F. Marc Michel

About

F. Marc Michel is a Professor of Nanoscience at Virginia Tech within the Department of Geosciences. His primary scientific and teaching interests lie at the intersection of mineralogy, environmental science, and nanoscience and technology. His research focuses on understanding how the smallest minerals, such as nanoparticles, are formed, how they react with their surroundings, and how they change over time and space in complex systems and the environment. Michel's work aims to elucidate the structure-property relationships of natural and engineered nanomaterials, decipher the pathways and mechanisms involved in nanoparticle crystallization, and develop methodologies for probing nanoparticle formation in real time. His research employs advanced scattering, spectroscopic, imaging, and computational tools to obtain atomic-scale information, with a particular emphasis on understanding the evolution of nanoparticle structure and properties during crystallization processes. His work is significant for its implications in geological and environmental processes, potential impacts on human and ecosystem health, and applications in energy production, waste disposal, and water treatment. Michel holds a Ph.D. in Geosciences from Stony Brook University and a B.A. in Geology from Colgate University. He teaches courses related to mineralogy and nanoscience, integrating his research on structure-property relationships and advanced analysis methods to prepare students for research in Earth…

Research topics

• Physical chemistry
• Chemistry
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical physics
• Crystallography
• Computer Science
• Inorganic chemistry
• Pathology
• Chemical engineering

Selected publications

• Operando characterization and regulation of metal dissolution and redeposition dynamics near battery electrode surface

  Nature Nanotechnology · 2023 · 123 citations

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Metastable solubility and local structure of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC)

  Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · 2020 · 67 citations

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Oxyanion Surface Complexes Control the Kinetics and Pathway of Ferrihydrite Transformation to Goethite and Hematite

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2022-10-11 · 61 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The rate and pathway of ferrihydrite (Fh) transformation at oxic conditions to more stable products is controlled largely by temperature, pH, and the presence of other ions in the system such as nitrate (NO3–), sulfate (SO42–), and arsenate (AsO43–). Although the mechanism of Fh transformation and oxyanion complexation have been separately studied, the effect of surface complex type and strength on the rate and pathway remains only partly understood. We have developed a kinetic model that descri…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impacts of Initial Ca/P on Amorphous Calcium Phosphate

  Crystal Growth & Design · 2021-06-03 · 44 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) is a metastable phase in the crystallization pathway of calcium phosphates. Understanding its chemical and structural properties could provide critical insights into biomineralization mechanisms. Of particular interest is the impact of the initial Ca/P on the structure of ACP. Further, the influence of Ca/P on the size, precipitate chemistry, and transformation of ACP is crucial to understanding the metastability of amorphous phosphates. In situ pair distributio…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nanocomposite structure of two-line ferrihydrite powder from total scattering

  Communications Chemistry · 2020 · 44 citations

  Ferrihydrite is one of the most important iron-containing minerals on Earth. Yet determination of its atomic-scale structure has been frustrated by its intrinsically poor crystallinity. The key difficulty is that physically-different models can appear consistent with the same experimental data. Using X-ray total scattering and a nancomposite reverse Monte Carlo approach, we evaluate the two principal contending models-one a multi-phase system without tetrahedral iron(III), and the other a single…

  DOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Mineral growth by nanoparticle aggregation: Aluminosilicate minerals

  NSF · $560k · 2017–2023

• Mineral Formation by Cluster Self-Assembly: Schwertmannite as a Partially Crystallized Nanomineral

  NSF · $272k · 2015–2018

Frequent coauthors

• John B. Parise

  Stony Brook University

  86 shared

• Gordon E. Brown

  Stanford University

  79 shared

• Gordon E. Brown

  60 shared

• Daniel R. Strongin

  Temple University

  57 shared

• Sytle M. Antao

  University of Calgary

  53 shared

• Lars Ehm

  Stony Brook University

  46 shared

• Clément Levard

  Aix-Marseille Université

  46 shared

• Peter J. Chupas

  Stony Brook University

  42 shared

Labs

• Department of GeosciencesPI

Education

• Postdoctoral Researcher, Geological Sciences

  Stanford University

  2010

• PhD, Geosciences

  Stony Brook University

  2007

• Bachelor of Arts, Geology

  Colgate University

  1998

Similar researchers at Virginia Tech

• Sterling Nesbitth-70
• Robert J. Bodnarh-69
• Patricia Doveh-62