga, M. Nilsen, S. Jakobsen, K.P. Lillerud, C. Lamberti, Disclosing the complex structure of UiO-66: a synergic combination of experiment and theory, Chem. Mater. 23, 1700 (2011) Read More
F. Bardelli, M. Benvenuti, P. Costagliola, F. Di Benedetto, P. Lattanzi, C. Meneghini, M. Romanelli, L. Valenzano, Arsenic uptake by natural calcite: an XAS study, Geo. Cosmo. Acta, 75, 3011 (2011) Read More
L. Valenzano, B. Civalleri, S. Chavan, G.T. Palomino, C.O. Arean, S. Bordiga, Computational and experimental studies on the adsorption of CO, N2 and CO2 on Mg-MOF-74, J. Phys. Chem. C, 114, 11185 (2010) Read More

Recent Funding

Start-up Package - Michigan Tech
UCLA
MSGC-NASA
Pruett Scholarship

Presentations

Invited Seminar, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, UCLA, October 2013
Oral Presentation, APS March Meeting, Baltimore (MD), 2013
Oral Presentation, ACS Spring Meeting, New Orleans (LA), April 2013
Invited Seminar, Aberdeen Proving Ground (MD), DOD, March 2013
Invited Seminar, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, UCLA, March 2013
Invited Seminar, Department of Chemistry, Michigan Tech, Houghton (MI), Spring 2011
Oral Presentation, APS March Meeting, Dallas (TX), 2011
Oral Presentation, MRS Spring Meeting, San Francisco (CA), March 2011
Oral Presentations (2), SCCM – Shock and Compression Condensed Matter, Chicago (IL), March 2011
Invited Seminar, MTU Physics Colloquium, Department of Physics, Michigan Tech, Houghton (MI), Fall 2010

Recent Projects

Physico-Chemical Properties, Polymorphism, Surfaces, Behavior under Pressure of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
Metal-Organic Frameworks for Catalytic Applications and Petroleum Refining Processes
Physico-Chemical Properties of Energetic Materials and Co-Crystal(s)
Structure(s) and Properties of E. Coli's Peptidoglycan Cell Wall
Action of a Broad Spectrum Antiviral Medication against Human Herpes, DNA Intercalated Drugs
Encapsulation of Molecules into Fullerene Cages
Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition by Aricept Analogs in Decrease Memory Loss in Alzheimer's Patients

Teaching Experience

CH3510 Online (Physical Chemistry I) - Summer 2014
CH3510 (Physical Chemistry I) - Spring 2014
CH4560-CH5560 (Computational Chemistry) - Fall 2013
CH3510 (Physical Chemistry I) - Spring 2013
CH3510 (Physical Chemistry I) - Fall 2012
CH3510 (Physical Chemistry I) - Summer 2012
CH3510 (Physical Chemistry I) - Spring 2012
CH3510 (Physical Chemistry I) - Fall 2011
PH4999 (Modeling of Materials and Electronic Structure Methods) - Spring 2011
PH4510 (Solid State Physics) - Fall 2010