(81a) Beyond Surface Facilitates Electrocatalytic Reactions of Renewable Carbons

There has been growing interest to drive energy and chemical transformations via the use of renewable electricity to address sustainability challenges. The success of the approach rests on the use of the right materials to efficiently catalyze chemical reactions and there have been intense efforts to develop advanced electrocatalysts. Despite the progress, there is still much room for improvement. It is because of how we typically view catalytic reactions at the solid-liquid interface that often lacks consideration of the liquid phase (e.g., solvent molecules, double-layer ions). The BEYOND SURFACE approach not only recognizes the presence and role of liquid phase components but alters their characteristics to facilitate chemical reactions. In this talk, examples of the BEYOND SURFACE approach are presented for electrocatalytic reactions of renewable carbons, CO₂ and biomass. The first example concerns the discovery of a unique interfacial configuration composed of a metal surface and surfactants that can promote reactions by tuning the electric double layer. The other example presents the need for a better understanding of solvent molecule behavior at electrochemically active interfaces and how such knowledge can be leveraged to achieve better activity for a catalytic reaction. These studies highlight the complexity of electrochemical interfaces and the potential of thinking beyond the traditional perspectives.