Research
Our lab is working towards solutions for major environmental challenges by studying related electrochemical and redox reaction mechanisms. Some of the current projects we are working on are below
Battery-inspired materials for desalinating water and harvesting salinity gradient energy
Ensuring that everyone has access to clean water is a major global challenge that is becoming increasingly important due to pollution, population growth, intensified water use, and alterations to the water cycle caused by climate change. Due to these demands, water desalination is becoming increasing important. Our team is investigating how battery-inspired devises can be used to desalinate water and produce electricity from the controlled mixing of waters with different salt concentrations, such as freshwater and seawater. We are focusing on understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which electrode materials used in such devises interact with salt ions in water.
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (1603635, 1749207, 1464891), Penn State University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and the U.S. - Egypt Science and Technology Joint Fund.
Carbon dioxide capture from air
Virtually all climate change mitigation models now indicate that the only way to avoid catastrophic climate change requires the large-scale deployment of technologies that remove carbon dioxide directly from ambient air. Existing approaches to remove carbon dioxide from air either require too much energy or cannot be scaled-up to sufficiently large scales to meet future needs. Our group is working on using electrochemical cells to capture and purify carbon dioxide from air. Electrochemical cells are particilarly well-suited for this task due to their high energy efficiencies and scalability.
This work is supported by Penn State University.
Hydrotrope-based organic flow batteries
The current electrical power grid cannot stabilize fluctuations, which results in inefficiencies and inabilities to integrate intermittent renewable energy supplies, such as solar and wind, into the grid. To address this problem, the Department of Energy has strongly supported the development of flow batteries, which are large (i.e., building-scale) batteries that buffer fluctuations. We are investigating how hydrotopes can be used to increase the charge storage densities of these batteries. Hydrotropes are small organic amphilic molecules that contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic components. Hydrotropes are like surfactants and co-solvents, but the mechanisms by which they interact with organic molecules differ. Presently, their solubilization mechanism and how they influence the reactivities of solublized chemicals remains unknown.
This work is supported by Penn State University.
Iron Redox Chemistry
Iron minerals can participate in redox reactions with pollutants, microorganisms, and trace metals in water. These reactions play important roles in pollutant remediation efforts and the global carbon cycle. We are working to characterize the underlying electron transfer mechanisms and thermodynamics of these systems. Our work in this area was recently featured on the cover of Environmental Science and Technology.
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation (1807703, 1451593).
