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Abstract

Electrochemical interfaces are vital in energy conversion, storage, and corrosion mitigation. However, the interfacial structures are complex and dynamic, making it challenging to elucidate the interfacial structure-activity relationship. In this presentation, I will discuss the use of scanning electrochemical probe microscopy to study the interfacial heterogeneity in electrocatalysis and corrosion. I will first discuss the correlative multi-microscopic methods used to reveal the electrochemistry at single grain boundaries. The methodology allows us to reveal the structural origin of enhanced activity in metal dissolution reactions. In addition, I will discuss what we learn from studying the ion-insertion reactions at the single particle level at Prussian Blue, which reveal the contributions of surface vs bulk to energy storage. The approach of multi-microscopy at the nanoscale allows the discovery of hidden structure-activity relationships from complex electrochemical interfaces.

About the Speaker

Dr. Ren received B.S. in Chemistry (Yat-Sen Class) from Sun Yat-Sen University in 2011, and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Michigan under Mark E. Meyerhoff in 2016. His Ph.D. work is focused on the electrochemical delivery of nitric oxide (NO) for biomedical applications. From 2016 to 2018, he was a postdoc associate at the University of Utah with Henry S. White. His postdoc work is about nanoelectrochemistry, including single-molecule analysis in protein ion channels and the nucleation of single nanobubbles.

Hang Ren is currently an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin (2021-). His current research interests include developing electroanalytical methods and applying them to understand the fundamentals of electrochemical interfaces during corrosion, electrocatalysis, and battery processes. He has received multiple awards in his independent career, including the ACS PRF New Doctoral Award (2020) and DARPA Young Investigator Award (2020), NIH Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (2022), DARPA Director’s Award (2022), NSF CAREER Award (2023), Scialog Fellow (2022), and Sloan Research Fellowship (2023).