Research

Deep decarbonization is necessary to avoid the most severe effects of climate change. Electrochemistry is positioned to play a significant role in many aspects of decarbonization. We are broadly interested in electrochemical devices for grid-scale energy storage used to support intermittent wind and solar energy and electrified manufacturing for building materials and commodity chemicals. Specifically, we are interested in electrochemical production of iron metal for steelmaking and the behavior of low-cost metal/metal oxide anodes used in aqueous batteries for long duration energy storage. Motivated by these applications of electrochemistry, we research how ions interact with interfaces, how interfaces interact with electrochemical stacks, and how stacks interact with energy networks.

 

Ion transfer reactions are a fundamental step to fuel forming electrochemical reactions, electroplating for manufacturing and energy storage, and corrosion reactions that limit the durability of devices. We prepare micro- and nanoscale electrodes that act as differential reactors, allowing the direct study ion transfer kinetics. Model systems of interest include metal adatoms at single-crystal surface, dissolution and reduction at individual nanoparticles, and ion transfer across liquid-liquid interfaces.

Shekhar, Mukhopadhyay, Sanchez, Konovalova, Boettcher, Devaraj, & Kempler (2024) Understanding the mechanism for the low-temperature reduction of Fe2O3 to Fe in alkaline electrolytes. ChemRxiv

Research on the materials and design of electrochemical stacks is essential for realizing low-cost industrial electrochemical processes. We study advanced meshes and bipolar plates that lower stack costs, improve mass transport via controlled gas evolution, and allow continuous harvesting of metals produced via electrowinning.

Noble, B.B., Konovalova, A., Moutarlier, L.J., Brogden, V. & Kempler, P.A. (2024) Electrochemical chlor-iron process for iron production from iron oxide and salt water. Joule (in press)

Kempler, P. A., Coridan, R. H., & Lewis, N. S.* (2020). Effects of bubbles on the electrochemical behavior of hydrogen-evolving Si microwire arrays oriented against gravity. Energy & Environmental Science, 13(6), 1808-1817.

 

Funding

We are grateful for support from the U.S. Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences program, the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, leidos, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

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People

Prof. Paul Kempler

Assistant Professor, University of Oregon

Director of the Electrochemistry Masters Internship Program

Associate Director, Oregon Center for Electrochemistry

email, linkedin, twitter, google scholar, office: LISB 430

Curriculum Vitae

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Paul Kempler is anAssistant Professor in Chemistry and the Associate Director of the Oregon Center for Electrochemistry. A Portland native, he moved to Nashville to double major in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at Vanderbilt University under the supervision of Prof. Paul Laibinis and Prof. Kane Jennings. He completed his Ph.D. with Prof. Nathan Lewis at the California Institute of Technology in 2020 in Chemical Engineering, studying solar fuels devices converting water, sunlight, and CO2 into hydrogen and hydrocarbons. His thesis investigated high-aspect-ratio features in light-absorbing semiconductors and electrocatalysts opportunities to improve solar fuels device performance. At Oregon, he has developed electrochemical technology laboratory courses integrating advanced experiments with coding in Python as part of the first industrially-focused Master’s program in electrochemistry in the United States. His research interests are broadly described by a desire to (1) understand the fundamentals of electrochemical reactions controlled by ion-transfer and  (2) use new electrochemical processes to transform manufacturing and abate global CO2 emissions.

Postdoctoral Scholars

Evandi Rahman graduated from Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) with a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering in 2024. He previously developed metal oxide electrocatalysts for electrochemical processes, such as chlorine evolution reaction (ClER) and nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR). In the Kempler group, he is working on membrane optimization and cell reactor design for scaled-up ironmaking process. Additionally he is interested in chemical control of the iron plating process in concentrated alkaline electrolytes. His research interests are broadly described by developing efficient electrocatalysts and electrochemical cells for green energy sources.

email, linkedin

Graduate Students

Kira Thurman is a graduate of the Master’s internship program in polymer science and has also worked as a researcher at NREL prior to arriving at Oregon in 2021. She is co-advised by the Boettcher lab as part of the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA) and is studying fundamental aspects of corrosion reaction kinetics using well-defined monolayers on single crystal surfaces.

email, linkedin

 

Manasa Rajeev graduated from University of Kerala with a degree in General Chemistry. At UO, in collaboration with the Boettcher lab and Hgen, she is interested in improving the efficiencies of low-cost alkaline water electrolyzers by studying integrated electrode-membrane architectures built for gas bubble management. Currently, she is investigating catalyst degradation during hydrogen generation from intermittent electricity sourced from wind and solar energy.

email, linkedIn

Portrait photo of Raj Shekhar

Raj Shekhar graduated from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela with a B.S. + M.S. in Chemistry. He earned an M.S. in Materials Science and Nanotechnology from Université Paris-Saclay where he studied the binuclear activation of water-molecule at transition-metal-based electrocatalysts. His Ph.D. research at Oregon, in collaboration with researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, is focused on the mechanism of direct metal-oxide-to-metal reduction in concentrated alkaline electrolytes. Raj is co-advised by the Boettcher lab.

email, linkedin

Louka Moutalier graduated from the University of Oregon in 2019 with a B.Sc. in Biochemistry, before working as a high school Chemistry/Physics teacher for two years. In 2021, Louka joined the incoming Chemistry graduate cohort at the University of California, Santa Barbara and earned his M.A. in Chemistry with an emphasis in Chemical Education in 2022. He then returned to UO to join the Electrochemistry Masters Internship Program (class of 2023) where he interned with EnZinc studying advanced anodes for secondary zinc batteries. As a Ph.D. student he is researching metal oxide/metal conversion reactions in alkaline zinc anodes for grid-scale energy storage.

email, linkedin

Andrew Goldman graduated from Lehigh University in 2019 with a BS in Materials Science and Engineering. While at Lehigh, he worked in the lab of Professor Nicholas Strandwitz studying electrostatic phenomena at the interfaces in Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor devices for photovoltaic applications. After graduating, he started a business as a small plant nursery specializing in nut trees and other edible perennials in an effort to facilitate the transition to a more regenerative and carbon-negative food system. Now at the University of Oregon Center for Electrochemistry, Andrew is studying the relationship between process, structure, and properties of iron films electrodeposited using the Chlor-Iron process with the goal of designing full-scale reactors to decarbonize steelmaking.

email, linkedin

Stern, E graduated from Western Washington University with a BS in chemistry in 2023. They have a background in heterogenous catalysis and surface chemistry, and their interests are in transport phenomena. As a Ph.D. student at UO, they are studying fundamental ion transfer kinetics at the electrode-electrolyte boundary using the deposition of well-ordered monolayers on single crystal surfaces in the presence of surface/solution species.

email, linkedin

Undergraduate Students

Caitlyn Cannan is a 4th year undergraduate in the Robert D. Clark Honors College earning a B.S. in chemistry. She is additionally pursuing a master’s degree as a part of the 2024 cohort with the OCE’s Accelerated Electrochemistry Masters Internship Program. Currently, her research project at UO focuses on understanding the phase transition mechanisms for interfacial ion transfers across various electrochemical systems.

Nadia Barnard is a fourth-year undergraduate student in the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon, majoring in chemistry while concurrently pursuing a master’s degree in electrochemistry through the Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP). Her research at Oregon focuses on the ion transfer kinetics of model systems, with her current project examining proton transfer into thin-film tungsten oxides in various environments. Nadia is passionate about renewable energy research, particularly hydrogen fuel cells, and plans to pursue a PhD in electrochemistry after graduation.

James Cecil is a 3rd year undergraduate student at the University of Oregon pursuing a B.S in chemistry with a physics minor. His research consists of studying the electrochemical activity of various iron (hydr)oxides and how metal doping affects electrochemical activity. After graduation, he plans to pursue a master’s degree in electrochemistry at the University of Oregon.

Favour Foday is an undergraduate at the University of Oregon, majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Bioengineering. Her current research focuses on reverse current phenomena in alkaline water electrolysis. Favour is particularly interested in how electrochemical principles can be applied to biological systems, including biosensors, medical devices, and biofuel cells. Ultimately, she aims to contribute to innovations that merge biological processes with cutting-edge electrochemical technologies.

Alumni

Postdoctoral Scholars

Prof. Anastasiia Konovalova (DTU Energy)

Masters Students

Berkley Noble (Magrathea Metals)

Carinna Lapson (PNNL)

Sara Scodellaro (Moses Lake Industries) 

Casey Mezerkor (PNNL)

Linn Kelley (NREL)

João Victor De Moraes Morgado (Natron)

Serafina Fortiner (Nel Hydrogen)

Gainer Phay (ESS Inc.)

Antowan Davtians (Redwood Materials) 

Karana Dunn (ESS Inc.)

Mark Mancini (HRL)

Education and Outreach

CH 691: Analytical Methods in Electrochemistry

CH 691  is a modern and hands-on approach to electrochemistry education offered in the fall quarter, yearly, to accompany CH 454/CH554 “Advanced Electrochemistry”. Students to gain practical experience in instrumental analysis, data analysis, and scientific communication while interacting with electroanalytical techniques taught in the classroom in CH 454/554. Lab reports are submitted as Jupyter Notebooks and a DIY attitude is emphasized (electrodes and even potentiostats are built by hand).

CH 693: Electrochemical Device Laboratory

CH 693 connects principles of electrochemical engineering, as taught in the lecture course CH 692 to practical examples of electrochemical cells. The course is offered yearly in the winter quarter. Students apply engineering principles, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Design of Experiments to fast-paced case studies concerning electrolyzers, fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, corrosion engineering, and electroplating.

CH 694: Applied Projects in Electrochemistry

CH 694 is a research course offered to students in the Master’s Internship Program in Electrochemical Technologies. Industry partners and academic labs sponsor small teams of Masters students on 10-week intensive research experiences on applied problems in electrochemistry and electrochemical engineering.

Publications

 

University of Oregon
22 Shekhar, R., Mukhopadhyay, S., Sanchez, F. Konovalova, A., Boettcher, S.W., Devaraj, A., & Kempler, P.A. (2024) Understanding the mechanism for the low-temperature reduction of Fe2O3 to Fe in alkaline electrolytes. ChemRxiv.
21 Kempler, P.A., Coridan, R.H., & Luo, Long. (2024). Gas Evolution in Water Electrolysis. Chemical Reviews. (In press)
20 Kang, R., Zhao, Y., Hait, D., Gauthier, J., Kempler, P.A., Thurman, K., Boettcher, S.W. & Head-Gordon, M. (2023). Understanding Ion-transfer Reactions in Silver Corrosion and Electrodeposition from First-principles Calculations and Experiments. Chemical Science. 15 (13), 4996-5008 Graphical abstract: Understanding ion-transfer reactions in silver electrodissolution and electrodeposition from first-principles calculations and experiments
19 Noble, B.B., Konovalova, A., Moutarlier, L.J., Brogden, V. & Kempler, P.A. (2024) Electrochemical chlor-iron process for iron production from iron oxide and salt water. Joule. 8(3) p714-727 a researcher assembles a cell used to produce iron metal from iron oxide. the cell is a stack of plastic sheets and gaskets held together by large bolts.
18 Kempler, P.A.* & Nielander, A.C. (2023). Reliable reporting of Faradaic efficiencies for electrocatalysis research. Nature Communications. 14, 1158 figure 1
17 McKenzie, J, Kempler, P.A. & Brozek, C.K. (2022) “Solvent-controlled ion-coupled charge transport in microporous metal chalcogenides.” Chemical Science, 13, 12747-12759
Graphical abstract: Solvent-controlled ion-coupled charge transport in microporous metal chalcogenides
16 Kempler, P. A.,* Slack J., & Baker, A. M. (2022). Electrochemical research priorities for affordable seasonal energy storage using electrolyzers and fuel cells. Joule, 6(2), 280-285
15 Kempler, P. A.,* Boettcher, S. W.,* & Ardo, S. (2021). Reinvigorating electrochemistry education. iScience, 102481.
14 Boettcher, S. W.,* Oener, S. Z., Lonergan, M. C., Surendranath, Y., Ardo, S., Brozek, C., & Kempler, P. A. (2020). Potentially confusing: Potentials in electrochemistry. ACS Energy Letters6(1), 261-266.
 

California Institute of Technology

13 Yan, E., Morla, M., Kwon, S., Musgrave, C., Kempler, P.A., Brunschwig, B., Goddard, W.A., Lewis, N.S., (2022).  (In review)
12 Ifkovits, Z. P., Evans, J. M., Kempler, P. A., Morla, M. B., Pham, K. H., Dowling, J. A., … & Lewis, N. S. (2022). Powdered Mn y Sb1–y O x Catalysts for Cerium-Mediated Oxygen Evolution in Acidic Environments. ACS Energy Letters7, 4258-4264.
11 Jiang, S., Link, A., Canning, D., Fooks, J. A., Kempler, P. A., Kerr, S., … & Chen, H.* (2021). Enhancing positron production using front surface target structures. Applied Physics Letters, 118(9), 094101.
10 Kennedy, K. M., Kempler, P. A., Cabán-Acevedo, M., Papadantonakis, K. M., & Lewis, N. S.* (2021). Primary Corrosion Processes for Polymer-Embedded Free-Standing or Substrate-Supported Silicon Microwire Arrays in Aqueous Alkaline Electrolytes. Nano Letters, 21(2), 1056-1061. Abstract Image
9 Kempler, P. A., Ifkovits, Z. P., Yu, W., Carim, A. I., & Lewis, N. S.* (2021). Optical and electrochemical effects of H2 and O2 bubbles at upward-facing Si photoelectrodes. Energy & Environmental Science, 14(1), 414-423. Graphical abstract: Optical and electrochemical effects of H2 and O2 bubbles at upward-facing Si photoelectrodes
8 Kempler, P. A., Richter, M. H., Cheng, W. H., Brunschwig, B. S., & Lewis, N. S.* (2020). Si Microwire-Array Photocathodes Decorated with Cu Allow CO2 Reduction with Minimal Parasitic Absorption of Sunlight. ACS Energy Letters, 5(8), 2528-2534. Abstract Image
7 Buabthong, P., Ifkovits, Z. P., Kempler, P. A., Chen, Y., Nunez, P. D., Brunschwig, B. S., … & Lewis, N. S.* (2020). Failure modes of protection layers produced by atomic layer deposition of amorphous TiO 2 on GaAs anodes. Energy & Environmental Science, 13(11), 4269-4279. Graphical abstract: Failure modes of protection layers produced by atomic layer deposition of amorphous TiO2 on GaAs anodes
6 Kempler, P. A., Coridan, R. H., & Lewis, N. S.* (2020). Effects of bubbles on the electrochemical behavior of hydrogen-evolving Si microwire arrays oriented against gravity. Energy & Environmental Science, 13(6), 1808-1817. Graphical abstract: Effects of bubbles on the electrochemical behavior of hydrogen-evolving Si microwire arrays oriented against gravity
5 Yalamanchili, S., Verlage, E., Cheng, W. H., Fountaine, K. T., Jahelka, P. R., Kempler, P. A., … & Atwater, H. A.* (2019). High Broadband Light Transmission for Solar Fuels Production Using Dielectric Optical Waveguides in TiO2 Nanocone Arrays. Nano Letters, 20(1), 502-508. Abstract Image
4 Kempler, P. A., Fu, H. J., Ifkovits, Z. P., Papadantonakis, K. M., & Lewis, N. S.* (2019). Spontaneous Formation of> 90% Optically Transmissive, Electrochemically Active CoP Films for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 11(1), 14-20. Abstract Image
3 Kempler, P. A., Yalamanchili, S., Papadantonakis, K. M., Atwater, H. A., & Lewis, N. S.* (2019). Integration of electrocatalysts with silicon microcone arrays for minimization of optical and overpotential losses during sunlight-driven hydrogen evolution. Sustainable Energy & Fuels, 3(9), 2227-2236. Graphical abstract: Integration of electrocatalysts with silicon microcone arrays for minimization of optical and overpotential losses during sunlight-driven hydrogen evolution
2 Kempler, P. A., Gonzalez, M. A., Papadantonakis, K. M., & Lewis, N. S. (2018). Hydrogen evolution with minimal parasitic light absorption by dense Co–P catalyst films on structured p-Si photocathodes. ACS Energy Letters, 3(3), 612-617. Abstract Image
 

Vanderbilt University

1 Njoroge, I., Kempler, P. A., Deng, X., Arnold, S. T., & Jennings, G. K. (2017). Surface-Initiated Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization of Dicyclopentadiene from the Vapor Phase. Langmuir, 33(49), 13903-13912. Abstract Image