# COMOC Research Group - Comprehensive Knowledge Base & Technical Documentation

## 1. Institutional Identity & Location
- **Research Unit**: Centre for Ordered Materials, Organometallics and Catalysis (COMOC)
- **Institution**: Ghent University (Universiteit Gent, UGent)
- **Faculty**: Faculty of Sciences (Faculteit Wetenschappen)
- **Department**: Department of Chemistry (Vakgroep Chemie)
- **Address**: Campus Sterre, Building S3, Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- **Phone**: +32 9 264 9684
- **Email**: pascal.vandervoort@ugent.be
- **Official Website**: https://comoc.ugent.be/
- **Google Maps**: https://maps.google.com/?cid=12140409278065840618
- **Coordinates**: Latitude 51.0252, Longitude 3.7144
- **Working Hours**: Monday – Friday, 08:30 – 17:30 CET

## 2. Leadership & Principal Investigator
**Prof. dr. Pascal Van Der Voort (FRSC)**
- **Rank**: Senior Full Professor & Director of COMOC
- **Fellowship**: Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, elected 2017)
- **Academic Appointments**:
  - Full Professor at Ghent University (Department of Chemistry, 2022–present)
  - Professor / Associate Professor at Ghent University (2006–2022)
  - Postdoctoral Researcher, Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, USA) & ENSCM (Montpellier, France)
  - PhD in Chemistry, University of Antwerp (Surface modification of silica)
- **Scientific Impact & Metrics**:
  - Total Publications: 744 scholarly outputs in the official Ghent University Academic Bibliography (UGent Biblio)
  - Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (A1): 430 Web of Science journal articles
  - h-index: 71+
  - Citations: >20,000
- **Profiles**:
  - ORCID: 0000-0002-1248-479X (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1248-479X)
  - Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.be/citations?user=DdI5E8QAAAAJ&hl=en
  - UGent Biblio: https://biblio.ugent.be/publication?q=author%3D%22Van+der+voort%2C+Pascal%22
  - LinkedIn: https://be.linkedin.com/in/pascal-van-der-voort-frsc-a8a326112

## 3. Core Research Pillars & Scientific Disciplines

### A. Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs)
- Reticular synthesis of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) crystalline organic frameworks.
- Chemical linkages: Thiazole-, imine-, triazine-, and keto-enamine bonds with high chemical, thermal, and acid/base stability.
- Highlighted Applications:
  - Photocatalytic water purification and selective reduction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)).
  - Solar-driven hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production.
  - Photoreductive gold recovery from electronic waste (e-waste).
  - Electrosynthesis: Structure-interface correlation in COFs for selective organic electrosynthesis.

### B. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)
- Isoreticular design and defect engineering in robust zirconium frameworks (UiO-66, MOF-808, PCN series) and bismuth frameworks (Bi-MOFs).
- Incorporation of low-symmetry bent linkers for hydrogen isotope (D2/H2) quantum sieving.
- Bimetallic active sites and cooperative organometallic catalysts for cascade reaction systems.

### C. Heterogeneous Catalysis & Green Chemistry
- Biomass valorization and condensation reactions (Guerbet alcohol production over copper-containing covalent triazine frameworks).
- Ozone-assisted catalytic oxidation of organic pollutants over transition metal mixed oxides (Cu-Mn).
- Non-thermal plasma catalysis for volatile organic compound (VOC) abatement (toluene, acetone).
- Flow chemistry and continuous heterogeneous catalytic reactors.

### D. Adsorption, Storage & Separations
- High-pressure methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H2) gas storage (up to 100 bar).
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and conversion.
- Dynamic vapor sorption and multicomponent breakthrough measurements.

## 4. State-of-the-Art Analytical Facilities
1. **Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD)**:
   - Bruker D8 Advance diffractometer with Lynxeye 1D detector.
   - In situ Anton Paar HTK1200N high-temperature chamber (operating up to 1200 °C under vacuum, inert, or reactive atmospheres).
2. **X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)**:
   - S-Probe Surface Analyzer with monochromatic Al Kα X-ray excitation for quantitative elemental and surface oxidation state analysis.
3. **Nitrogen, Argon & Gas Physisorption**:
   - Multiple Quantachrome Quadrasorb-SI and Autosorb-iQ-MP volumetric gas adsorption instruments for BET surface area (ranging up to >4000 m²/g) and NLDFT pore size distributions.
4. **Chemisorption & High-Pressure Adsorption**:
   - Quantachrome iSorb HP1 (high-pressure gas uptake up to 100 bar).
   - Quantachrome AutoSorb iQ for pulse chemisorption, metal dispersion, and temperature-programmed techniques (TPR, TPO, TPD).
5. **In situ Vibrational Spectroscopy**:
   - High-temperature transmission vacuum FTIR cell for surface acidity titration using probe molecules (pyridine, CO, collidine).
   - Kaiser Optical Systems 532 nm Dispersive Raman spectrometer with non-contact optics and fiber-optic immersion probes.
6. **Elemental Analysis**:
   - Thermo Flash 2000 CHNS/O analyzer for exact organic and framework stoichiometry.
7. **Electron Microscopy**:
   - Phenom ProX Desktop SEM with integrated energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX); collaborative access to UGent high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM).

## 5. Research Team
- **Principal Investigator**: Prof. dr. Pascal Van Der Voort (FRSC)
- **Postdoctoral Researchers**:
  - Dr. Titus de Haas (CTF synthesis & sorption)
  - Dr. Muzammil Hussain (Functionalized mesoporous silicas & organometallics)
  - Dr. Linyang Wang (Coplanar COF photocatalysis)
  - Dr. Wafaa Ahmed (Bismuth MOFs & defect engineering)
  - Dr. Karen Leus (MOF post-synthetic modification & catalysis)
  - Dr. Joseph Manning (Hybrid porous frameworks & gas sorption)
- **Doctoral (PhD) Researchers**:
  - Tingting Yang, Eline Jansen, Diem Van Hamme, Meng Li, Kobe Scherpereel, Tijs Vandenneucker, Nuoya Li, Joanna Lech, Oscar Aldaz Trenc
- **Doctoral Dissertations (PhD Repository)**:
  - 46 completed doctoral dissertations documented from 2009 to present.

## 6. Academic Curriculum & Courses
- Advanced Porous Materials (Master of Science in Chemistry)
- Inorganic Chemistry (Bachelor of Science in Chemistry)
- Coordination Chemistry & Organometallics (Master of Science in Chemistry)

## 7. Direct Website URLs & Navigation
- Portal Home: https://comoc.ugent.be/
- Research Topics: https://comoc.ugent.be/research
- Scientific Publications: https://comoc.ugent.be/publications
- Journal Covers Gallery: https://comoc.ugent.be/covers
- PhD Dissertations Repository: https://comoc.ugent.be/dissertations
- Analytical Services: https://comoc.ugent.be/services
- Courses & Teaching: https://comoc.ugent.be/courses
- Team Members: https://comoc.ugent.be/members
- Careers & Openings: https://comoc.ugent.be/opportunities
- Contact & Location: https://comoc.ugent.be/contact
- Machine-Readable Summary: https://comoc.ugent.be/llms.txt
- Comprehensive LLM Documentation: https://comoc.ugent.be/llms-full.txt