Investigating the water oxidation mechanism on metal oxide electrocatalysts using operando spectroelectrochemistry
| Dates: | 15 June 2022 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | Photon Science Institute |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Current University students |
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| Speaker: | Dr Reshma Rao |
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Join us for this PSI seminar with guest speaker Dr Reshma Rao. Efficient (photo)electrochemical oxidation of water is central to the production of energy carriers such as hydrogen. Hydrogen plays a critical role in the energy transformation to a sustainable future, due to its widespread applications as a fuel for transport, feedstock to chemical industries and a heat source for buildings and industry. Low temperature water electrolysis can enable hydrogen production renewably and at scale; however, the efficiencies of these technologies are currently limited by poor kinetics of the water oxidation reaction at the anode. Metal oxides and oxy-hydroxides exhibit state-of-the-art activity for the oxygen evolution reaction. Particularly, Ni-based oxides in alkaline solution and Ir-based oxides in acidic solution have been shown to have the highest activity to date. In order to understand and further improve the activity of these catalytic centres, it is imperative to understand the reaction mechanism and atomic scale processes occurring during water oxidation. Gaining such mechanistic insight is challenging since multiple redox states can be accessed in these metal oxides and the density of these oxidized states can change with potential. Furthermore, the role of these oxidized species in driving the water oxidation reaction, if any, is controversial. In this talk, Dr. Rao will demonstrate the application of operando UV vis spectroelectrochemistry to assay the concentration of oxidized species as a function of potential and understand their impact on water oxidation kinetics. There will be a particular focus on two systems – metal doped nickel oxide catalysts in alkaline electrolyte and iridium oxide in acidic electrolyte, to elucidate how operando spectroscopy can provide novel insights into the reaction mechanism and facilitate the development of next-generation catalysts.
Speaker
Dr Reshma Rao
Organisation: Imperial College London
Biography: Reshma obtained her PhD in 2019 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with Professor Yang Shao-Horn on understanding the fundamental processes that occur at oxide-water interfaces under electrochemical conditions that are relevant for water splitting. In January 2020, she moved to Imperial College London, where she is currently a Research Associate in Professor James Durrant's group in the Department of Chemistry; since 2021 she is also being co-advised by Dr. Ifan Stephens in the Department of Materials. From October 2022, she will hold an Independent Research Fellowship in the Department of Materials at Imperial College London. Her research interests include understanding (electro)chemical reactivity at solid-gas and solid-liquid interfaces using operando spectroscopic techniques.
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