Tuesday, July 6, 2021 featured:
Professor Haotian Wang from Rice University
"Electrifying CO2 Into Fuels and Chemicals"
Link: https://virginia.zoom.us/j/92468456009?pwd=UzJzUDkvQlNxeXhDNW1FRnljQ3pvQT09
Abstract:
Electrochemical CO2 reduction, with the energy input from renewable electricity, provides a green and alternative route for the generation of chemicals and fuels. However, its practice is currently challenged at two systematical levels: the lack of selective electrocatalysts to combat the strong completion from water reduction, and the lack of novel reactors for large-scale reaction rates and efficient product separation. In this talk, I will introduce the rational design of both catalytic materials and reactors towards practical CO2 reduction performances. By dispersing transition metals into isolated single atoms with electronic structures significantly different from their bulk counterparts, we can dramatically suppress the competing hydrogen evolution and deliver an ultra-high CO2 reduction selectivity of more than 95% under ambient conditions in water. Scaled-up synthesis and efficient reactors demonstrated the potential for practical applications. Furthermore, by designing a novel solid electrolyte reactor, we successfully demonstrated a continuous generation of pure liquid fuel solutions via CO2 reduction. This technology eliminates the product separation process required in traditional CO2 reduction electrolyzers, opening up its practical applications in the future.
Bio:
Haotian Wang is currently a William Marsh Rice Trustee Chair Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University. He obtained his PhD degree in the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford University in 2016 and his Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of Science and Technology of China in 2011. In 2016 he received the Rowland Fellowship and began his independent research career at Harvard as a principal investigator. He was awarded the 2021 Sloan Fellow, 2020 Packard Fellow, 2019 CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30, and highly cited researchers in 2018, 2019, and 2020. He serves as the editorial board of Communications Materials. His research group has been focused on developing novel nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications including energy storage, chemical/fuel generation, water treatment, etc.
Host: Huiyuan Zhu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech