Electrocatalytic Synthesis with Interfacial Control

The mission of the Wuttig group is to integrate renewable energy input into the synthesis of products across the chemical value chain by advancing the science underlying chemical reactivity at electrified interfaces.

Synthesis driven by renewable sources of electricity offers a sustainable, scalable, decentralized, and energy-efficient route to furnish value-added products – from fuels to complex molecules. The predictive design of efficient and selective electrosynthetic sequences, however, remains challenging due to the structural complexity of the unique added dimension inherent to all electrochemical systems: the electrified interface. This challenge is amplified in heterogeneous electrocatalysts, essential for scalable, reusable, and durable technologies, because only a fraction of the surface sites are catalytically active. This heterogeneity poses a fundamental challenge: how can we rationally enhance catalysis on heterogeneous electrodes if the active sites cannot be identified or found?

To address this challenge, research in the Wuttig Group focuses on development of synthetic tools and concepts to understand and control the interfacial structure at heterogeneous electrocatalyst surfaces with dispersed and non-uniform active sites – unlike traditional catalyst development, which tunes uniform sites. To achieve this goal, the Wuttig Group bridges physical and synthetic inorganic, materials, and organic tools to:

Achieve Selective Electrosynthesis

To achieve selective electrosynthesis that leverages reusable and recoverable catalytic electrode materials, we use a mechanism driven approach that discloses kinetic branchpoints that limit selective reactivity.

Recent Publications: Nature Catalysis 2024; JACS 2024; Current Opinion in Electrochemistry 2024

Our approach empowers the design of selective chemical syntheses and durable energy conversion systems that meet essential criteria for a sustainable future.