Guest Speaker
Title: |
Design Principles for Electrode-Electrolyte Interfaces in Energy Conversion and Health |
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Speaker: |
Dr. Yirui Zhang |
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Affiliation: |
MIT |
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When: |
Thursday, January 30, 2025 at 11:00:00 AM |
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Where: |
MRDC Building, Room 4211 |
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Host: |
Dr. Akanksha Menon | |
Abstract Electrification-driven processes are essential to achieving sustainable energy and environmental health, including applications such as batteries, fuel cells, and biosensing. Central to these diverse technologies lies the electrode-electrolyte interface, where molecular interactions dictate critical parameters including energy and power density, efficiency, and device lifetime. However, characterizing this interface and understanding its operando mechanisms remains challenging. In this seminar, I will present fundamental insights guiding the design and optimization of these interfaces across diverse systems. First, I developed in situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) integrated with Li-ion battery cycling to uncover the degradation mechanism of Ni-rich electrodes, identifying a dehydrogenation pathway that informs stabilization strategies for extended battery life. Next, I address kinetic limitations in Li-ion batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. I developed a charge-compensated electrochemical method to directly quantify far-from-equilibrium ion intercalation kinetics, revealing coupled ion-electron transfer constraints and identifying material parameters for faster charging. Expanding to hydrogen fuel cells, I demonstrate how interfacial hydrogen bonding modifies reaction kinetics, providing new catalytic design strategies. Lastly, I applied plasmon-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and machine learning to biological interfaces, creating an integrated electrokinetic platform for label-free bacterial identification in wastewater. These findings offer insights for the rational design of materials and interfaces in efficient energy conversion and biosensing systems, addressing critical needs in sustainability and health. |
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Biography Yirui (Arlene) Zhang is a Schmidt Science Fellow at Stanford University. She earned her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her B.S. from Tsinghua University. Her research centers on interfacial mechanisms and design to address challenges in electrochemical energy storage and sensing. She develops in situ spectroscopy, electrochemical and plasmonic methods, combined with machine learning, to elucidate and tailor interfacial charge transfer and transport processes at the molecular scale. Her work has been recognized by the AIChE Inaugural Gamry Award in Electrochemical Fundamentals (for Faculty Candidates), CAS Future Leaders in Chemistry, The Electrochemical Society Energy Technology Division Graduate Student Award, and the Materials Research Society Graduate Student Silver Award, etc. |
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Notes |
Refreshments will be served. |
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