Electrochemical analysis of redox-active systems for energy storage and conversion applications

Due to the impacts from climate change, there has been a drive to decrease carbon emissions. This decrease in carbon emissions has come from the generation and storage of energy from clean and renewable sources such as solar and wind, as well as the conversion of molecules that act as greenhouse gases such as CO₂. My research focuses on both energy storage and conversion through investigating chemical systems that can be used to store energy in the form of electrons as well as other systems that can convert one molecule, like CO₂, into other more useful forms of matter. While these specific research projects are separate from one another, they are connected in that they use electrochemistry to determine information that can be used to develop and improve energy technologies.

My work on energy storage investigates a series of molecules that can gain and lose electrons that are used in redox flow batteries. Redox flow batteries are a grid-scale energy storage technology that stores the energy and electrons generated from intermittent renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power. I investigate how changing the concentration of these molecules and their liquid environment ultimately impacts battery performance.

My work with energy conversion explores special molecules known as catalysts that can help to transform CO₂ to other useful materials. Using electrochemical measurements, I have learned how strongly the catalyst molecule interacts with CO₂ and the impact of individual atoms on these interactions. With this information, I characterize the performance of systems specifically designed to transform CO₂.