AUB - Faculty of Arts and Sciences - Department of Chemistry

Dr. Houssam El-Rassy

Assistant Professor
Inorganic Chemistry

B.S., Lebanese University (1999); M.S., University Claude Bernard Lyon I (2000); Ph.D., University Claude Bernard Lyon I (2003); Postdoctoral Fellow, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI, 2003-2004); Lecturer, Lebanese University (2004-2005); Assistant Professor, Collège de France (2004-2005).

Office: Chemistry 520
Phone: 4051
E-mail: he13@aub.edu.lb

Research

My research interests are focused on the synthesis and characterization of metal oxides obtained via the sol-gel process and dried according to the supercritical drying technique leading to highly porous aerogels. These solid materials are obtained via hydrolysis and polycondensation of several precursors including organically functionalized precursors. The surface modification of these solids influences their hydrophilic/hydrophobic nature and therefore enlarges their range of application. Another category of these materials are hybrids obtained by cross-linking the inorganic network with various organic gels obtained by photo- or thermo-polymerization of several polymers and copolymers.
We develop techniques for the synthesis of sol-gel materials and their use in a wide range of applications, i.e. catalysis, biosensing, medicine, water purification and environment protection.
Several topics are currently under investigation:
• Synthesis of hybrid silica-polymer aerogels and xerogels: The obtained composites are used as entrapment media for biomolecules (biocatalysis use) and in water decontamination.
• Preparation of clusters doped-silica sol-gel materials and their use in oxidation catalysis.
• Development of clusters doped-silica/titania photocatalysts for environmental purposes.
• Application of titania aerogels in water purification.
• Synthesis and characterization of novel bimetallic aerogels.

Selected Publications

Lara Abramian, Houssam El-Rassy. Adsorption Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Azo-Dye Orange II onto Highly Porous Titania Aerogel. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2009, 150, 403-410.
Rami Al-Oweini, Houssam El-Rassy. Synthesis and characterization by FTIR spectroscopy of silica aerogels prepared using several Si(OR) ₄and R"Si(OR') ₃precursors. Journal of Molecular Structure, 2009, 919, 140-145.
Hazar El-Batlouni, Houssam El-Rassy, Mazen Al-Ghoul. Cosynthesis, coexistence and self-organization of α and β-cobalt hydroxide based on diffusion and reaction in organic gels. Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2008, 112, 7755-7757.

Houssam El Rassy, Emmanuel Belamie, Jacques Livage and Thibaud Coradin. Onion phases as biomimetic confined media for silica nanoparticle growth. Langmuir, 2005, 21, 8584-8587.