Paul Kempler

A joint student with @boettcherlab.bsky.social she also kept the lab safe and mentored our first two electrochemistry 4+1 masters students Caitlyn and Nadia in their freshman research project (shown above as proud mentees).

Congratulations to the newly minted Dr. Thurman and the first Ph.D. from the Kempler group! Kira taught us about the influence of solvent and electrolyte on copper corrosion and deposition kinetics.

Pathways to Electrochemical Ironmaking at Scale Via the Direct Reduction of Fe2O3 Electrochemical ironmaking can provide an energy efficient, zero-emissions alternative to traditional methods of ironmaking, but the scalability of low-temperature electrochemical cells may be constrained by reactor throughput and the availability of acceptable feedstocks. Electrodes directly converting solid iron-oxide particles to metal circumvent traditional mass-transport limitations but are sensitive to both the particle size and nanoscale morphology of reactants. The effect of these properties on reactor throughput has not been systematically studied at model electrowinning surfaces. Here, we have used size-controlled, homologous α-Fe2O3 particles to study how the nanoscale morphology of oxides influences the obtainable current density toward Fe metal and integrated these results in a technoeconomic model for alkaline iron electrowinning systems. Micron-scale α-Fe2O3 with nanoscale porosity can be used to form Fe at current densities commensurate with industrial water electrolysis (>0.6 A cm–2) in the absence of external convection, providing a path to cost-competitive and scalable ironmaking using electrochemistry.

Editors' Choice (#OA article) by @pakempler.bsky.social
Pathways to Electrochemical Ironmaking at Scale Via the Direct Reduction of Fe2O3 | ACS Energy Letters pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Read about our latest efforts to understand what controls the maximum rate of iron metal production from oxides... and what it means for the path to affordable green steel: pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.... congrats to Ana, Andrew and the rest of the team.

As well as whether or not any of the vanillin comes from vanilla beans (mostly not?)

SMASH Engineering REU Notre Dame Materials Science and Engineering aims to promote the interdisciplinary understanding of materials through collaborative research to advance knowledge and promote the greater good.

SMASH Engineering REU (Soft Materials for Applications in Sustainability and Healthcare Engineering Research Experience for Undergraduates) site program is accepting applications for summer 2025! Please share this opportunity!!
mse.nd.edu/research/sma...

Are you a chemist currently working in industry? We are interested in hearing about your experience. Please see the flyer for more information, we would love to talk with you!

Fe effects remain important at high temperature and pH, and while Fe improves the intrinsic activity of metal (oxy)hydroxide catalyst films it can limit the active catalyst sites. Optimum concentrations are within a range that could be controlled by the BOP.

Impacts of Dissolved Iron on Alkaline Water Electrolysis Cells Dissolved iron (Fe) species are prerequisites for the most active catalyst sites for the oxygen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolytes, but the overall effects of dissolved Fe on energy-efficient advanced alkaline water electrolysis cells remain unclear. Here, we systematically control the concentration of Fe in a model zero-gap alkaline water electrolyzer to understand the interactions between Fe and high surface area catalyst coatings. Cells employing a platinum-group-metal-containing cathode and a high surface area, mixed-metal-oxide anode yielded an optimum voltage efficiency at elevated temperatures and in the presence of 6 ppm Fe, which reduced the cell voltage by ∼100 mV compared to rigorously Fe-free electrolytes. Increasing concentrations of Fe led to a systematic increase in anode activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction and a reduction in the electrochemically active surface area at both the anode and cathode. Metallic Fe was not observed to electrodeposit at cathodes which operate at overpotentials ≤120 mV, but dissolved Fe does reduce the apparent number density of sites available for hydride adsorption. These findings suggest that the energy efficiency of advanced alkaline water electrolysis systems can be improved by managing the Fe concentration in recirculating KOH electrolytes.

New findings from the OCE on the design of energy-efficient alkaline electrolysis cells led by Manasa Rajeev!

pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Here, Manasa used methods pioneered by the @boettcherlab.bsky.social to rigorously control dissolved iron in a zero-gap alkaline electrolysis cell.

Anions in Corrosion: Influence of Polymer Electrolytes on the Interfacial Ion Transfer Kinetics of Cu at Au(111) Surfaces The corrosion kinetics of metals in the presence of polymer electrolytes─which are frequently used in devices for the electrochemical production of hydrogen, hydrocarbons, and alcohols─is convoluted b...

Check out our group's first contribution in 2025 led by Kira Thurman and online now at ACS Electrochemistry!
pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Kira showed us that the intrinsic exchange rate of Cu2+ at Au(111) is suppressed by polymer electrolytes. Important implications for catalyst durability!

(Electro)chemsky! These students are available for hire beginning April or June 2025 and do not have to return to Eugene after completing their internship (electrochemistry.uoregon.edu/masters-inte...)

Let us know if you'd like to see some resumes and please share for visibility 🧪⚡

Applications are open for the 6th cohort of the Electrochemistry Masters Internship Program! If you (or any undergraduates you know) are interested in a cleantech career related to electrochemistry this is a unique opportunity: electrochemistry.uoregon.edu/masters-inte... ⚡chemsky

Here is a new starter pack to follow some electrochemists (More to come)
go.bsky.app/UzqjkNk

Starter pack for researchers at the University of Oregon. I was expecting a bunch more, to be frank. People might not be listing their affiliations, so please do let me know if you would like to be added. go.bsky.app/HNkp5Uq

Stern (no relation to the Stern layer) presenting on their fundamental studies on interfacial ion transfer

Doran Pennington talking about @chhendon.bsky.social lab research on the electrochemistry of coffee

Andrew Goldman kicking things off by talking about all the things electrochemistry can do (interface with biology, clean water, make metals, make fuels) beyond charging batteries

Students in a classroom discussing electrochemistry

Packed house for the first ever Electrochemical Society student chapter meeting at the University of Oregon! chemsky 🧪 electrochemsky ⚡

No 🔋⚡ELECTROCHEMSKY⚡🔋 starter pack? That's fine, we'll make our own.

go.bsky.app/7BokNKP

Here's a starter pack of engineers (and a few scientists) working in Clean Tech R&D. Let me know if you'd like to be included! #EnergySky #GreenSky #Science 🧪🔌💡
go.bsky.app/2Um4Ubc

Hi 🦋 chemsky! I'm an assistant prof teaching/researching electrochemistry at the University of Oregon.

Currently curious about conversion reactions between metals/metal oxides... particularly for green steel, aqueous batteries, and electrolyzers powered by intermittent power ⚡

👋 Juliana, I'm leading a group at University of Oregon working to decarbonize industry using electrochemistry. Would be glad to join the crew!