Advancing the fundamental knowledge of electrochemical interfaces is critical for global deployment of reliable, affordable and environmentally neutral electrochemical systems for energy conversion and storage, such as batteries, electrolyzers and fuel cells. For that reason, a broad range of materials and electrolytes is the subject of our research, including metals, metal oxides, sulfur-based and carbon-based materials, as well as aqueous, organic and solid electrolytes.

Research activities are centered within laboratories that host custom-built ultrahigh vacuum chambers, vibrational spectroscopy, scanning probe microscopy and a diverse range of electrochemical methods coupled with analytical tools to study in-situ interfacial properties of materials.

A multidisciplinary approach with emphasis on surface science studies is used to understand and provide critical assessments of physical properties that govern the functionality of electrochemical interfaces.

Our team collaborates closely with other groups in the Materials Science division, notably, Synchrotron Studies of Materials, Molecular Materials, Emerging Materials, Neutron and  X-Ray Scattering, Functional Nanoscale Heterostructures, Soft Mater and Biomolecular Materials, and Superconductivity and Magnetism. Our team also works with  an international network of collaborators whose expertise complements our own capabilities. We are users of major DOE facilities, primarily the Advanced Photon Source and Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne and the Electron Microscopy Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.