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Science AMA Series: I’m Will Dichtel, an organic chemist at Cornell University working to find new practical uses for nanostructured materials. I was also named a MacArthur Fellow in 2015. AMA!
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Abstract

Hi reddit! I’m Will Dichtel, I’m an organic chemist at Cornell University and am currently on sabbatical leave as a Visiting Miller Professor at UC-Berkeley. My research group addresses challenges in energy storage, sensing, and other applications. We often study polymers with permanent voids and high surface areas. The material described in our recent Nature article is derived from corn starch, rapidly removes trace pollutants such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals from water, and may be easily regenerated and reused. In 2015, the MacArthur Foundation named me a MacArthur Fellow, recognizing me for “pioneering” the development of porous polymers known as covalent organic frameworks (COFs). To learn more about my research, feel free to follow me on Twitter (@dichtel) or check out my website at http://dichtel.chem.cornell.edu/. I’ll be back at 1 pm EST to answer your questions, ask me anything! EDIT (1p ET): Hi Everyone, I’m here and starting now. EDIT2 (2p ET): Thanks for your questions - I need to run now but will check back later and try to answer a few more this afternoon. EDIT3 (11p ET): I came back to answer a few more questions but am done for good now. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR QUESTIONS!