High Power Regenerative Amplifier System for in situ Multiple Dimensional Electrochemical Vibrational Sum-Frequency Generation Spectroscopy
Abstract
The development of sustainable energy technologies to power the mission of theUS Department of Defense requires a fundamental understanding of the inter-conversionof light, electrical, and chemical energy at interfaces. For example, the initial reduction ofCO2 to formic acid requires two electrons and two protons, likely involving protoncoupledelectron transfer. These reactions depend on the local field, pH and distributionof ions at the electrode/liquid interface. However, both the interfacial structure/dynamicsand their effects on fundamental electron and proton transfer processes are poorlyunderstood, which hinders the development of efficient and selective electrodes forcatalytic CO2 reduction. It is, therefore, essential to develop in situ surface selectivespectroscopic techniques to enable the characterization of interfacial reactionmechanisms in operando. To address this urgent research capability need, Prof. Tim Lianand his research team at Emory University will develop in situ electrochemical multidimensionalvibrational Sum-Frequency Generation (SFG) spectroscopy as a novel toolfor studying catalytic reaction mechanisms at the electrode/liquid interface. This new toolwill be used to probe 1) the electric field distribution at the interface and how itmodulates the interfacial structure and dynamics; 2) the structure of catalyticintermediates in CO2 reduction; and 3) interfacial proton gradient, proton donor/acceptorinteraction, and their effects on interfacial proton-coupled electron transfer reactions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2018
- Source ID
- FA95501810005
Entities
People
- Tianquan Lian
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Emory University
- United States Air Force