Professor Hurt's research focuses on nanomaterials and their applications and implications for human health and the environment.  Current research focuses on 2D nanomaterials - new atomically-thin sheet-like solids that are enabling components in next-generation environmental and biomedical technologies.  The group is particular interested in the directed assembly of graphene to make three-dimensional architectures for barrier and encapsulation technologies, and the environmental and biological transformations and persistence of 2D materials.  The group is developing porous graphene hydrogels for environmental PFAS sampling, and stretchable graphene composite coatings for personal protective equipment.  We are also developing graphene-biomolecular hybrid materials that perform controlled release of insect repellents or antimicrobial agents for long lived chemically specific bioactivity.

Sandia National Laboratories, Kinetic Analysis of Sandia Combustion Database, $50,000, 1995

Dept. of Energy, Char Crystalline Transformations during Coal Combustion, $245,000, 1995-99

Electric Power Research Institute, Advanced Experimental and Computational Tools for Unburned Carbon Prediction, $305,000, 1995-99.

Dept. of Energy, Novel utilization schemes for very high carbon ash, $538,000, 1996-2000.

National Science Foundation, CAREER Award: Mesoscale Approaches to the Quantitative Description of Carbon Solids, $200,000, 1996-2000.

Dept. of Energy, Fundamental structure-based models for char combustion, $831,000, 1996-2000.

National Science Foundation Equipment Grant for a Solid State NMR, $392,000, 2000.

Dept. of Energy, Simultaneous Reduction of NOx and Unburned Carbon, $318,000, 1996-2000.

Dept. of Energy, Minimizing Net CO2 Emissions by Oxidative Co-Pyrolysis of Coal / Biomass Blends," $50,000, 2000-2001.

Dept. of Energy, Mitigation of NH3 Contamination of Ash, $180,000, 2000-2003.

Dept. of Energy, Fundamental Investigation of Fuel Transformations in Advanced Coal Combustion and Gasification Processes, $ 388,000, 2000-03.

American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Mesogenic Pitch Materials, $60,000, 2001-03.

Electric Power Research Institute, Characterization of LOI and its Role in Fly Ash Utilization, $720,000, 1996-2002.

Dept. of Energy, Strategies and Technology for Managing High Carbon Ash, $397,000, 2000-2003.

Electric Power Research Institute, New Concepts for Managing Unburned Carbon, $152,178, 2001-03.

Dept. of Energy, High Pressure Combustion Kinetics, $188,000, 2001-04.

National Science Foundation, Tough Nanocomposite Coatings using New Self-Organized Carbon Forms, $1,300,000, 2003-2007 .

National Science Foundation, New Condensed Phase Approaches to Soot Formation, Aging, and Burnout, $271,493, 2004-07.

Brown University, Seed Funds, Development and Validation of a Gene Expression Profile for Identification of Potentially-Carcinogenic Nanofibers, $57,923, 2004-05

EPA, Chemical and Physical Determinants of Carbon Nanofiber/tube Toxicity, $350,000, 2004-07.

Dept. of Energy, Scale-up and Demonstration of Fly Ash Ozonation Technology, $65,000, 2004-05.

National Institutes of Health: Reuse in Rhode Island: A State-Based Approach to Complex Exposures, SBRP Grant. $15,290,000, 2005-09

National Science Foundation: Micropatterned Nanotopography Chips for Probing the Cellular Basis of Biocompatibility and Toxicity, $1,8,000, 2005-09.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Chemical, Structural, and Superstructural Determinants of Nanocarbon Toxicity, R01 ES016178-01, $1,500,000, 2008

"Reuse in Rhode Island: A State-Based Approach to Complex Exposures" an NIH Superfund Research Program Grant, $15,290,000 over 5 years, renewal for 2009-2014. Role: Leader of Project 6: "Design of Nanomaterials for Environmental Safety and Health", $1 M over five years.
NCIIA Grant on Nanotechnology for Mercury Capture, $20,000, 2009 (Hurt, PI)

NSF STTR Grant on Mercury Capture in Fluorescent Lighting Technology, Hurt PI on subcontract from Aspen Sciences, $150,000, Brown subcontract: $70,000.

DOE GAANN Training Grant, "Interdisciplinary Training the Applications and Implications of Nanotechnology" $528,000 August 2009-August 2012 (Hurt PI).

ES016178-03-S1 ARRA Competitive Revision to NIEH R01 grant: "Chemical, Structural, and Superstructural Determinants of Nanocarbon Toxicity", awarded in 2009, 270 K total budget, P.I. Agnes Kane, Co-P.I. R. Hurt.

Grand Opportunities grant, NIEHS, subcontract from Univ. Rochester, 2009.

National Science Foundation, "Exposure Pathways, Dissolution, Kinetics, and Fate of Nanosilver in the Environment", 9/2010 – 8/2013, $290,000 (Hurt, PI).

National Science Foundation, "Biomolecular and Cellular Interactions of Graphene-Family Nanomaterials, 10/1/2011 - 9/30/2014, $405,000

Rhode Island STAC Award on Graphene Composites (w/ A. Bose, URI), 2011

Gulf Research Consortium; Development of Alternative Dispersants for Large-Scale Petroleum Spills, 2011

Center for Chemical Innovation: CO2 as a Sustainable Feedstock. 2012 $1.7 M (T. Palmore, PI).

Nanosheet-Biomolecular Hybrid Films - Synthesis, Structure, and Controlled Release," National Science Foundation, April 1, 2022 – March 31st, $417,876; Role: PI

Superhydrophobic breathable barrier films through deposition of functionalized 2D nanosheets and compressive surface texturing, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, $1.5M, 2022; Role: PI

Becanova J, Saleeba Z, Stone A, Robuck AR, Hurt RH, Lohmann R,  “A graphene-based hydrogel monolith with tailored surface chemistry for PFAS passive sampling”, Enviro. Sci. Nano, 8, 2894-2907 (2021).

Liu M, Fernandes DCC, Saleeba Z, Hurt RH, “Controlled Release of Molecular Intercalants from Two-Dimensional Nanosheet Films”, ACS Nano 15, 20105−20115 (2021).

Shukla V, Stone A, McGrath M, Kane AB, Hurt RH, "Chemical Degradation Kinetics for Two-Dimensional Materials in Natural and Biological Environments – A Data-Driven Review," Environmental Science: Nano, 2022, 9, 2297 - 2319 (2022).

Evan Gray, Cynthia Browning, Mengjing Wang, Kyle D. Gion, Eric Chao, Kristie Koski, Agnes Kane, Robert Hurt, “Biodissolution and Cellular Response to MoO3 Nanoribbons and a New Framework for Early Hazard Screening for 2D Materials” Environmental Science Nano,5, 2545 - 2559 (2018).

Agnes B. Kane,  Robert H. Hurt, Huajian Gao, “The Asbestos-Carbon Nanotube Analogy: An Update, Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 361 68-80 (2018). 

April L Rodd, Cintia J Castilho, Carlos EF Chaparro, J Rene Rangel-Mendez, Robert H Hurt, and Agnes B Kane, “Impact of emerging, high-production-volume graphene-based materials on the bioavailability of benzo(a)pyrene to brine shrimp and fish liver cells”, Environmental Science Nano, in press, 2018. 

Spitz-Steinberg R, Cruz M,Mahfouz NGA, Qiu Y, Hurt RH, “Breathable Vapor Toxicant Barriers Based on Multilayer Graphene Oxide,” ACS Nano, 11 5670-5679 (2017).

Muchun Liu, Po-Yen Chen, Robert H. Hurt, ”Graphene Inks as Versatile Templates for Printing Tiled Metal Oxide Crystalline Films“ Advanced Materials,30, 1705080 (2018).

Po-Yen Chen, Mengke Zhang, Muchun Liu, Ian Y. Wong, Robert H. Hurt, “Ultra-Stretchable Graphene-Based Molecular Barriers for Chemical Protection, Detection, and Actuation” ACS Nano,12(1), pp 234–244 (2018).

WangZ, Zhang Y-J, Liu M, Peterson A, Hurt RH, “Oxidation suppression during hydrothermal phase reversion allows synthesis of monolayer semiconducting MoS₂in stable aqueous suspension“ Nanoscale,9, 5398 - 5403 (2017).

Wenpeng Zhu, Annette von dem Bussche, Xin Yi,Yang Qiu, Zhongying Wang, Paula Weston, Robert H. Hurt, Agnes B. Kane & Huajian Gao, “Nanomechanical mechanism for lipid bilayer damage induced by carbon nanotubes confined in intracellular vesicles” Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.,113(44) 12374–12379 (2016).

Po-Yen Chen, Muchun Liu, Thomas M. Valentin, Zhongying Wang, Ruben Spitz Steinberg, Jaskiranjeet Sodhi, Ian Y. Wong, Robert H. Hurt, ^“Hierarchical Metal Oxide Topographies Replicated from Highly Textured Graphene by Intercalation Templating”, ACS Nano,10(12) 10869–10879 (2016).

Zhongying Wang, Annette von dem Bussche, Yang Qiu, Thomas M. Valentin, Kyle Gion, Agnes B. Kane, Robert H. Hurt, “Chemical dissolution pathways of MoS₂nanosheets in biological and environmental media”, Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50(13), 7208–7217

Po-Yen Chen, Jaskiranjeet Sodhi, Yang Qiu, Thomas M. Valentin, Ruben Spitz Steinberg, Zhongying Wang, Robert H. Hurt, Ian Y. Wong, “Multiscale Graphene Topographies Programmed by Sequential Mechanical Deformation”, Advanced Materials, 28 3564–3571 (2016).

Zhongying Wang, Wenpeng Zhu, Yang Qiu, Xin Yi, Annette von dem Bussche, Agnes Kane, Huajian Gao, Kristie Koski, Robert Hurt, “Biological and environmental interactions of emerging two-dimensional nanomaterials”, Chemical Society Reviews, 45, 1750-1780 (2016). 

Megan A. Creighton, Wenpeng Zhu, Finn Van Krieken, Robert A. Petteruti, Huajian Gao, Robert H. Hurt, “Three-dimensional Graphene-Based Microbarriers for Controlling Release and Reactivity in Colloidal Liquid Phases”, ACS Nano, 10(2), 2268–2276 (2016).

Zhongying Wang, Daniel Tonderys, Susan E. Leggett, Evelyn Kendall Williams, Mehrdad T. Kiani, Ruben Spitz Steinberg, Yang Qiu, Ian Y. Wong, Robert H. Hurt, “Wrinkled, wavelength-tunable graphene-based surface topographies for directing cell alignment and morphology”, Carbon 97, 14-24 (2016).  

Y. Qiu, Z. Wang, A. Owens, I. Kulaots, A.B. Kane, R.H. Hurt, “Antioxidant Chemistry of Graphene-Based Materials and its Role in Oxidation Protection Technology”, Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 11744-1175.

Yang Qiu, Fei Guo, Robert Hurt, Indrek Kulaots, “Explosive thermal reduction of graphene oxide-based materials: mechanism and safety implications”, Carbon, 72 215–223 (2014).

Creighton MA, Ohata Y, Miyawaki J, Bose A, Hurt RH, “ Two-Dimensional Materials as Emulsion Stabilizers: Interfacial Thermodynamics and Molecular Barrier Properties”, Langmuir, 30 (13), 3687–3696 (2014).

Rodd A, Creighton M, Vaslet C, Rangel Mendez J, Hurt RH, Kane AB, “Effects of Surface-Engineered Nanoparticle-Based Dispersants for Marine Oil Spills on the Model Organism Artemia franciscana", Envi. Sci. Tech. in press, (2014).

Nicholas  Heeder, Abayomi Yussuf, Indrani Chakraborty, Michael P Godfrin, Robert  Hurt, Anubhav Tripathi, Arijit Bose, “Fixed-Angle Rotary Shear as a New Method for Tailoring Electro-Mechanical Properties of Templated Graphene-Polymer Composites”, Composites Science and Technology, 2014 in press.

Fei Guo, Megan Creighton, Yantao Chen, Robert Hurt and Indrek Külaots, “Porous Structures in Stacked, Crumpled and Pillared Graphene-Based 3D Materials”, Carbon, 66 476–484 (2014).

N. Heeder, A. Yussuf, F. Guo, I. Chakraborty, M. Godfrin, R. Hurt, A. Tripathi, A. Bose, A. Shukla, “Highly Conductive Graphene-based Segregated Composites Prepared by Particle Templating”, Journal of Materials Science, 49(6) 2567-2570 (2014).

Litza Halla Velazquez, Robert H Hurt, Juan Matos, and Jose Rene Rangel Mendez, “Zirconium-carbon hybrid sorbent for removal of fluoride from water: oxalic acid mediated Zr(IV) assembly and adsorption mechanism”, Environmental Science & Technology, 8 (2), pp 1166–1174 (2014).

Chakraborty I, Bodurtha K, Heeder N, Godfrin M, Tripathi A, Hurt RH, Shukla A, Bose A, “Massive Electrical Conductivity Enhancement of Multilayer Graphene/Polystyrene Composites Using a Non-Conductive Filler” ACS Appl. Materials and Interfaces, in press (2014).

Amartya Mukhopadhyay, Fei Guo, Anton Tokranov, Xingcheng Xiao, Robert H. Hurt, Brian W. Sheldon, “Engineering of graphene layer orientation to attain high rate capability and anisotropic properties in Li ion battery electrodes“, Advanced Functional Materials, 23(19) 2397–2404 (2013).

Megan Creighton, J. Rene Rangel-Mendez, Jiaxing Huang, Agnes Kane, Robert H. Hurt, “Graphene Induced Optical and Adsorptive Artifacts During In Vitro Toxicology Assays,” Small, 9(11) 1921-1927 (2013). 

Yantao Chen, Fei Guo, Yang Qiu, Hiroe Hu, Indrek Kulaots, Edward Walsh, Robert H. Hurt, “Encapsulation of Particle Ensembles in Graphene Nanosacks as a New Route to Multifunctional Materials”, ACS Nano, 7 (5) 3744–3753 (2013). DOI: 10.1021/nn3055913.

Li Y, Yuan H, von dem Bussche A, Creighton M, Hurt R, Kane AB, Gao H, Graphene microsheets enter cells through spontaneous membrane penetration at edge asperities and corner sites, Proceedings National Academy Sciences, 110 (30) 12295-12300 (2013).

Bianco A, Cheng HM, Enoki T, Gogotsi Y, Hurt RH, Koratkar N, Kyotani T, Monthioux M, Park CR, Tascon JMD, Zhang J,, “All in the graphene family - a recommended nomenclature for two-dimensional carbon materials” Carbon, 65 1-6 (2013).

Zhongying Wang, Pranita Kabadi, Annette von dem Bussche, Agnes B. Kane, Robert H. Hurt, “Biological and Environmental Transformations of Copper-Based Nanomaterials”, ACS Nano, 7(10) 8715–8727 (2013).

Godfrin, M.; Guo, F.; Chakraborty, I. Heeder, N.; Shukla, A.; Bose, A.; Hurt, R.; Tripathi, A., “Shear Directed Assembly of Graphene Oxide in Aqueous Dispersions into Ordered Arrays", Langmuir, 29 (43) 13162–13167 (2013).

Sanchez V, Jachak A., Hurt R.H., Kane A.B., "Biological Interactions of Graphene-Family Nanomaterials – An Interdisciplinary Review" Chemical Research in Toxicology, 25 (1) 15–34 (2012).

Guo, F. Hurt RH, "Supramolecular Synthesis of Graphenic Mesogenic Materials", Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics, 213(10-11) 1164-1174 (2012).

Amartya Mukhopadhyay, Fei Guo, Anton Tokranov, Xingcheng Xiao, Robert H. Hurt, Brian W. Sheldon, "Engineering of graphene layer orientation to attain high rate capability and anisotropic properties in Li ion battery electrodes", in press.

Jingyu Liu, Zhongying Wang, Agnes Kane, Robert H. Hurt, "Chemical Transformations on NanoSilver in Biological Environments", ACS Nano, in press.

Liu J., Katahara J., Coe-Sullivan S., Hurt RH, "Degradation products from consumer nanocomposites – a case study on quantum dot lighting" Envir. Sci. Tech., 46 (6), 3220–3227 (2012).

Chen Y, Guo F, Jachak A, Kim S-P, Datta D, Liu J, Kulaots I, Vaslet C, Jang HD, Huang J, Kane A, Shenoy VB, Hurt RH, "Aerosol Synthesis of Cargo-Filled Graphene Nanosacks ", Nano Letters, 12 (4), 1996–2002 (2012).

Fei Guo, Gregory Silverberg, Shin Bowers, Sang-Pil Kim, Dibakar Datta, Vivek Shenoy, Robert H. Hurt, "Graphene-Based Environmental Barriers," Environ. Sci. Technol., 2012, 46 (14), 7717–7724.

Jachak A., Creighton M., Qiu Y, Kane AB, Hurt RH, "Biological Interactions and Safety of Graphene Materials", MRS Bulletin (invited review), Jan. 2012

Fei Guo, Franklin Kim, Tae Hee Han, Vivek Shenoy, Jiaxing Huang, Robert H. Hurt, "Hydration-Responsive Folding and Unfolding in Graphene Oxide Liquid Crystal Phases," ACS Nano, accepted, Aug 2011.

Jodie R. Pietruska, Xinyuan Liu, Ashley Smith, Kevin McNeil, Paula Weston, Anatoly Zhitkovich, Robert Hurt, Agnes B. Kane, "Bioavailability, intracellular mobilization of nickel, and HIF-1 activation in human lung epithelial cells exposed to metallic nickel and nickel oxide nanoparticles," Toxicological Sciences, accepted 2011.

Jingyu Liu, Kelly Pennell, Robert H. Hurt, "Kinetics and Mechanisms of Nanosilver Oxysulfidation," Environmental Science and Technology, in press. 2011.

Liu, X, Sen S, Liu J, Kulaots I, Geohegan D, Kane A, Puretzky AA, Rouleau CM, More KL, Palmore GTR, Hurt RH, "Antioxidant deactivation on graphenic nanocarbon surfaces", Small, in press.

Vanesa C Sanchez, Paula Weston, Ahiui Yan, Robert H Hurt and Agnes B Kane, "A 3-dimensional in vitro model of epithelioid granulomas induced by high aspect ratio nanomaterials" Particle and Fibre Toxicology, 8:17 2011.

Guo F, Mukhopadhyay A, Sheldon BW, and Hurt RH, "Vertically Aligned Graphene Layer Arrays from Chromonic Liquid Crystal Precursors," Advanced Materials, 23(4) 508–513 (2011)

Shi X, Vom dem Bussche A, Hurt RH, Kane AB, Gao H, "Cell Entry of One-Dimensional Nanomaterials Occurs by Tip Recognition and Rotation" Nature Nanotechnology, accepted Aug. 15, 2011.

Liu J, Sonshine D, Shervani S, Hurt RH, "Controlled Release of Biologically Active Silver from Nanosilver Surfaces," ACS Nano, 4(11) 6903–6913 (2010).

Sarin L, Sanchez V, Yan A, Kane AB, Hurt RH, Selenium-Carbon Bifunctional Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Malignant Mesothelioma," Advanced Materials, in press, 2010 (inside cover feature).

Tran PA, Sarin L, Hurt RH, Webster TJ, "Differential Effects of Nanoselenium Doping on Healthy and Cancerous Osteoblasts in Co-culture on Titanium," Int J Nanomedicine, 5: 351–358 (2010).

Liu J, Hurt RH, "Ion Release Kinetics and Particle Persistence in Aqueous Nano-Silver Colloids," Env. Sci. & Tech., 44:6, 2169–2175 (2010).

Tran PA, Sarin L, Hurt RH, Webster TJ, "Titanium surfaces with adherent selenium nanoclusters as a novel anticancer orthopedic material", Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A, 93A(4) 1417–1428 (2010).

Liu X, Hurt RH, Kane AB., "Biodurability of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Depends on Surface Functionalization,"Carbon, 48:7 1961-1969 (2010).

Hower JC, Senior CL, Suuberg EM, Hurt RH, Wilcox JL, Olson ES, "Mercury capture by native fly ash carbons in coal-fired power plants," Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, in press 2009.

Kothari AK, Konca E, Sheldon BW, Jian K, Xia Z,, Ni W, and Hurt RH, "Mechanical behavior of anodic alumina coatings reinforced with carbon nanofibers", J. Materials Science, 44:22 6020-6027 (2009).

Jakubek L, Marangoudakis S, Raingo J, Liu X, Lipscombe D, Hurt RH, "The inhibition of neuronal calcium-ion channels by trace levels of yttrium released from carbon nanotubes," Biomaterials, 30 (31) 6351-6357 (2009).

Charles E. Pettinos Award of the American Carbon Society, 2013

Environmental Science and Technology, Excellence in Review Award, 2012

2017 Graphene Award of the International Association of Advanced Materials

Lee Hsun Research Award, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang

Tau Beta Pi dedicated faculty award, 2010

Inaugural Robert A. Meyer Award of the American Carbon Society
to advisee Xinyuan Liu, 2010

Graffin Lecture Award of the American Carbon Society, 2004-2005

Silver Medal of the Combustion Institute, 1996

National Science Foundation CAREER Award, 1996

Outstanding poster presentation, Gordon Research Conferences
on Hydrocarbon Resources - 2003

Outstanding poster presentation, Gordon Research Conferences
on Hydrocarbon Resources - 2001

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1983-1986

Bredekamp Award at Michigan Technological University, 1982

Chevron Scholarship at Michigan Technological University, 1981

Research / Laboratory website

Environmental Science Nano, journal board member

Former Director, Brown NIH Superfund Research Program

Former Director, Brown GAANN Training Grant on the Applications and Implications of NanotechnologyAmerican Chemical Society, member

Former Editor-in-Chief, CARBON

Member, American Chemical Society, Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization

 

Prof. Hurt teaches thermodynamics, and advanced undergraduate courses in the chemical engineering program. He has co-developed with Agnes Kane a graduate course in nanotechnology with an emphasis on nanomaterials and the biological applications and human health impacts entitled Small Wonders.