H2 Production

Hydrogen bubbles are produced at an electrode during water electrolysis in MIT’s Electrochemical Energy Lab. Led by Professor Yang Shao-Horn, the lab focuses on gaining an atomic-level understanding of reactions during electrochemical water splitting

Postdoc Reshma Rao

A pulsed laser deposition system, which is used to deposit well-defined thin films of catalyst materials

Inside The Electrochemical Energy Laboratory

Energy conversion and storage technologies from renewable sources

Our research programs are centered on understanding the electronic structures of surfaces, with emphasis on metal oxides, searching for descriptors of catalytic activity, surface/interface reactivity and ion transport, and applying fundamental understanding to design materials for oxygen electrocatalysis, CO2 reduction, ion intercalation and ion conductors, in electrochemical/photoelectrochemical energy conversion and storage, including lithium-ion, flow and metal-air batteries, proton exchange membrane and solid oxide fuel cells.

Our programs include extensive experimental components including synthesis of well-defined surfaces and nanostructured materials, and investigation of processes at the surfaces/interfaces using electrochemical methods coupled with ex situ and in situ X-ray-based and electron-based spectroscopy. These experimental components are used in conjunction with Density Functional Theory computation efforts to develop new, physically based reaction mechanisms and design principles of materials.

Featured Publications

Regulating oxygen activity of perovskites to promote NOx oxidation and reduction kinetics

Methods for nitrogen activation by reduction and oxidation

The passivity of lithium electrodes in liquid electrolytes for secondary batteries

Updates about our group members

Updates about our publications