Chemical Engineering Seminar

Abstract: There has been a growing recognition that not only electrocatalysts but also electrolytes influence the activity of surface electrocatalytic reactions. Therefore, understanding the electrolyte-electrode interface under realistic operating conditions is critical to designing active and stable electrochemical devices. The past few decades of research have focused on developing a range of spectroscopic and imaging tools to enable the study of the chemical and structural changes at the electrolyte-electrode interface. Here, we introduce operando surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS), a promising lab-based tool for gaining a molecular-level understanding of interfacial electrochemical processes.

This talk will bring the most recent understanding of the electrochemical interface during the operation of electrolysis (ex., electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction, water splitting, and Li-mediated nitrogen reduction reaction) applications using operando SEIRAS. We will highlight how the holistic information about the nature of the electrolyte-electrode interface can provide additional knobs to tune the reactions, leading to further improvements in activity and stability for energy applications. Furthermore, fundamentals and experimental tips for operando SEIRAS will also be explained, essential for those interested in introducing operando SEIRAS to probe your electrochemical system.

Biography: Yu Katayama is an Associate Professor at the SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), the University of Osaka, Japan. His laboratory focuses on in situ characterization of fundamental electrochemical processes to guide the development of energy storage/conversion, and electrode/electrolyte materials. Before joining the University of Osaka in March 2022, he was an Assistant Professor at Yamaguchi University, a postdoctoral associate (2017), and a visiting student (2016-2017) at MIT. Yu holds master's (2015) and Ph.D. (2017) degrees in Engineering from Kyoto University, Japan.