Inorganic Chemistry Seminar: Professor Sara Thoi, Johns Hopkins University

Inorganic Chemistry Seminar: Professor Sara Thoi, Johns Hopkins University
Date
Thu February 10th 2022, 4:00 - 5:00pm
Location
Sapp Center Lecture Hall

Inorganic Chemistry Seminar: Professor Sara Thoi, Johns Hopkins University (Host: Hema Karunadasa)

**This seminar is available for in-person attendance.**

"Designing Functional Sites in Porous Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion"

About the Seminar

Despite their high theoretical specific energy of 2,600 Wh kg-1, the commercialization of Li-S devices is hindered by irreversible capacity loss from the dissolution of polysulfide intermediates in the electrolyte solution. We report novel strategies to design reactive sites for polysulfide adsorption in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to improve capacity retention and ionic conductivity. Incorporation of redox-active moieties in the framework further enable fast charge and discharge capabilities. These design elements ultimately enhance the charge storage ability and cycle life of the batteries. In addition, we will present new methods to probe the electrode-electrolyte interfaces in electrocatalysis using advanced electrochemical techniques such as in-situ vibrational spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ubiquity of surfactants and carbon supports in catalysis warrants a closer examination on their influence on the electrode-electrolyte interface during carbon dioxide reduction. New insights on the impact of molecular additives and carbonaceous materials on product formation and Faradaic efficiency in electrocatalytic carbon conversion will be discussed.

About the Speaker

Professor V. Sara Thoi received her B.S. in Chemistry at UC San Diego in 2008, where she conducted research in coordination complexes and metal organic frameworks. She then traveled up the state to UC Berkeley where she received her PhD in Chemistry in 2013, studying molecular catalysts for photo- and electrochemical reduction of protons and carbon dioxide. Sara subsequently completed her postdoctoral work on the development of metal-carbon composites for solid acid fuel cells at Caltech in the Materials Science Department. In 2014, Sara was awarded the Young Investigator Award by the American Chemical Society, Division of Inorganic Chemistry.

She joined the Department of Chemistry at JHU in 2015 as an assistant professor. Her research group is focused on 1) the development of conductive metal and covalent organic frameworks for electrode and electrolyte materials in energy storage devices, 2) the use of porous carbons and novel metal nanomaterials as scaffolds for catalytic reactions, and 3) the discovery of new molecular metal complexes for activating energy-relevant small molecules. Recently, Sara was recognized with an NSF CAREER Award and DOE Early Career Award and she is a Scialog Fellow for Advanced Energy Storage by the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement

Image Credit: James Ma