Key research themes
1. How can computational models accurately represent electrode/electrolyte interfaces accounting for polarization and dynamic effects?
Modeling the electrochemical interface between electrodes and electrolytes requires capturing long-range electrostatics, ionic polarization, and constant potential conditions. This theme focuses on the development and implementation of advanced molecular dynamics methods that treat electrode atoms as polarizable Gaussian charges and electrolytes with induced dipoles, under 2D periodic boundary conditions. Accurate simulation of structure and dynamics at the interface is critical for understanding fundamental mechanisms in electrocatalysis, energy storage, and sensor applications.
2. What methodologies enable accurate prediction of electrochemical reaction kinetics and mechanisms from voltammetric data?
Understanding reaction kinetics and mechanisms from voltammetric experiments requires integrating theoretical, computational, and data-driven approaches. This theme encompasses analytical and numerical modeling of voltammetric signals, pulse techniques, and machine learning algorithms that analyze and classify electrochemical mechanisms automatically. These advancements facilitate the interpretation of complex voltammograms, the discrimination of mechanistic pathways including concerted vs. non-concerted electron transfer with adsorption, and assessment of kinetic parameters, which are essential for catalyst design and reaction optimization.
3. How can standardized high-throughput experimental platforms and signal analysis methodologies accelerate electrochemistry research?
Scaling electrochemical synthesis, characterization, and mechanistic study requires standardized, flexible, and miniaturized platforms that enable parallelized exploration of reaction parameters. Additionally, advanced signal analysis tools are necessary to extract mechanistic insights from noisy or distorted electrochemical signals, especially in single-entity electrochemistry. This theme addresses innovations in high-throughput reactor design compatible with existing infrastructure, as well as simulation-based approaches to decode instrumental distortions in transient signals, collectively driving faster discovery and improved reproducibility.