[Lecture]Synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy and its applications in materials and energy research
Speaker: Dr. Yongsheng Chen, Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University
Time: 10:00 am-11:00 am on Apr. 2nd, 2015 (Thursday)
Place: RM 205, MSE building
[Abstract]
Functional materials are widely used in energy technologies. Fundamental understanding of the materials structure/performance relationship is always desired. In this talk, a state-of-the-art materials characterization technique, synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy, is introduced. Steam reforming of liquid hydrocarbons is a promising onboard hydrogen production technology for fuel cell applications. One major technical problem in the hydrogen production technology is catalyst deactivation by sulfur poisoning and carbon deposition. With the aid of the synchrotron technique, our group made a breakthrough in sulfur speciation in the deactivated catalysts, which led to the discovery of the unprecedented hydrocarbon structural effect on catalyst deactivation. It is demonstrated that introducing a second catalyst into the process, which converts “bad” hydrocarbons to “good” ones , is an innovative way to improve the hydrogen production technology. Other research topics include electrocatalysts in fuel cells, carbon materials for lithium-sulfur batteries, and thermoelectric materials. Evidently, fundamental research on the materials can guide and promote the development of new materials to improve the energy applications.
[Biography]
Dr. Chen is an expert in materials and energy research using synchrotron radiation with 12 years of relevant experience. He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, an MS in Physics from the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a BS in Materials Science and Engineering from Tsinghua University. Dr. Chen was a postdoctoral researcher at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in the US for over 3 years before joining the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) as an Assistant Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering in November 2007. His research has focused on materials and chemistry in chemical conversion, energy, and sustainability. Dr. Chen has published 46 papers in peer–reviewed journals (all SCI indexed) including 5 JACS papers. Major awards include a US Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Young Faculty Award, a PSU Walker Faculty Fellow, a R.A. Glenn Award from the American Chemical Society, and 2 Outstanding Performance Awards from PNNL.
