Controlling the selectivity in competing electrochemical reactions

We focus on three electrochemical reactions to address the most urgent global challenges:

1. Electrolysis of water to hydrogen and oxygen tackles the energy crisis and climate change by providing a clean and renewable source of energy.
2. Nitrogen conversion is crucial for global food security and the industrial sector.
3. Electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into industrial starting materials, such as ethylene, addresses the dual challenges of climate change and waste management. This reaction not only helps in reducing the concentration of CO₂, a major greenhouse gas, but also promotes the circular economy by converting CO₂ into valuable industrial products, such as ethylene, which is widely used in the production of plastics, resins, and other important chemicals.

For these reactions, there are multiple possible products, and achieving high selectivity for the desired product is often challenging. Our research aims to design and optimize electrocatalysts with enhanced selectivity for critical energy conversion reactions.