Speaker
Joaquín Rodríguez-López, Ph.D.
Speaker's Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date
20190918
Time
4:00 PM
Location
Chemistry A101
Mixer Time
3:45 PM
Mixer Time
Chemistry B101E
Calendar (ICS) Event
Additional Information

About the Seminar:

Elucidating and controlling interfacial reactivity is key to a broad scope of electrochemical studies of catalysts, sensors, and energy storage media. I will present a modern approach to understanding the electrochemical interface using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), a scanned probe technique capable of delivering high spatiotemporal and chemical redox resolution at active surfaces. SECM uses an electrochemical probe to detect and quantify species (e.g. discharged products, homogeneous and heterogeneous intermediates) and the kinetics of processes (e.g. heterogeneous rate constants) through the use of highly localized electrochemical techniques deployed by such probe. [1,2] Our group has expanded the toolbox of SECM techniques to include modes such as Surface Interrogation SECM, where the surface coverage and dynamics of adsorbed intermediates are explored, and the introduction of simultaneous and co-localized SECM-Raman investigations of a variety of interfaces. [3,4] Such in situ approaches give us insight regarding the reactivity of individual reacting sites within bulk electrodes, including their evolution during operation, and enable the construction of sensible structure–function correlations and electroanalytical models. Furthermore, the use of model interfaces such as mono- and multilayer graphene allow us to use surface-enhanced spectroscopic modes and, in general, to use laser excitation to control reactivity at the mesoscale in exciting new ways. In my talk, I will describe the main features of our instrumental setup, applications to interface and bulk nanomaterials, and emerging directions that amplify the role of hyphenated techniques coupled to the SECM into a highly versatile toolbox for manifold electrochemical processes.

[1] Counihan, M. et al. ChemElectroChem 2019, 3507; [2] Krumov, M.R., et al. Anal. Chem. 2018, 3050; [3] Schorr, N.B. et al. Anal. Chem. 2018, 7848; [4] Schorr, N.B. et al. Curr. Op. Electrochem. 2018, 89.

About the Speaker:

Joaquín Rodríguez-López is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He performed undergraduate studies with Prof. Marcelo Videa at Tecnológico de Monterrey, obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin with Allen J. Bard and did a post-doc with Héctor D. Abruña in Cornell University. Joaquin’s group combines interests in electroanalytical chemistry and energy materials by developing chemically-sensitive methods for studying ionic and electronic reactivity in nano-structures, highly-localized surface features, and ultra-thin electrodes. Recognition to Joaquin’s work has come through awards such as Science News 10 Scientists to Watch (2018), the Society of Electroanalytical Chemistry Royce W. Murray Young Investigator Award (2017), a Toyota-Electrochemical Society Young Investigator Fellowship (2017), the Sloan Research Fellowship (2016), the East Central Illinois ACS Chapter Distinguished Service Award (2016), the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh Starter Grant (2015), and the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry graduate fellowship award (2010), amongst other awards including various travel grants to attend conferences on electrochemistry and analytical chemistry.

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