Jeffrey DuBose, Ph.D. '22, is a Postdoctoral Scholar Research Associate in Chemical Engineering and the 2023 Resnick Pioneer Postdoctoral Fellow at Caltech. His research interest broadly spans renewable energy materials and systems and the fundamental processes that occur when a material is subjected to external stimuli - whether that be light or an applied voltage - to induce catalytic activity. During his PhD at the University of Notre Dame, he studied the excited state properties of halide perovskites for photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications. In the Manthiram Lab at Caltech, he is studying electron transfer events at the electrode/microbe interface for decarbonized chemical synthesis. DuBose is the recipient of several awards including the Gerhard Closs Award for Excellence in Photochemistry Research, the Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Graduate School Award for Science, and the Experimental Physical Chemistry Award for Excellence in Graduate Research from the American Chemical Society.

Abstract:

The movement of energy across an interface is a key process in catalysis of all flavors: photo-, thermo-, bio-, and electro-catalysis alike. Understanding complex interfacial phenomena is key to building a mechanistic picture of reaction pathways, determining side reactions, and optimizing a catalytic reaction. In this talk I will explore recent efforts to probe energy transduction across disparate interfaces: starting with inorganic/organic material interfaces in photocatalysis and ending with recent work in probing electron transfer between electrodes and microbes (bio/electrocatalysis). Core to these investigations are the use of electrochemical analyses alongside advanced spectroscopic and microscopic techniques with physical chemistry underpinnings.

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Sponsored by The Electrochemical Society Student Chapter at the University of Notre Dame