Chemical Society Seminar: Wolfgang Schuhmann - From nanoelectrochemistry to electrocatalysis for energy conversion

Abstract:

Nano- and microelectrochemistry allows investigating biocatalytic or electrocatalytic systems largely circumventing mass transport limitations. Hence, approaching smaller and smaller dimensions in electro­chemistry is supposed to be beneficial for obtaining in-depth insight into electrocatalytic processes. In this lecture, I propose a journey from nanoelectrochemistry including (i) the reproducible fabrication of car­bon nanoelectrodes, (ii) identical location TEM analysis of individual catalyst nanoparticles immobilized at nanoelectrodes, (iii) nanozymes as highly active electrocatalysts, to (iv) the development of novel cata­lyst materials for energy conversion including the oxygen evolution reaction or the CO₂ reduction reac­tion.

Bio:

Prof. Wolfgang Schuhmann obtained his diploma degree in chemistry from the University in Karlsruhe, Germany (1982) and his PhD from the Technical University of Munich (1986). After finishing his habilitation thesis at the Technical University of Munich in 1993, he was appointed to be a professor for Analytical Chemistry at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in 1996. His research interest addresses the development of reagentless amperometric biosensors, micro-electrochemistry, miniaturization of biosensors, scanning electrochemical microscopy, combinatorial microelectrochemistry, electrochemical robotics, miniaturised sensors for local measurements at biological cells, biofuel cells, localized corrosion, microelectrochemical investigations of fuelcell catalyst and battery materials, new materials for electrocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis as well as the in-depth understanding of electrified interfaces.