Specialties

Michael J. Zdilla

Associate Professor
​Robert L. Smith Early Career Professor
Inorganic
Office: SERC 656
Phone: 215-204-7886
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Biography

2005-2009

2005

2000

Selected Awards
Postdoctoral researcher, Purdue University

Ph.D. Princeton University

B.S. Millersville University

Camille Dreyfus Teacher Scholar.  Robert L. Smith Early Career Chair in Chemistry.  Office of Naval Research Young Investigator.  National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Interests

The Zdilla group is interested in several problems at the interface of inorganic chemistry with other subdisciplines, including biology, energy, and nanotechnology. Most of our work is centered around the use of multi-metal systems for various applications, including green catalysis, materials precursors, solid electrolytes, energetic materials, and biological model systems. The group specializes in inorganic synthesis, air-free handling, and X-ray crystallography. 

Select Publications

Vaddypally, S.; Kondaveeti, S. K.; Karki, S.; Van Vliet, M. M.; Levis, R. J.; Zdilla, M. J. “Reactive Pendant Mn═O in a Synthetic Structural Model of a Proposed S4 State in the Photosynthetic Oxygen Evolving Complex.” J. Am. Chem. Soc.  2017, 139, 4675-4681.
 
Kang, Q.; Vernisse, L.; Remsing, R. C.; Thenuwara, A. C.; Shumlas, S. L.; McKendry, I. G.; Klein, M. L.; Borguet, E.; Zdilla, M. J.; Daniel R. Strongin, D. R. “Effect of Interlayer Spacing on the Activity of Layered Manganese Oxide Bilayer Catalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 1863−1870.
 
Chinnam, P. R.; Fall, B.; Dikin, D. A.; Jalil, A.; Hamilton, C. R.; Wunder, S. L.; Zdilla, M. J. “A Self-Binding, Melt-Castable, Crystalline Organic Electrolyte for Sodium Ion Conduction.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2016, 55, 15254-15257.
 
Michael R. Gau and Michael J. Zdilla. “A Protocol for Safe Lithiation Reactions Using Organolithium Reagents.” Journal of Visualized Experiments. 2016, e54705-e54705.

McKendry, I. G.; Thenuwara, A. C.; Sun, J.; Peng, H.; Perdew, J. P.; Strongin, D. R.; Zdilla, M. J.  "Water Oxidation Catalyzed by Cobalt Oxide Supported on the Mattagamite Phase of CoTe2."  ACS Catal. 2016, 6, 7393−7397.

Vaddypally, S.; McKendry, I. G.; Tomlinson, W.; Hooper, J. P.; Zdilla, M. J.  "Electronic structure of manganese complexes of the redox-non-innocent tetrazene ligand and evidence for the metal-azide/imido cycloaddition intermediate." Chem. Eur. J. 2016, 22,10548 –10557.

Chinnam, P.R.; Clymer, R.N.; Jalil, A.A.; Wunder, S.L.; Zdilla, M.J.  "Bulk-phase, ion conduction in cocrystalline LiCl·N,N-dimethylformamide: A new paradigm for solid electrolytes based upon the Pearson Hard-Soft Acid-Base concept."  Chem. Mater. 2015, 27, 5479−5482.
 
Hamilton, C. R.; Gau, M. R.; Baglia, R. A.; McWilliams, S. F.; Zdilla, M. J.  "Mechanistic elucidation of the stepwise formation of a tetranuclear manganese pinned butterfly cluster via N-N bond cleavage, hydrogen atom transfer, and cluster rearrangement."  J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136, 17974.