Tuesday, April 5, 2022 featured:
Professor Feng Lin from the Virginia Tech
"Synthesizing electrode surface chemistry at the electrochemical interface"
Abstract:
The solid-liquid electrochemical interface offers a two-dimensional environment for geometrically confined interfacial reactions to tailor electrode surface chemistry under operating conditions. Herein, we demonstrate that the dissolution and redeposition kinetics of transition metal cations, a ubiquitous phenomenon at the electrochemical interface, can be manipulated to regulate the chemical composition and crystal structure of the electrode surface as well as the overall electrochemical performance. Foreign cations, either added as electrolyte additives or dissolved from surface coatings, can rapidly participate in the electrode dissolution-redeposition process, and facilitate the establishment of the dissolution-redeposition equilibrium. We will present scientific case studies in electrocatalysis, electrochromics, and batteries. Our work expands the control over the electrochemical reactions at the solid-liquid interface and provides new insights into interfacial studies in electrochemistry and surface science.
Bio:
Dr. Feng Lin is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at Virginia Tech. Dr. Lin holds bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Tianjin University (2009), and Ph.D. degree in Materials Science from Colorado School of Mines (2012) with joint research at National Renewable Energy Lab. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Dr. Lin worked at QuantumScape Corporation as a senior member, and at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab as a Postdoctoral Fellow. His research covers the design and synthesis, processing, characterization, and applications of energy materials in electrochemical systems, including batteries, catalysis, and smart windows. The team has also established an integral analytical program to study materials dynamics under operating conditions using operando synchrotron X-ray and electron analytical techniques. His laboratory has been funded by DOE, NSF, ARPA-E, Air Force, USDA, ACS-PRF, Jeffress, etc. His awards and recognitions include SLAC Spicer Young Investigator, Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, Journal of Materials Chemistry Emerging Investigator, RCSA Scialog Fellow, ACS-PRF Doctoral New Investigator, Energy Storage Materials Young Scientist Award, National Science Foundation CAREER award, John C. Schug Faculty Research Award, and many Scientific Highlights by DOE national laboratories.