Catalysis & Electrochemistry
Catalysis and electrochemistry research span atoms-to-reactors, fusing precision synthesis with data-driven discovery. We devise heterogeneous catalysts built from earth-abundant carbides, oxides, and single-atom sites that transform CO₂, methane, and even waste plastics into fuels and bulk chemicals, reducing dependence on scarce precious metals and conventional petrochemical routes. Cross-disciplinary projects with chemists on-campus knit homogeneous and heterogeneous approaches together, unlocking reaction cycles that were once out of reach.
Electrochemistry adds a voltage probe to the toolkit. Using ultrafast pulsed-laser-in-liquids synthesis, researchers create libraries of metastable nanomaterials whose non-equilibrium structures accelerate CO₂ reduction, selective organic oxidations, and PFAS destruction. High-throughput benchmarking links composition, charge-transfer kinetics, and durability, enabling rational design of catalysts for carbon-neutral fuels and green chemical manufacturing.
Computation and machine learning knit these efforts together. Density functional theory, reactive molecular dynamics, and graph neural networks predict adsorption energetics, reaction networks, and electrolyte effects. Large language models mine literature and lab notebooks to propose synthesis targets, while Bayesian optimization steers automated reactors toward optimal compositions in real time. Supported by the , these AI-powered workflows compress discovery cycles from years to weeks and give students hands-on experience at the frontier of computational catalysis.
From quantum-level insight to pilot-scale electrochemical cells, Â鶹´«Ã½ engineers are forging catalytic solutions essential to a net-zero, circular economy, advancing the science that fuels and sustains our world.
