Our interests are also focusing on 2D tunable metal oxides. We collaborate with Prof. Lisa Pfefferle’s group. We use microscopy and spectroscopy to characterize materials/liquid interfaces under operating conditions.
We have found a facile way to synthesize 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D MnO2 nanoparticles at ambient pressure and moderate temperatures. These different structures have been analyzed by SEM, XRD, XPS, and EDS. We hope to analyze how the structure of these particles affects their catalytic properties and in the future may probe how doping these materials with sulfur affects their catalytic activity. We are interested in using these catalysts to optimize the oxidation of water to hydrogen peroxide under electrocatalytic conditions.
