The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department is pleased to present a seminar by faculty member Linsey Seitz as part of our ChBE Seminar Series.
Dr. Linsey Seitz will present a seminar titled, "Characterizing Dynamic Materials and Systems for Sustainable Electrocatalytic Technologies."
Abstract: Electrochemical processes provide a unique set of parameters to optimize catalyst material and reactor performance, including fine tuning via modified electronic structures, applied electric potentials, and solvent effects. In addition, they enable operation at atmospheric temperature and pressure, produce few pollutants, and provide a mechanism for storage and conversion of vital renewable electricity sources. However, these unique reaction environments also commonly induce complex rearrangement of the catalyst electronic and geometric structures, such that the operational catalyst active sites do not resemble the pristine synthesized materials.
We use controlled material syntheses and advanced spectroscopy techniques to monitor dynamic behavior of catalysts in response to electrocatalytic reaction conditions. Notably, we have developed several iridium-based perovskite and precious metal-free catalyst materials to establish electronic structure effects associated with systematic changes in composition, crystallinity, and strain. We also employ a range of reactor geometries spanning fundamental rotating ring disk electrode setups to applied membrane electrode assemblies to probe and understand the relationships between bulk reactor parameters, local catalyst reaction environments, and catalyst performance outcomes. We use these materials, reactor systems, and operando spectroscopy techniques to elucidate trends in catalyst structural reorganization and activation / degradation mechanisms induced by relevant reaction conditions. With these tools, we investigate a range of oxidative and reductive processes for water / hydrogen / oxygen / peroxide systems as well as more complex organic species. Benchmarking performance and intrinsic material stabilities for catalysts based on platinum and non-platinum group metals provides a critical outlook for the future of emergent technologies based on these processes. With this work, the Seitz lab aims to exploit electrochemical processes and reaction environments to understand and harness catalyst material dynamics to achieve enhanced activity, selectivity, and stability for sustainable production of fuels and chemicals.
Bio: Linsey Seitz joined the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department at Northwestern University in 2018. She received her B.S. (2010) in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University, supported with a full ride scholarship. She earned her M.S. (2013) and Ph.D. (2015) in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University supported as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and later as a Stanford DARE Fellow. Linsey completed postdoctoral research at the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology with the Institute of Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation, supported by a Helmholtz Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her research uses tools at the interface of electrocatalysis and spectroscopy to investigate dynamic catalyst materials and reaction environments towards the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals, as well as upconversion of waste streams. Linsey was recently honored with the 2024 ACS Catalysis Early Career Award. She has received an NSF Career Award (2022), was recognized as a “Pioneer of the Catalysis and Reaction Engineering Division” of AIChE (2021), and has been named to the Northwestern University Associated Student Government Faculty Honor Roll (2022) for her outstanding mentoring. Linsey is also passionate about outreach, teaching, and learning; she strives to broaden participation and improve retention in STEM fields, foster inclusive classroom cultures, and support open discussions that build critical thinking and analysis skills.
Bagels and coffee will be provided at 9:30am, and the seminar will start at 9:40am. Please plan to arrive on time to grab a bagel and mingle!
*Please note that there will be no Zoom option for seminars this year.
