Presented by Eranda Nikolla on May 20
Eranda Nikolla
Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science
Wayne State University
Date
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Time
1900h – 1915h EST: General chapter announcements and Introductions
1915h – 2015h: Prof. Nikolla’s presentation
2015h – 2030h: Closing remarks
Price
Free
Webinar is open to the public
Format: Zoom Meeting
Pre-registration through ECS My Account required
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ECS membership is not required to participate.
Abstract
Shaping the energy landscape toward renewable energy resources is a contemporary challenge that requires significant advancements in the development of efficient energy conversion and storage systems, such as fuel cells, electrolyzers, and metal-air batteries. Oxygen electrocatalysis plays a key role in the performance of these systems. It mainly revolves around the catalysis of oxygen evolution during water splitting in the presence of electrons storing energy in chemical form in electrolyzers, and subsequent recombination of O2 with H2 to form water in fuel cells, generating electrical energy. The sluggish, complex chemistry of oxygen in these systems leads to large over-potential losses that significantly affect the overall efficiency. Therefore, design of cost-effective catalytic materials that improve oxygen electro-kinetics could significantly contribute toward overcoming some of the current energy challenges.
Non-stoichiometric mixed metal oxides with mixed ionic and electronic conducting properties, such as perovskites, double perovskites, and Ruddlesden-Popper oxides, present a promising group of electrocatalysts for oxygen electrocatalysis due to the versatility of the surface composition and fast oxygen conducting properties. Yet the promising development of a design principle for oxygen electrocatalysis has been hampered by the complexity of their structure. This talk presents work in combining theoretical and experimental studies to develop structure-performance relations that can guide the identification of nonstoichiometric, mixed ionic-electronic conducting oxides for efficient oxygen electrocatalysis at low temperatures. Work is described where nanostructured non-stoichiometric mixed metal oxides are used to tune oxygen reduction and evolution energetics in Li-O2 batteries.
Benefits of attending the webinar
Learn about:
- Developing structure-performance relations that can guide the identification of nonstoichiometric, mixed ionic-electronic conducting oxides for efficient oxygen electrocatalysis at low temperatures;
- Using nanostructured non-stoichiometric mixed metal oxides to tune oxygen reduction and evolution energetics in Li-O2 batteries.
Eranda Nikolla
Eranda Nikolla is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Wayne State University. Her research interests lie in the development of heterogeneous catalysts and electrocatalysts for chemical conversion processes and electrochemical systems (i.e., fuel cells, electrolyzers) using a combination of experimental and theoretical techniques. Dr. Nikolla received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2009, working in the area of solid state electrocatalysis. She conducted a two-year postdoc at the California Institute of Technology where she developed expertise in synthesis and characterization of meso/microporous materials and functionalized surfaces. Dr. Nikolla is the recipient of a number of awards including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, Department of Energy CAREER Award, 2016 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Young Scientist Award from the International Congress on Catalysis, and ACS Women Chemists Committee (WCC) Rising Stars Award.
