Aylin Aykanat

My research group at the University of New Hampshire focuses on the design of advanced functional materials, particularly redox-responsive metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and related porous coordination networks, to address pressing challenges in environmental remediation, critical-mineral recovery, and sustainable separations. We combine synthetic inorganic chemistry, mechanistic materials science, and advanced structural characterization (including MicroED, X-ray diffraction, sorption analysis, and computational modeling) to understand how molecular-level structure governs reactivity, selectivity, and phase behavior. A major theme of our work is sulfur chemistry in porous frameworks, especially disulfide-linked materials, where we study how metal–sulfur interactions control adsorption, redox transformations, and stimulus-responsive behavior under realistic chemical conditions. Students in the group gain rigorous training in synthesis, materials characterization, and mechanistic thinking, while contributing to projects that bridge fundamental chemistry with translational applications in water purification, battery recycling, and responsive nanomaterials.