BEDFORD RESEARCH GROUP
Welcome to the website for the Bedford Research Group. Here you will find information on all the group’s research activities, publications and various musings. The group is always looking for talented, enthusiastic, and passionate students eager to develop scientific principles for the generation of new materials with interesting/improved properties. Our group is highly collaborative as well, so feel free to contact us if you would be interested in working together!
Welcome to the website for the Bedford Research Group. Here you will find information on all the group’s research activities, publications and various musings. The group is always looking for talented, enthusiastic, and passionate students eager to develop scientific principles for the generation of new materials with interesting/improved properties. Our group is highly collaborative as well, so feel free to contact us if you would be interested in working together!
Interested in joining our team?
WHAT WE DO
Our group is interested in two things: 1) Uncovering the fundamental structural science behind what gives materials the properties that they exhibit and 2) using this information to make new materials with emergent properties. We strive to accomplish both of these interests through creative thinking coupled with the rigorous study of fundamental science. Our work spans many application spaces and materials, including catalysis, critical minerals and materials, advanced ceramic materials, and biosensors.
Our team
Learn more about our crew and information to join the team.
Research
We make really interesting materials. Then we shoot X-rays at them to figure out how they work and how to make better materials.
Publications
Dissemination of new research is vital to the progress of technology.
Last week we wrapped 📻 on some NEXAFS and RIXS 🧟♂️ measures at the Advanced Light Source 🔦⚡️⭕️ at LBNL 🥰☮️✌️. We examined a range of REE 🧲 complexes important to improving separation processes over SX 👎 to better understand how we can improve selectivity. Cool stuff, cool turkeys 🦃, and as always, and amazing view of the bay from LNBL 🌁. Thanks to the staff help from LBNL, INL 🥔, and Colorado School of Mines ⛏️. #criticalminerals #criticalmaterials #synchrotronlife #cantstopwontstop #dataordie
What a week at DMC2025!🤩D🤺🏭. Great talks and a great group of researchers all collected together to discuss the future of defense manufacturing. There was also a space launch!🚀 🔭👨🚀👩🚀🧑🚀👾👽🌝#dmc #artemisii #collabos #cantstopwontstop #dataordie
New paper out in Nature Synthesis 🌸 🌴🧪⚗️😎😻🌩️. Co-lead by our colleagues at USyd 🦈, high entropy nanowires 🧶 were used for the Cl2 evolution, which exhibits 98% FE at 10kA/ m2 ⚡️. We employed multiple in-situ experiments to showcase an PtO2 edge site activation mechanism, which enables high selectivity. Read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44160-026-00999-5 #nature #synthesis #highentropy #synchrotronscience #dataordie
We recently wrapped on some nice in-situ electrochemical ⚡️🧪 XAS beamtime at the ISS 🛰️ beamline, NSLS-II. Huge thanks to our colleagues at Johns Hopkins for the assist. New data to be published soon! #synchrotronlife #synchrotronscience #synchrotron #cantstopwontstop #dataordie
New paper out in Chemistry of Materials 🧪🧱😅⏱️⌛️👍💪. Led by the team at UQ👸, a novel method for making PbI2 🎨🧂quantum dots was examined, using the thermal decomposition 🔥 MOF glasses 🔎 and Pb halides. The decomposed MOF chemistry provides an excellent shell around the QDs while also resulting in a tight size distribution, important for optoelectronic applications. Read the paper here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5c02293 #quantumdots #leadiodine #synchrotron #dataordie
Nice little call out on the INL 🥔☢️🔬webpage on our critical materials 🧱 work for the military 🪖🫡. Lots of exciting stuff on the horizon and big projects coming up 👍😎💪. Read here: https://inl.gov/feature-story/idaho-national-laboratory-strengthening-national-security-with-critical-materials-research/ #watchout #criticalmaterials #criticalminerals #research #dataordie
New paper in Angewandte Chemie International Edition 🇩🇪⚗️🌍📝😲🍬🙂↕️🙂↔️. In another effort led by the folks at Griffith University 🦁, new dual site catalysts were engineered for the CO2 reduction reaction 💨🔥. Using Ni-Cr atomic pairs anchored ⚓️ into a nitrated carbon matrix, Ni atoms promote CO2 activation while Cr atoms promote H20 💦dissociation, ultimately boosting reaction efficiency 🧐🧠. Great work by all! Read the paper here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/anie.202521247 #electrocatalysis #nickel #chromium #co2 #dataordie
New paper out in JACS 📓🇺🇸🧪🏘️🧐🧠⚗️!!! In a collaborative effort led by our mates at Griffith university 🦁, we deep dive 🤿 into the role that O vacancies play in CO2 elctroconversion⚡️in tin oxides🥫. Using a range of insitu measurements 📏 and DFT calculations🤖, we uncover unique Sn-O motifs that facilitate formate production that better explain the process well beyond the conventional adsorbate evolution models 💃🕺👯👯♀️👯♂️. Read the paper here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jacs.5c17016?casa_token=qytzdRJXgKkAAAAA%3AF3b63a7R0nRFcXlXyYT2fyUoKiapmHgysDqIADjw-0kfwrzyMtCRVjHkngk0htS3aT14_YwSrckhmz7i #electrocatalysis #co2rr #sno2 #synchrotron #dataordie
Got to spend some time at the University of Utah 🔴⚪️🙌 recently for a summit on regional strategy for future critical material and minerals research ⛏️🧪📄. Great event with a ton of great institutions involved, plus we got snow ☃️🌨️. Lots of new work coming out of this group soon 😁 #criticalminerals #utah #letitsnow❄️❄️ #collabos #cantstopwontstop #dataordie
Just wrapped up on some XAS 🩻 experiments at a snowy ☃️🌨️ Advanced Photon Source 💡. We got a ton of nice data on chemistries 🧪 used in REE separations ⚡️🧲, along with a bunch of new catalyst chemistries as well 🤓. Big thanks to @darastrix354 for all the help with experiments, and the rest of the team for Mines ⛏️ and INL 🥔☢️. Keep an eye out for new papers in the future 😎📝🙊. #aps #xas #synchrotron #synchrotronscience #synchrotronlife #firsttimers #betterinthesnow #whosdinosauristhis #cantstopwontstop #dataordie
I had a great time at the Microelectronics National Security Summit & Workshop 💻📲🗻🛠️, hosted by the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (SWMAC) and ASU SWAP Hub 🌵🏜️🚀🔫💣☀️🔱🤝. Great to see people from across industries and professions come together to discuss the future of the field. Always nice to be in the desert too (as long as it’s not summer!) #microelectronics #themission #summit #swaphub #asu #thunderbird #cm #cantstopwontstop #dataordie
Big time congrats to Jhair Pena Prada for successfully completing his PhD 🎓👨🎓📝📔🧪🥼🥳🎉🙌🍾🍻🎉🎉🥳👏🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴. Dr Jhair’s thesis on understanding toxic chemical degradation pathways in MOFs, and importantly, how MOF structure dictates chemical properties, is a great contribution to the field 👍😊. Special thanks to @ale.fraca and his team for the collaborations with Jhair throughout his journey 🤝🙌🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷. #phd #phdcomplete #graduation #synchrotron #synchrotronlife #mofs #zirconium #organophosphate #missionaccomplished #chapterclosed #ontodisneyworld #dataordie
bedfordresearchgroup@gmail.com