Overview
Prof. Milner is an associate professor of Chemical & Chemical Biology at Cornell University. His teaching and research interests lie at the intersection of organic and materials chemistry. The primary research interests include the development of new methods for organic synthesis and identifying new chemistries for separations, which currently account for 15% of global energy use.
Research Focus
At the crossroads of organic and materials chemistry, the Milner group harnesses the power of framework materials to unlock new possibilities in catalysis and chemical separations. His group designs heterogeneous reagents and catalysts for the late-stage functionalization of bioactive molecules, opening new doors in drug development. The Milner group also develops novel strategies to safely handle gases as solid reagents, with applications in pharmaceutical synthesis and therapeutic delivery. Employing their intuition as organic chemists, the Milner group develops new reactivity-based chemical separations, which are critical to the fight against climate change. To facilitate these research directions, the Milner group also synthesizes new materials for applications in electrochemistry, photocatalysis, and chemical separations.
Publications
Kaitlyn T. Keasler, Jaehwan Kim, Julia C. Pitolaj, Phillip J. Milner*. “Defluorinative Coupling of (NH)-Heteroarenes and Unactivated Vinyl Fluorides Enabled by Metal–Organic Frameworks.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 32776–32785. [Link]
S. Alexandra Lim‡, Mary E. Zick‡, Jaehwan Kim, Benjamin J. Rhodes, Joharimanitra Randrianandraina, Tristan A. Pitt, Ronald T. Jerozal, Jung-Hoon Lee, Alexander C. Forse, Phillip J. Milner*. “Carbon Capture from Natural Gas Flue Emissions and Air via (Bi)Carbonate Formation in a Cyclodextrin-Based Metal-Organic Framework.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 25715–25726. [Link]
Jianheng Ling‡, Amy L. Vonder Haar‡, Kiser Z. Colley, Juno Kim, Andrew J. Musser,* Phillip J. Milner*. “Polymer Connectivity Governs Electrophotocatalytic Activity in the Solid State.” Nat. Chem. 2025, In Press. [Link]
Bayu I. Z. Ahmad, Kiser Z. Colley, Andrew J. Musser, Phillip J. Milner*. “A Fully Light-Driven Approach to Separate Carbon Dioxide from Emission Streams.” Chem2025, 11, 102583. [Link]
Sijing Meng, Tristan H. Lambert*, Phillip J. Milner*. “Harnessing Oxidized Amines as Robust Sorbents for Carbon Capture.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 6786–6794. [Link]
Bayu I. Z. Ahmad, Ronald T. Jerozal,‡ Sijing Meng,‡ Changwan Oh, Yeongsu Cho, Heather J. Kulik*, Tristan H. Lambert*, Phillip J. Milner*. “Defect-Engineered Metal–Organic Frameworks as Bioinspired Heterogeneous Catalysts for Amide Bond Formation.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 34743–34752. [Link]
Yihuan Lai, Phillip J. Milner*. “Paired Electrolysis Enables Reductive Heck Coupling of Unactivated (Hetero)Aryl Halides and Alkenes.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202408834. [Link]
Tyler J. Azbell, Phillip J. Milner*. “Cobalt(III) Halide Metal–Organic Frameworks Drive Catalytic Halogen Exchange.” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2024, 146, 11164–11172. [Link]
Kaitlyn T. Keasler, Mary E. Zick,‡ Emily E. Stacy,‡ Jung-Hoon Lee, Jaehwan Kim, Lida Aeindartehran, Tomče Runčevski, Phillip J. Milner*. “Handling Fluorinated Gases as Solid Reagents using Metal–Organic Frameworks.” Science 2023, 381, 1455–1461. [Link]
Yihuan Lai, Arjun Halder, Jaehwan Kim, Thomas J. Hicks, Phillip J. Milner*. “Electroreductive Radical Borylation of Unactivated (Hetero)Aryl Chlorides Without Light by Using Cumulene-Based Redox Mediators.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202310246. [Link]
In the news
- Light-powered, reusable: Sustainable catalyst drives challenging reactions
- Cornell chemists tackle climate change
- SPROUT Awards cultivate early-stage engineering research
- Professors address climate change from multiple disciplines
- In a first, system uses sunlight to power carbon capture
- Electrified charcoal ‘sponge’ can soak up CO2 directly from the air
- Dead & Company concert funds $800K for new climate solutions
- Researchers win grants to remove carbon from air, manufacturing
- Metal organic frameworks turn greenhouse gas into ‘gold’
- Klarman Fellow: Capturing carbon with future-focused chemistry
- Blamed for fouling the environment, polyester may help save it
- Color coding aids evaluation of new solar tech materials
- Milner wins Scialog award to advance methane mitigation
- From methane to microbes: 2030 Project conveys first grants
- Spongy material captures carbon dioxide in cavities
- Glass blower crafts intricate creations for Cornell scientists
- Highly Selective, Energy-Efficient Chemical Separations
- Four assistant professors win early-career awards
- $2M in New Frontier Grants boost high-impact A&S research
- Advising, teaching awards honor Arts and Sciences faculty
- Taming fluorine: New nano materials for drug synthesis