CAS: Directing Hydrogen Transfer via Pd Electrochemical Double Cell Polarization

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Yogesh Surendranath of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is studying how to use electrical energy to increase the sustainability of chemical processes involving hydrogen. Hydrogen is a versatile energy carrier that is poised to play an increasing role in meeting future demand for fuels and chemicals in a sustainable manner.

This project aims to develop a new approach for controlling the use of hydrogen in chemical reactions by combining electrical and thermal energy inputs. The work will allow graduate and undergraduate students to learn the modern techniques of sustainability science and collaborate to discover new catalysts and materials. The research work will also be integrated with a broad-based educational outreach effort to inform the public about the emerging transition to a more sustainable hydrogen-based energy system.

Under this award, the Surendranath group at MIT study how to use electrical energy to fine-tune hydrogen transfer reactions. Catalytic hydrogen transfer reactions are central to chemical synthesis and energy conversion. These reactions depend both on the activity of adsorbed hydrogen intermediates and the electric field environment at the catalyst surface.

These parameters are difficult to vary independently over a wide range, impeding mechanistic inquiry and systematic control over reaction selectivity and efficiency. This project aims to develop a new approach to hydrogen transfer catalysis in which two electrochemical cells are used to independently control the activity of adsorbed hydrogen and the electric field environment for hydrogen transfer.

Independent optimization of each has the potential to expose fundamentally new hydrogen transfer reactivity that could form the bedrock of new electrosynthetic processes.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.