Magnesium Oxychloride Cement: An Emerging Sustainable Building Alternative
Thursday, October 22, 2026;
10:35am
Capone Learning Auditorium (CBEB 001)
Speaker: Christopher Kitchens from Villanova University
ABSTRACT
Magnesium oxychloride (MOC), also known as Sorel cement, was discovered in 1867 but has recently re-emerged as a potential alternative to conventional Portland cement in residential and commercial construction. MOC offers greater compressive strength and elasticity than Portland cement, along with significant fire resistance. It also binds exceptionally well with many filler materials, enabling its use in lightweight, structurally robust building products. Furthermore, MOC is non-toxic, resistant to mold and mildew, and has a lower CO2 footprint than Portland cement. However, broader adoption remains constrained by challenges related to manufacturing control, water stability, and corrosion.
This seminar will examine the potential for MOC to transform the construction and building-products landscape, while addressing the technical barriers that currently limit its broader adoption. The discussion will cover the fundamentals of the formation and curing reactions, mechanisms of composite reinforcement for optimizing mechanical performance, and methods for enhancing water stability. Formation and curing kinetics of magnesium oxychloride 5-phase were monitored using time-resolved quantitative X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The reaction was characterized as a two-step process: dissolution of magnesium oxide into a gel state, followed by crystallization of magnesium oxychloride. We have also examined the reaction of MOC with CO2, which forms a protective, semi-insoluble chlorartinite layer on the surfaces of magnesium oxychloride crystals and improves water stability. To address corrosion concerns, we can model chloride-ion speciation within MOC and evaluate routes for mitigating potential metal corrosion.
We are also working with several manufacturers through the Magnesium Oxide Building Products Association (www.mgobpa.org) to develop testing standards that support commercial product quality and building-code approval. This work has advanced the commercialization of magnesium oxide building products, including the design and construction of a large-scale MOC manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas—the only such facility in North America. The seminar will trace this path from fundamental laboratory research to full-scale manufacturing and show how technical advances, standards development, and industry collaboration can enable a new sustainable alternative to conventional materials used in residential and commercial construction.
Chris Kitchens is Professor and Chair of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Villanova University. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Appalachian State University in 1999 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University in 2004 under the guidance of Prof. Christopher Roberts. Following a two-year postdoctoral appointment at the Georgia Institute of Technology, he joined the Chemical Engineering faculty at Clemson University, where he served from 2006 to 2022. During that time, he established a research group focused on advanced materials for applications in nanotechnology, renewable resources, green building products, and stimuli-responsive composites. His research interests include the synthesis, processing, and application of surface-modified nanomaterials for drug delivery and catalysis; the environmental fate of engineered nanomaterials; nanocomposites derived from renewable resources; and next-generation green cement building products. His group also employs tunable-fluid materials processing and neutron-scattering characterization techniques. Dr. Kitchens is active in education and outreach related to nanotechnology, green chemistry, and green engineering. He earned an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Clemson University in 2021 and subsequently completed a two-year industrial residency with MiTek Inc., where he worked on the development and manufacture of magnesium oxide cement products for the construction industry.
Hosted by: Angela Dixon, adc12@psu.edu
Ferroelectric Polymers and Composites with High Piezoelectricity
Wednesday, October 21, 2026;
254 Health and Human Development Building
3:35 - 4:25 p.m.
Speaker: QING WANG from Penn State Materials Science and Engineering Dept.
Abstract: Ferroelectric polymers represented by poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers enable the development of flexible piezoelectric devices for a wide range of applications, including wearable electronics, human-machine interfaces, energy harvesting, soft robotics, and ultrasonic imaging. This talk will describe our recent efforts on the improvements of piezoelectric coefficients and elastic energy densities of PVDF-based ferroelectric polymers and composites. Inspired by the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), a critical concept in the design of high-performance piezoelectric ceramics, we establish the coexistence regions of the competing ferroelectric and relaxor properties in the P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers and reveal the crucial role of chain tacticity in driving the formation of the transition region. The copolymer with the morphotropic composition exhibits state-of-the-art piezoelectric coefficients. We employ an electro-thermal approach to drive the ferroelectric phase transition in PVDF-based percolative polymer nanocomposites. The actuators based on electro-thermal actuation outperform current polymer-based actuators in terms of concurrently enhanced actuation strain and elastic energy density that are triggered at a much lower electric field. In this regard, electro-thermal actuators based on ferroelectric polymer nanocomposites can bridge the gap between ferroelectric polymers and piezoelectric ceramics. This talk will discuss fundamental insights into the structural mechanisms that control piezoelectricity and actuations in ferroelectric polymers.
BIO: Prof. Qing Wang received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Chicago in 2000. Prior to joining the faculty at Penn State in 2002, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University. Among other awards, he has received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award and Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal in Engineering. His research interests include the development of ferroelectric polymers, electroactive polymers, dielectric polymers and nanocomposites for energy harvesting and storage. Prof. Wang is a Fellow of AAAS and IEEE.
Hosted by: Lana Fulton, lub18@psu.edu
