Description:

Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS) Seminar Series

Friday, February 6, 2026 | 12-1pm CT
Ryan Hall, 4003 | 2190 Campus Drive

Join the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS) for the Seminar Series. 

About the Presentation

Speaker: Brian Tackett

Title: "Experimental Measurement of Kinetic Parameters for Room Temperature Electrocatalytic Alkane Activation"

Abstract: 

The ongoing global energy transition toward wind and solar, which generate electricity instead of heat, creates an unprecedented opportunity to break away from the century-old paradigm of heat-driven processes by incorporating of electrocatalytic transformations of essential chemicals. To broadly enable development of these systems, we must create methodologies to measure and quantify catalytic and kinetic information on electrocatalysts for reactions that have not traditionally been studied electrochemically. In this presentation, I will discuss our efforts experimentally measure such parameters for ambient temperature propane activation on platinum electrocatalysts. We achieve this by employing a fast and sensitive electrochemical mass spectrometer that enables dynamic reaction analysis, analogous to temperature programmed reactions in thermal catalysis. By coupling time-resolved mass spectra of product formation with coulometry, we are able to accurately measure adsorption isotherms, reaction orders, and activation energies. We can also perform experiments that yield insights on the identity of the most abundant surface adsorbate as a function of adsorption potential. These critical parameters can be used to build microkinetic models that can ultimately be leveraged for rational design of selective catalysts for electrocatalytic alkane activation. Further, the methodologies discussed here can be applied to the emerging array of electrocatalytic pathways for sustainable electrified chemical manufacturing.

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The mission of the Center for Catalysis and Surface Science (CCSS) is to promote interdisciplinary research fundamental to the discovery, synthesis, and understanding of catalysts and catalytic reactions essential to modern society. As a part of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, CCSS applies fundamental advances in catalysis science towards applications in alternative fuels, abatement of harmful emissions, resource recovery concepts, new processing routes, and many other strategies towards making chemicals more sustainable.