
Alexander Miller
Professor, Director of Graduate Studies
Kenan Laboratories A400919-962-4618
ajmm@email.unc.edu
Group Website
Curriculum Vitae
Research Interests
Energy Catalysis, Synthetic Organometallic Chemistry, Metal-Ligand Cooperation
Research Synopsis
Research in the Miller group revolves around transformations relevant to global energy concerns, including the storage of solar energy in chemical fuels, proton-coupled electron transfer reactions, and hydrocarbon transformations. Our approach starts with the design and synthesis of transition metal catalysts, then shifts to examining catalyst performance with a focus on understanding reaction mechanism in order to inform catalyst improvements. Our catalysts feature multifunctional ligands: beyond simply supporting the metal center, the ligands position additional functionality in the secondary coordination sphere of the metal and work in concert with the metal center to enhance key steps in catalytic cycles.
Professional Background
University of Chicago, BS, 2005; California Institute of Technology, PhD, 2011; Dreyfus Environmental Chemistry Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Washington, Seattle, 2011-2012; James Moeser Award for Distinguished Research, University Research Council, 2014; NSF CAREER Award, 2016; Sloan Research Fellowship, 2016;
Research Group
News & Publications

A collaborative team from the Miller lab and Eastman has discovered a new process for making anhydrides that promises improvements in cost and sustainability.

Here, we show that oxo and nitrido complexes of molybdenum supported by tetramesitylporphyrin (TMP) are effective precatalysts for catalytic N2 reduction to ammonia, verified by 15N2 labeling studies and other control experiments.