Dr. Muhammad Abbas

PhD Chemistry

Muhammad Abbas received a BS in chemistry from the University of Sargodha and a Master’s degree in chemistry from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan. He is a recipient of the OGE Dissertations Research Award and the Best Teaching Assistant Award. During his PhD, he received 20+ research presentations and travel awards.

Dr. Abbas worked on the design and development of new metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for various environmental and energy applications. Abbas authored 20 publications including 9 first authored publications. He presented his research in several local, regional, and national meetings ACS meetings. His research presentationes received several awards from the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), American Chemical Society (ACS), and Welch Foundation. During his PhD, he served as President of the Chemistry Graduate Student Association (ACS GSO) and student representative in the UTD’s Senate committee on Educational Technology. Currently, he is serving on the ACS’s National Committee on Environment and Sustainability, and ACS Division of Professional Relations (PROF). He was also awarded the ACS younger chemists committee’s leadership development award.

Publications

  1. Fluoro-bridged rare-earth metal–organic frameworks, Muhammad Abbas,† Simin Sheybani,† Marie L. Mortensen† and Kenneth J. Balkus, Jr., Dalton Transactions 2024, 53, 3445 Featured on Journal Cover
  2. RuxV2−xO5 nanowire/templated carbon composite electrodes for supercapacitors, Yafen Tian, Muhammad Abbas, Syed Fahad Bin Haque, Xiangyu, John P. Ferraris, Kenneth J. Balkus Jr.* Next Materials 2024, 4, 100112
  3. Lanthanide Metal–Organic Frameworks Exhibiting Fluoro-Bridged Extended Chains: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Magnetic Properties, Marie L. Mortensen ,  Shubham Bisht ,  Muhammad Abbas ,  Hamid Firouzi ,  Gregory T. McCandless ,  Michael Shatruk , and  Kenneth J. Balkus Jr. Inorganic Chemistry 2024
  4. Vanadium Sesquioxide/Nitride Nanostructures in Electrospun Carbon Fibers for High Energy Density Supercapacitors, Yafen Tian,  Muhammad Abbas,  Syed Fahad Bin Haque,  Siyu Tian,  Xiangyu Zhu,  Guoping Xiong,  John P. Ferraris , and  Kenneth J. Balkus Jr. ACS Applied Nanomaterials 2023 Featured on Journal Cover
  5. Transformation of a Copper based Metal-Organic Polyhedra into a 2D Metal-Organic Framework for CO2 capture Abbas, M.; Maceda, A.; Xiao Z., Zhou H.; Balkus K.J. Dalton Transactions 2023
  6. Encapsulation of cobaltocenium ions in a zeolite-like metal–organic framework, Muhammad Abbas, Anne M. Marti, Arslan Umer, Monu Joy, Ya-Ching Yang, Sue-Lein Wang, Kenneth J. Balkus, Jr. New Journal of Chemistry, 2023 Featured on Journal Cover
  7. Synthesis of Fluoro-Bridged Ho3+ and Gd3+ 1,3,5-Tris(4-carboxyphenyl)benzene Metal–Organic Frameworks from Perfluoroalkyl Substances, Simin Sheybani, Muhammad Abbas, Hamid R. Firouzi, Zhifeng Xiao, Hong-Cai Zhou, and Kenneth J. Balkus Jr. Inorganic Chemistry 2023
  8. Fluorine Extraction from Organofluorine Molecules to Make Fluorinated Clusters in Yttrium MOFs Abbas M., Maceda, A.M. Firouzi H.R., Xiao Z., Arman H., Shi Y., Zhou H., Balkus K.J., Chemical Science 2022 Featured on journal back cover
  9. Organic-inorganic Nanohybrids in Supercapacitors, Abbas, M.; Haque, S.F.B.; Tian, Y.; Ferraris, J.P.; Balkus K.J. Springer 2022, 359-383 (Invited book chapter)
  10. Two-dimensional hexagonal-shaped mesoporous carbon sheets for supercapacitors Tian Y.; Zhu X.; Abbas M.; Tague D.; Wunch M.; Ferraris J.; Balkus K.J. ACS Omega 2022, 7, 32, 27896 Featured on journal cover
  11. Magnesium hydroxide templated hierarchical porous carbon nanosheets as electrodes for high energy density supercapacitors Tian Y.; Zhu X.; Abbas M.; Tague D.; Wunch M.; Ferraris J.; Balkus K.J. ACS Applied Energy Materials 2022, 5, 6, 6805
  12. Abbas, M.; Sial, Muhammad A.Z.; New horizon in stabilization of single atoms on metal-oxide supports for CO2 reduction. Nano Materials Science, 2021, 3, 368-389 (10.1016/j.nanoms.2021.07.009)
  13. Yan, W.; Zhang, J.; Abbas, M.; Li, Y.; Hussain, S.Z.; Mumtaz, S.; Song, Z.; Hussain, I.; Tan, B. Facile synthesis of ultrastable fluorescent copper nanoclusters and their cellular imaging application. Nanomaterials 2020, 10, 1678 (10.3390/nano10091678)

Awards and Honors

2024 Leadership development award – ACS Younger Chemists Committee
2023 Dissertation Research Award – Dean of Graduate Education, UTD
2023 Awarded best presentation 2nd place prize in inorganic section at the 55th meeting in miniature – ACS DFW section
2023 Awarded best presentation 2nd place prize in environmental/organic section at the 55th meeting in miniature – ACS DFW section
2023 Division of Inorganic Chemistry (DIC) travel award – The American Chemical Society (ACS)
2022 Southwest regional meeting travel scholarship – ACS
2022 Ph.D. research small grant – UTD
2022 Researcher development grant – The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), UK
2022 Conference travel award – RSC Porous Materials Group, UK
2022 Awarded 3rd prize for oral presentation 54th meeting in miniature – ACS DFW section
2021 Awarded 1st prize in earth week photo contest – ACS, DFW section.
2020 Outstanding graduate Teaching Assistant – School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, UTD
2020 Best thought leader award on departmental seminar talk – Department of Chemistry, UTD
2016 Master’s thesis scholarship recipient (NOP program) – LUMS

Leadership Experience
2024 Associate, ACS Committee on Environment and Sustainability
2023  President, Chemistry graduate student association (CGSA), ACS Chapter
2022 Vice president, The Electrochemical Society – UTD student chapter
2022 Graduate students’ representative, UTD Senate Committee on Educational
Technology, UTD
2021 Vice president, Chemistry graduate student association (CGSA), ACS Chapter
2020 Treasure, Chemistry graduate student association (CGSA)