Designing Surfaces for Energy Catalysis

How does the structure of a surface control which reactions can happen on it? How can surface design drive a reaction toward a desired pathway? This project addresses these questions by preparing and characterizing functional materials and interfaces —ranging from 2D layered materials, including stacked and moiré heterostructures, to molecularly structured surfaces, including chiral interfaces— and linking their surface properties to electrocatalytic behavior in energy-relevant reactions such as hydrogen production.

The experimental approach bridges surface science and electrocatalysis to understand reactivity at electrified solid–liquid interfaces. The researcher will learn how to connect what a surface is (composition, structure, defects, adsorbates, electronic fingerprints) with what it does in electrochemistry (activity, selectivity, and stability) through a step-by-step, hypothesis-driven workflow. Activities and training include sample preparation and controlled assembly/transfer, surface and chemical characterization (spectroscopy and/or microscopy with atomic-scale insight), and well-defined electrochemical measurements to build a clear structure–reactivity picture.