Martin Bazant
Paula Hammond Head, Department of Chemical Engineering; David H. Koch Professor of Chemical Engineering
Principal Investigator William Green
Principal Investigator T Hatton
Principal Investigator Bernhardt Trout
Principal Investigator John H Trowbridge
Principal Investigator Klavs Jensen
Decarbonizing Chemical Manufacturing Yogesh Surendranath Donner Professor of Science, MIT Department of Chemistry
The chemical industry is the major source of carbon emissions, requiring new technologies for disruptive decarbonization. The direct and selectivity electrochemical synthesis of commodity chemicals from CO2 could play a key role in decarbonizing chemical manufacturing. However, many key chemicals are accessible over a narrow range in electrochemical potential, requiring general design principles for controlling kinetic branching in these reactions. We have uncovered the central role of the reaction environment in facilitating selective CO2 reduction at electrode surfaces and have employed electrolyte design to alter the mechanistic profile of chemical synthesis. Our latest findings in this area will be discussed.
Principal Investigator Robert Cohen
Principal Investigator Gregory Stephanopoulos