CHEM6291: Electrochemistry of Energy Materials

Instructor: Prof. Yao Yang

2024 Fall: Tuesday/Thursday, 2:55-4:10 pm

Course Description:

Electrochemistry is involved with electrified interfaces and the interaction/interconversion of chemical and electrical energy. It provides the knowledge base to tackle some of society’s grand challenges including meeting the increasing global energy needs in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way. This course focuses on the fundamentals of interfacial phenomena including electrode kinetics, electron transfer theory, the electrical double layer, mass transport, and diffusion processes. The course will cover a broad range of electrochemical methods, techniques, and instrumentation with the intent of advancing our understanding of structure-property relationships of energy materials. The course will also include selected current topics including: (1) Latest developments in renewable energy conversion and storage technologies to decarbonize energy landscapes, such as CO2 reduction, H2  production, advanced batteries, and solar cells. (2) Introduction to the state-of-the-art development of analytical methods with molecular and structural probes including electron microscopy and X-ray methods. (3) Electrochemistry with interdisciplinary overlap with solid-state chemistry and materials science and engineering, such as photoelectrochemistry, organic electrochemistry, and bioelectrochemistry.  

Prerequisites: Physical chemistry (CHEM 3870 or 3890/3900) or equivalent

Permission Note: This course is open to graduate students and advanced undergraduates studying Chemistry, Physics, and Engineering (Physics, Chemical, Materials Science, Electrical and Mechanical, etc.)

Recommended Books:

A. Bard, L. Faulkner and H. White, Electrochemical Methods: Fundamentals and Applications (3rd Ed.)

A. R. West, Solid-state Chemistry and its Applications

D. B. Williams, C. B. Carter, Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Textbook for Materials Science. 

B. Warren, X-ray Diffraction