Line is a very enthusiastic student, and for this summer project, she was supervised by Petra Ágota Szilágyi. Line believes she has good knowledge of porphyrinic zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as her bachelor’s project was on a similar topic. In her bachelor’s thesis, she focused on synthesizing and optimizing these MOFs and is now characterizing them to determine if they function as intended, specifically for the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to methanol (CH3OH). Currently, she is experimenting with different synthesis parameters, such as concentration, reaction time, and modulating agents, to evaluate their involvement in the connectivity. She is using copper (Cu), which is added to the linker to enhance the electrocatalytic nature of the MOFs and hopefully enable them to reduce CO2 into CH3OH.
Line has been passionate about science since her childhood. Her fascination with the periodic table and the distinct properties of various elements drove her to choose chemistry and math as her core subjects in high school. She said, “If not for chemistry, I would have pursued bioengineering, but then I ultimately realized that chemistry is my true calling”. In one of her bachelor courses, she had the opportunity to create UiO-67 (a metal-organic framework indigenous to UiO), and she found the process of synthesizing the MOF and the linker incredibly exciting, solidifying her desire to continue in this field.
She has had a positive experience within her research group, noting that people have been welcoming and helpful, treating her as a peer. Line loves lab work and enjoys working with her hands, finding great satisfaction in creating things independently. She mentioned, “I get a sense of accomplishment when I achieve personal breakthroughs, and that is immensely rewarding for me”. She also appreciates the characterization aspect of her work, as it reinforces her results and provides proof that her hard work has paid off. Line is familiar with a variety of characterization techniques, such as XRD, SEM, IR, digestion 1H NMR, nitrogen adsorption measurements, and TG, all of which are crucial for method development and optimization of MOFs. These provide her with a deeper understanding of her work and help her in deciding the next steps.
In terms of future plans, she is set to start her master’s program in fall 2025, focusing on creating linkers for the MOFs. Line said, “I find myself torn between academia and industry”. She is weighing the pros and cons of both paths and plans to take the time during her master’s program to decide where she ultimately wants to land in her career. When she’s not immersed in her academic work, Line enjoys cooking, baking, working out, and exploring new activities.