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Chad D. Vecitis

Faculty
  • Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering
  • Member, Harvard University Center for the Environment
Chad D. Vecitis

Contact Information

Office: Pierce Hall 120
Email: vecitis [ AT ] seas [ DOT ] harvard [ DOT ] edu
Office Phone: (617) 496-1458
Lab Room: Engineering Sciences Laboratory 2nd Floor
Assistant: Jessa Piaia
Office: Pierce Hall 310
Email: jpiaia [ AT ] seas [ DOT ] harvard [ DOT ] edu
Office Phone: 617-496-9676

Recruitment Status

Currently accepting graduate students.

Websites

Education

  1. B.S., Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, 2001
  2. Ph.D., Environmental Physical Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, 2008

Research Interests

    • Energy & Environmental Systems
    • Energy and Environmental Technologies
    • Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology

Primary Teaching Area

Environmental Science & Engineering

Profile

Research in the Vecitis Lab will focus on the environmental implications and applications of emerging technology through investigations of the fundamental physical chemical processes behind these technologies.

One area of research interest is environmental nanotechnology with a focus on carbon nanomaterials such as fullerenes and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Environmental implications of large-scale CNT use on aquatic chemistry and ecosystems will be investigated through examining their antimicrobial mechanism and aquatic photochemistry. Environmental applications of CNTs as electrochemically-active water treatment membranes for pathogen inactivation, pollutant oxidation, and in situ fouling reduction is also being investigated.

Another area of research interest is environmental chemistry occurring at aqueous interfaces with a focus on the air-water interface. Interfacial reaction mechanisms and kinetics are often at variance with homogeneous chemistry due to mass transfer, molecular orientation, and catalytic effects. The air-water interface is important for advanced water treatment processes such as ozonolysis and sonolysis and the reactions of gaseous atmospheric oxidants with aerosols.

Positions & Employment

Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

  • Present: Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering

Selected Publications

  1. C.D. Vecitis, M.H. Schnoor, Md.S. Rahaman, J. Schifmann, M. Elimelech, "Electrochemical Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Filter for Viral and Bacterial Removal and Inactivation", Environmental Science & Technology, 2011, DOI:
  2. D. Zhao, J. Cheng, C.D. Vecitis, M.R. Hoffmann, "Sorption of Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) to Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) in the Presence of Ultrasound", Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2011, DOI: 10.1021/jp111784k.
  3. C.D. Vecitis, G. Gao, H. Liu, "Electrochemical Carbon Nanotube Filter for Adsorption, Desorption, and Oxidation of Aqueous Dyes and Anions", Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2011, 115, 3621-3629.10.1021/es2000062.
  4. C.D. Vecitis, K.R. Zodrow, S. Kang, M. Elimelech, "Electronic Structure-Dependent Bacterial Cytotoxicity of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes", ACS Nano, 2010, 4, 5471.
  5. A.S. Brady-Estevez, M.H. Schnoor, C.D. Vecitis, N.B. Saleh, M. Elimelech, “Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Filter: Improving Viral Removal at Low Pressure”, Langmuir, 2010, 26, 14975.
  6. C.D. Vecitis, T.M. Lesko, A.J. Colussi, M.R. Hoffmann, “Sonolytic Decomposition of Aqueous Bioxalate in the Presence of Ozone”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2010, 114, 14, 4968.
  7. C.D. Vecitis, J. Cheng, H. Park, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Sonochemical Degradation of Perfluorooctanesulfonate in Aqueous Film-Forming Foams”, Environmental Science & Technology, 2010, 44, 1, 432.
  8. J. Cheng, C.D. Vecitis, H. Park, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Sonochemical Degradation of Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in Groundwater: Kinetic Effects of Matrix Inorganics”, Environmental Science & Technology, 2010, 44, 1, 445.
  9. T.Y. Campbell, C.D. Vecitis, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Perfluorinated Surfactant Chain-Length Effects on Sonochemical Kinetics”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2009, 113, 36, 9834.
  10. C.D. Vecitis, H. Park, J. Cheng, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Treatment Technologies for Aqueous Fluorochemicals: Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoate (PFOS)”, Frontiers in Environmental Science and Engineering, 2009, 3, 2, 1673.
  11. H. Park, C.D. Vecitis, M.R. Hoffmann, “Electrochemical Water Splitting Coupled with Organic Compound Oxidation: The Role of Active Chlorine Species”, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2009, 113, 18, 7935.
  12. H. Park, C.D. Vecitis, J. Cheng, W. Choi, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Reductive Defluorination of Aqueous Perfluorinated Alkyl Surfactants: Effects of Ionic Headgroup and Chain Length”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2009, 113, 4, 690.
  13. J. Cheng, C.D. Vecitis, H. Park, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Sonochemical Degradation of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) in Landfill Groundwater: Environmental Matrix Effects”, Environmental Science & Technology, 2008, 42, 21, 8057.
  14. C.D. Vecitis, H. Park, J. Cheng, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Enhancement of Perfluorooctanoate and Perfluorooctanesulfonate Activity at Acoustic Cavitation Bubble Interfaces”, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008, 112, 43, 16850.
  15. H. Park, C.D. Vecitis, M.R. Hoffmann, “Solar-powered electrochemical oxidation of organic compounds coupled with the cathodic production of molecular hydrogen”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2008, 112, 33, 7616.
  16. S. Enami, C.D. Vecitis, J. Cheng, M.R. Hoffmann, A.J. Colussi, “Mass spectrometry of interfacial layers during fast aqueous aerosol/ozone gas reactions of atmospheric interest”, Chemical Physics Letters, 2008, 455, 4-6, 316.
  17. C.D. Vecitis, H. Park, J. Cheng, B.T. Mader, M.R. Hoffmann, “Kinetics and mechanism of the sonolytic conversion of the aqueous perfluorinated surfactants, perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) into inorganic products”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2008, 112, 18, 4261.
  18. H. Park, C.D. Vecitis, W. Choi, O. Weres, M.R. Hoffmann, “Solar-Powered Production of Molecular Hydrogen from Water”, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008, 112, 4, 885.
  19. S. Enami, C.D. Vecitis, J. Cheng, M.R. Hoffmann, A.J. Colussi, “Electrospray Mass Spectrometric Detection of Products and Short-Lived Intermediates in Aqueous Aerosol Microdroplets Exposed to a Reactive Gas”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2007, 111, 50, 13032.
  20. S. Enami, C.D. Vecitis, J. Cheng, M.R. Hoffmann, A.J. Colussi, “Global Inorganic Source of Atmospheric Bromine”, Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 2007, 111, 36, 8749.
  21. J. Cheng, C.D. Vecitis, M.R. Hoffmann, A.J. Colussi, “Experimental Anion Affinities for the Air/Water Interface”, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2006, 110, 51, 25598.
  22. S.R. Carlo, C.C. Perry, J. Torres, A.J. Wagner, C.D. Vecitis, D.H. Fairbrother, “Surface Reactions of Vapor Phase Titanium Atoms with Halogen and Nitrogen containing Polymers Studied Using in situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy”, Applied Surface Science, 2002, 195, 1-4, 93.
  23. A.J. Wagner, C.D. Vecitis, G.M. Wolfe, C.C. Perry, D.H. Fairbrother, “Effect of Chemical Composition on the Neutral Reaction Products Produced during Electron Beam Irradiation of Carbon Tetrachloride/Water (ice) Films”, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 2002, 4, 15, 3806.
  24. A.J. Wagner, C.D. Vecitis, D.H. Fairbrother, “Electron-Stimulated Chemical Reactions in Carbon Tetrachloride/Water (ice) Films”, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2002, 106, 17, 4432.