Jorge L. Colón Rivera

AAAS Fellow, FRSC, ACS Fellow
B.S. University of Puerto Rico, 1984
Ph.D. Texas A&M University, 1989
Postdoctoral Research Associate: Texas A&M University 1989-1990
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow: California Institute of Technology, 1990-1992

e-mail: jorge.colon10@upr.edu / jorge1962cr@gmail.com
Office Location: Facundo Bueso 109 / MSRC- 247.
Laboratories: Facundo Bueso 105 y MSRC  244-245
Office Phone:(787)764-0000 Ext. 88548 (787) 402-2015 (Cel)

PI NSF-PREM Center for Interfacial Electrochemistry for Energy Materials (CIE2M)

Co-PI NSF Mid-scale RI-2: A first-of-its-kind X-ray facility for new science at the high magnetic field frontier: new High Magnetic Field X-Ray Beamline at CHESS (HMF)

Co-PI DOE-BES Understanding interfacial phenomena for solar H2 production and N2 reduction

Co-PI DOE-BES RENEW Partnership to Increase Representation in Energy Research in Puerto Rico (PIRES-PR)

Research Interests
-Nanomaterials
-Electrocatalysis
-Biosensors
-Drug delivery
-Solar Fuels

Research
We focus our research efforts on the use of layered inorganic nanomaterials in applications ranging from artificial photosynthesis and solar fuels, electrocatalysts for the water splitting reaction, amperometric biosensors, vapochromic materials, and drug delivery systems. We make use of X-ray powder diffraction methods, UV-vis spectrophotometry, luminescence spectroscopy and lifetime measurements, X-ray photoelectron, NMR and IR spectroscopies, and electrochemical methods to characterize and study our materials. We are pursuing an artificial photosynthesis project in which excited state electron donors are being intercalated in zirconium phosphate layered materials and reacted with suitable quenchers to provoke long-lived charge separation as a way to mimic the primary processes of photosynthesis and develop cheap, efficient, solar cells. The promise of low-cost and efficient dye-sensitized solar cells based on perovskite materials is impeded by their low stability; zirconium phosphate composites with perovskite might overcome this limitation. Solar catalysts for renewable fuels based on metals and molecular catalysts incorporated in or on zirconium phosphate are being studied through electrocatalytic studies.

Publications
Santiago, M. B.; Daniel, G. A.; David, A.; Casañas, B.; Hernández, G.; Guadalupe, A. R.; Colón, J. L. Effect of enzyme and cofactor immobilization on the response of ethanol amperometric biosensors modified with layered zirconium phosphate. Electroanalysis 2010, 22(10), 1097-1105. DOI: 10.1002/Elan.200900329

Martí, A. A.; Colón, J. L.  Photophysical characterization of Tris(2-2’-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) Ion-Exchanged within Zirconium Phosphate. Inorg. Chem. 2010, 49(16), 7298-7303. DOI: 10.1021/ic902419z

Díaz, A.; David, A.; Pérez, R.; González, M. L.; Báez, A.; Wark, S. E.; Zhang, P.; Clearfield, A.; Colón, J. L. Nanoencapsulation of Insulin into Zirconium Phosphate for Oral Delivery Applications. Biomacromolecules2010, 11(9), 2465-2470. DOI: 10.1021/bm100659p

Rivera, E. J.; Barbosa, C.; Torres, R.; Grove, L.; Taylor, S.; Connick, W. B.; Clearfield, A.; Colón, J. L. Vapochromic and Vapoluminescence Response of Materials based on Platinum(II) Complexes intercalated into Layered Zirconium Phosphate. J. Mater. Chem. 2011, 21(40), 15899-15902. DOI: 10.1039/C1JM12053K

Díaz, A.; Saxena, V.; González, J.; David, A.; Casañas, B.; Carpenter, C.; Batteas, J. D.; Colón, J. L.; Clearfield, A.; Hussain, M. D. Zirconium phosphate nano-platelets: a novel platform for drug delivery in cancer therapy. Chem. Commun. 2012, 48(12), 1754-1756.  DOI: 10.1039/c2cc16218k

Santiago-Berríos, M. B.; Declet-Flores, C; David, A.; Borrero, S.; Vélez, M. M.; Díaz-Díaz, A.; Guadalupe, A. R.; Colón, J. L. Direct Intercalation of Bis-2,2’,2”,6-terpyridyl Cobalt (III) into Zirconium Phosphate Layers for Biosensing Applications. Langmuir 2012, 28(9), 4447-4452. DOI: 10.1021/la2035104

Rivera, E. J.; Barbosa, C.; Torres, R.; Rivera, H.; Fachini, E. R.; Green, T. W.; Connick, W. B.; Colón, J. L. Luminescence Rigidochromism and Redox Chemistry of Pyrazolate-Bridged Binuclear Platinum(II) Diimine Complex Intercalated into Zirconium Phosphate Layers. Inorg. Chem. 2012, 51(5), 2777-2784. DOI: 10.1021/ic201423q

Colón, J. Science for Haiti: A Call for a Response from the International Chemistry Community. Chem. Int. 2012, 34, 10-13. https://old.iupac.org/publications/ci/2012/3404/3_colon.html

Díaz, A.; González, M. L.; Pérez, R. J.; David, A.; Mukherjee A.; Báez, A.; Clearfield, A.; Colón, J. L. Direct Intercalation of Cisplatin into Zirconium Phosphate Nanoplatelets for Potential Cancer Nanotherapy.Nanoscale 2013, 5 (23), 11456-11463. DOI: 10.1039/C3NR02206D

Colón, J. L.; Casañas, B. Drug Carriers Based on Zirconium Phosphate Nanoparticles. In Tailored Organic-Inorganic Materials, Brunet, E.; Colón, J. L.; Clearfield, A. Eds., Wiley: Hoboken, 2015 pp 395-437. DOI: 10.1002/9781118792223.ch10

Casañas-Montes, B.; Díaz, A.; Barbosa, C.; Ramos, C.; Collazo, C.; Meléndez, E.; Queffelec, C.; Fayon, F.; Clearfield, A.; Bujoli, B.; Colón, J. L. Molybdocene dichloride intercalation into zirconium phosphate nanoparticles. J. Organomet. Chem. 2015, 791, 34-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.jorganchem.2015.05.031

Colón, J. L. Science for Haiti: International Collaborations to Advance Haitian Science and Science Education Capacity and Innovation. In Jobs, Collaborations, and Women Leaders in the Global Chemistry Enterprise, Chen, H. N.; Wu, M. L.; Miller, B. D. Eds., ACS Symposium Series Vol. 1195, American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2015, pp 169-182. DOI: 10.1021/bk-2015-1195.ch017

Colón, J. L. Puerto Rico’s Future at Stake. Science 2015, 349, 1145. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad3620

González, M. L.; Ortiz, M.; Hernández, C.; Cabán, J.; Rodríguez, A.; Colón, J. L.; Báez, A. Zirconium Phosphate Nanoplatelet Potential for Anticancer Drug Delivery Applications. J. Nanosci. Nanotech. 2016, 16(1), 117-129. DOI: 10.1166/jnn.2016.11608

Colón, J. The Solar Army: Harry Gray’s Legacy to the Children of the World. Chem. Int. 2016, 38, 12-15. DOI: 10.1515/ci-2016-0606

Bakhmutov, V. I.; Kan, Y.; Sheikh, J. A.; González Villegas, J.; Colón, J. L.; Clearfield, A. Modification and Intercalation of Layered Zirconium Phosphates: A solid state NMR Monitoring. Mag. Reson. Chem. 2017, 55(7), 648-654. . DOI: 10.1002/mrc.4568

Sánchez, J.; Ramos-Garcés, M. V.; Narkeviciute, I.; Colón, J. L.; Jaramillo, T. F. Transition Metal-Modified Zirconium Phosphate Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Evolution Reaction. Catalysts 2017, 7(5), 132. DOI: 10.3390/catal7050132.

González-Villegas, J.; Kan, Y.; Bahkmutov, V.; García-Vargas, A.; Martínez, M.; Colón, J.L.; Clearfield, A. Poly(ethylene glycol)-modified zirconium phosphate nanoplatelets for improved doxorubicin delivery. Inorg. Chim. Acta 2017, 468, 270-279. DOI: 10.1016/j.ica.2017.05.057.

Massol-Deyá, A.; Stephens, J. C.; Colón, J. L. Renewable energy for Puerto Rico. Science 2018, 362, 7. DOI: 10.1126/science.aav5576

Ramos-Garcés, M.; Sanchez, J.; Del Toro-Pedrosa, D. E.; Barraza Alvarez, I; Wu, Y; Valle, E.; Villagran, D.; Jaramillo, T. F.; Colón, J. L. Transition metal-modified exfoliated zirconium phosphate as a electrocatalyst for the oxygen-evolution reaction. ACS Appl. Energy Mater. 2019, 2(5), 3561-3567. DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.9b00299

Ramos-Garcés, M. V.; Sanchez, J.; Barraza Alvarez, I; Wu, Y; Villagran, D.;  Jaramillo, T. F.; Colón, J. L. Water splitting electrocatalysis within layered inorganic nanomaterials. In Water Chemistry, Eyvaz, M.; Yüksel, E. Eds.; Intech Open: London, 2019, pp 201-217. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.88116

Ramos-Garcés, M. V.; Sanchez, J.; La Luz-Rivera, K.; Del Toro-Pedrosa, D. E.; Jaramillo, T. J.; Colón, J. L. Morphology control of metal-modified zirconium phosphate support structures for the oxygen evolution reaction. Dalton Trans. 2020, 49(12), 3892-3900.  DOI: 10.1039/C9DT04135D

Colón, J. L.; Martí, A.; Sun, L. A life in crystallography. Dalton Trans. 2020, 49, 3914-3916. DOI: 10.1039/D0DT90047H

Ramos-Garcés, M. V.; Colón, J. L. Preparation of zirconium phosphate nanomaterials and their applications as inorganic supports for the oxygen evolution reaction. Nanomaterials 2020, 10(5), 822; DOI: 10.3390/nano10050822

Barraza Alvarez, Isabel ; Wu, Yanyu; Sanchez, Joel; Ge, Yulu; Ramos-Garcés, Mario V.; Chu, Tong; Jaramillo, Thomas; Colón, Jorge L.; Villagrán, Dino. Cobalt Porphyrin Intercalation into Zirconium Phosphate Layers for Electrochemical Water Oxidation. Sustainable Energy & Fuels 2021, 5(2), 430-437. DOI: 10.1039/D0SE01134G

Sanchez, J.; Burke Stevens, M.; Young, A. R.; Gallo, A. A.; Zhao, M.; Ramos-Garcés, M. V.; Colón, J. L.; King, L. A.; Bajdich, M.; Jaramillo, T. F. An Active Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalyst Motif Created by Confining Transition Metal Cations within Layered Structures. Adv. Energ. Mater. 2021, 11(20), 2003545. DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202003545

Ramos-Garcés, M. V.; González-Villegas, J.; López-Cubero, A.; Colón, J. L. New applications of zirconium phosphate nanomaterials.  Acc. Mater. Res. 2021, 2 (9), 793-803. DOI: 10.1021/accountsmr.1c00102

Meléndez-Ackerman, E.; Colón, J. L. Killing the golden goose for STEM. Science 2022, 375(6586), 1205. DOI: 10.1126/science.abo1138.