Postdoctoral Fellowship: MPS-Ascend: Selective Electrogeneration of Ammonia from Nitrate - establishing Control of Bimetallic Electrocatalysts Through Interfacial Chemical Design

Flores, Kenneth Ray, El Paso TX

Investigators

Abstract

Kenneth R. Flores is awarded an NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSF MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and activities related to broaden participation by groups underrepresented in STEM. This fellowship to Dr. Flores supports the research project entitled “MPS-Ascend: Selective Electrogeneration of Ammonia from Nitrate - Establishing Control of Bimetallic Electrocatalysts through Interfacial Chemical Design” under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. The host institution for the fellowship is Arizona State University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Sergi Garcia-Segura. This proposal intends to develop bimetallic electrocatalysts for the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate for both water remediation and the green generation of ammonia. The proposal aims at tailoring the electrocatalysts towards ammonia selectivity by modulating metal affinity to hydrogen and oxygen moieties to control species interaction at the electrode interface, varying surface coverage of the metals to elucidate the contributions of each metal in product selectivity and varying the preferential crystal structure of deposited metal centers to establish correlations in selectivity and kinetics for ammonia generation. If successful, the proposed research could impact circular economy strategies by sourcing valuable industrial chemicals such as ammonia from waste materials. The PI intends to study and improve the performance of electrochemical systems relevant to water remediation strategies that could benefit both industry and underrepresented minority (URM) communities. The proposed outreach activities for Hispanic serving schools in the Phoenix area include hosting workshops to assist in the development of soft skills such as technical writing and speaking as well as in the utilization of proper resources such as grants, fellowships, and internships for students from URM groups pursuing MPS fields. 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.