Titre : Developing Energy Harvesting and Storage Systems through Rational Design
Endroit : Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, salle G-815 à 11 h 30.
Cette conférence sera prononcée par Nikolay Kornienko, Ph.D. de l'Université de Cambridge.
Résumé : The challenge of converting intermittent electrical power into storable energy dense fuels lies at the nexus of renewable energy research. Not only developing but also understanding catalysts for such fuel-forming reactions is key to realizing practical solar to chemical technologies. Within this framework, my research is driven through an iterative cycle of catalyst design, synthesis, characterization, and understanding. I first apply this cycle to a series of amorphous catalysts which electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen. I discuss how state-of-the-art electrocatalyst structure and function is elucidated through the use of novel in situ techniques, and how such knowledge is used to spur next generation materials through rational design. Next, to tackle the challenge of converting waste carbon dioxide into carbon-based fuels, I design a series of energy conversion systems through an interdisciplinary approach, integrating materials, chemistry, and biology. Here, I demonstrate how synergy between various classes of catalysts (molecular + heterogeneous, and heterogeneous + biological) gives rise to new hybrid materials with unprecedented performance in the context of solar/electrical driven conversion of CO2 to fuels.
