Insights from Synchrotron Techniques for Thermal and Electrocatalysis

Synchrotron techniques offer insights into the characterization of thermal and electrocatalytic systems that are otherwise not available. This article provides examples presented as part of the Olah Award Lecture delivered by Umit Ozkan at the American Chemical Society Fall 2024 meeting, Energy and Fuels Division symposium in Denver, Colorado, USA. The case studies related to four major research areas, including (1) ethanol steam reforming on Co/CeO2, (2) nitrogen-doped carbon (CNx) nanostructures as alternative oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts, (3) swellable organically modified silica (SOMS) as a promising catalyst scaffold for catalytic treatment of wastewater, and (4) investigation of electrified surfaces (electrodes) under electrochemical reaction conditions in solid oxide electrolytic cells (SOEC) were discussed in detail, focusing on the utilization of synchrotron-based XAS techniques, i.e., X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS).