Research Seminar - Yao Yang

November 30, 2022

Operando Correlative Studies of Dynamic Evolution of Cu Nanocatalysts for CO2 Electroreduction

Since Cu remains the sole element to selectively catalyze CO2 reduction to multicarbon products (C2+) at appreciable rates, significant efforts have been devoted to developing Cu electrocatalysts with higher selectivity and activity. However, the complex nature of active sites and the intrinsic structures under reaction conditions have remained largely elusive due to the lack of operando/in situ methods. In this presentation, I will introduce our recent progress in developing operando electrochemical liquid-cell scanning transmission electron microscopy (EC-STEM), and correlative high-energy-resolution hard X-ray and resonant soft X-ray scattering methods, to provide a comprehensive structural picture of the dynamic evolution of Cu nanocatalysts under electrochemical conditions.

Yao Yang received his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Cornell University in 2021. He focused on the design, synthesis and characterization of precious metal-free electrocatalysts for hydrogen fuel cells under the guidance of  Profs. Héctor Abruña and David Muller. As a Miller fellow at UC Berkeley, he works with Prof. Peidong Yang to develop operando EC- STEM and correlative X-ray methods to investigate nanocatalysts for CO2 reduction. He received the Wentink Award (Highest Graduate Award in Chemistry at Cornell) in 2020, Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) Student Research Award (2020) and ACS AC/DC Rising Stars in Analytical Chemistry (2022).