Wong makes Smithsonian magazine’s prestigious ’37 under 36′ list

Smithsonian magazine has named Rice University chemical engineer Michael Wong to its list of “America’s Young Innovators in the Arts and Sciences: 37 Under 36,” which is featured in a special October issue of the magazine.

Wong, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry, was recognized for creating a new class of palladium-coated gold nanoparticles that can be used to break down chlorinated compounds like trichloroethene (TCE) in polluted groundwater.

TCE, a solvent, is commonly used to degrease metals and electronic parts. It’s also carcinogenic and one of the most common and poisonous organic pollutants in U.S. groundwater. TCE is found at 60 percent of the contaminated waste sites on the Superfund National Priorities List.

Wong’s gold and palladium nanocatalysts break TCE into nontoxic components and have proven to work remarkably well.

“We didn’t believe it at first, because the gold-palladium nanoparticles were just so much more efficient — like, a hundred times more efficient,” Wong told the Smithsonian in an October feature about his research. His team of researchers includes students Michael Nutt, Kimberly Heck, Yu-lun Fang and Nurgul Ackin, and his collaborators include Rice’s Pedro Alvarez and Georgia Tech’s Joe Hughes.

The Smithsonian issue featuring the 37 Under 36 went on sale at newsstands Oct. 15. Those on the list range from scientists and artists to scholars and humanitarians.

This year’s honorees include environmental activist Philippe Cousteau (Jacques Cousteau’s grandson), novelist Daniel Alarc