Cluster Leads:
UCF’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation Cluster, or REACT, is developing new, alternative materials for catalysis to power technology and chemical processes that are safe for people and the environment.
The production of electricity from renewable sources, like solar, is a cost-competitive alternative to fossil-fuel-generated electricity, and alternatively powered forms of transportation are rapidly gaining acceptance.
Essential to harnessing these forms of alternative energy is research into the materials needed to produce and store them.
Valuable Partnerships
UCF and Florida already have large investments in energy and propulsion technologies (Siemens, Mitsubishi, Lockheed Martin, GE/Alstom, Pratt & Whitney, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Space-X and ATK), and more recently with the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center. These local investments benefit from closer connections to ongoing research at UCF, enabled by existing links to UCF’s Florida Solar Energy Center and Center for Advanced Turbines and Energy Research.
History of High Impact
UCF has a history of implementing high-impact, entrepreneurially focused curricula. Most recently, the university worked closely with the DoE on implementing two cleantech-focused efforts – an annual cleantech accelerator, which was designed to identify and support promising cleantech technologies throughout the Southeast, and the Florida Cleantech Acceleration Network, which created a statewide support network and “proof of concept” center for cleantech entrepreneurs. These programs served more than 200 ventures that went on to raise more than $5 million in follow-on funding on their paths to commercialization.
Overcoming Obstacles
National investments are starting to yield important advances, and clean energy is becoming economically competitive. In fact, utility solar and rooftop solar power are actually cheaper than electricity-generated fossil fuels. However, there are still critical obstacles that require investment, especially in areas related to energy conversion and storage – all of which this cluster helps to address.
Congratulations – Dr. Titel Jurca:
UCF REACT Faculty, Titel Jurca, and his research team have been featured on the Chemistry Europe January 2025 (Volume 26, Issue 1) cover page! See the cover page here: https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/cphc.202580103 and more article information can be found here: https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cphc.202400854
UCF Colleges Involved with Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Research:
In The News
Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Research
Projects
Publications
- “A Molybdenum(III) Amidinate: Synthesis, Characterization and Vapor Phase Growth of Mo-based Materials”, Titel Jurca, Ph.D., Parag Banerjee, Ph.D., Shaw, T. E., Ali, Z., Currie, T. M., Berriel, S. N., Butkus, B., Wagner, J. T., Preradovic, K., Yap, G. P. A., Green, J. C., Sattelberger, A. P.,*, McElwee-White, L.,*, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 15 (29): Jul, 2023
- “Synergistic Steric and Electronic Effects on the Photoredox Catalysis by a Multivariate Library of Titania Metal–Organic Frameworks”, Titel Jurca, Ph.D., Jacob T. Bryant Jacob T. Bryant Department of Chemistry and Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformations Cluster, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida 32816, United States More by Jacob T. Bryant Orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7737-4604 , Matthew W. Logan, Zhihengyu Chen, Marcus Djokic, Daniel R. Cairnie, Demetrius A. Vazquez-Molina, A. Nijamudheen, Kyle R. Langlois, Michael J. Markley, Gisselle Pombar, Ashley A. Holland, Jonathan D. Caranto, James K. Harper, Amanda J. Morris*, Jose L. Mendoza-Cortes*, Karena W. Chapman*, and Fernando J. Uribe-Romo*, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces: Feb, 2023
- “Tracking the Seconds of a Clock Reaction: A Multiparametric Experimental Study on the Catalytic Reduction of Methylene Blue”, Titel Jurca, Ph.D., Lorianne R. Shultz , Zackary S. Parsons, Melanie Beazley, Xiaofeng Feng., ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces: Feb, 2023
- “Robust Palladium Catalysts on Nickel Foam for Highly Efficient Hydrogenations”, Titel Jurca, Ph.D., Rahmani, A., Currie, T. M., Shultz, L. R., Bryant, J. T., Beazley, M. J., Uribe-Romo, F. J., Tetard, L., Rudawski, N. G., Xie, S., Liu, F., Wang, T.-H., Ong, T.-G., Zhai, L., Jurca, T.*, , Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing 12: Nov, 2022
- “Royal Society of Chemistry: Emerging Investigator Series – Titel Jurca”, Titel Jurca, Ph.D., Royal Society of Chemistry: Emerging Investigator Series – Titel Jurca: Mar, 2023
- “Reactant-Dependent, 108× Conductivity Modulation in Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition for Black TiO2 Films”, Titel Jurca, Ph.D., Parag Banerjee, Ph.D., S. Novia Berriel, Ph.D.,, Terrick McNealy-James, Ph.D.,, Taylor M. Currie, Ph.D.,, Eric Bissell, Ph.D.,, Brian Butkus, Ph.D.,, Chien-Hsuan Chen, Ph.D.,, Luis Tomar, Ph.D.,, Jacob Baillie, Ph.D.,, Daniel R. Gamelin, Ph.D., Chemistry of Materials: Aug, 2024
Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Degree Programs
UCF offers a degree program track for students interested in renewable energy and power. For more programs, search UCF programs below.
Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Faculty
-
Parag Banerjee, Ph.D.
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering -
Xiaofeng Feng, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics -
James Fenton, Ph.D.
Director, Florida Solar Energy Center -
Paria Gharavi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering -
Titel Jurca, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chemistry -
William Kaden, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics -
Abdelkader Kara, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics -
Akihiro Kushima, Ph.D.
Associate Professor -
Duy Le, Ph.D.
Research Scientist of Physics -
Nazim Muradov, Ph.D.
Research Professor of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) -
Nina Orlovskaya, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mechanical, Material and Aerospace Engineeing -
Talat Rahman, Ph.D.
Pegasus Professor of Physics -
Patrick Schelling, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics -
Sergey Stolbov, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics -
Fernando Uribe-Romo, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chemistry -
Volodymyr Turkowski, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor of Physics -
Mihai Vaida, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Physics -
Yang Yang, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering -
Liping Yu, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering