This lecture series commemorates the life and legacy of Professor Susan Odom, an energetic, productive and driven faculty member in the Department of Chemistry from 2011 to 2021. It features speakers noted for outstanding research in Professor Odom’s fields of synthetic and materials chemistry. Visit this page for more information on the Susan A. Odom lecture series.

Abstract: Organic semiconducting polymers present a versatile platform for energy conversion and storage and sensing devices due to tunable optical and transport gaps, compatibility with electrolytes, and scalability via solution processing. The Center for Soft Photoelectrochemical Systems (SPECS) is an Energy Frontier Research Center that focuses on understanding the fundamental factors that control charge and matter transport processes that underpin energy conversion and storage technologies across spatiotemporal scales in scalable, durable, π-conjugated polymer materials. Within SPECS, we aim to establish design rules for robust photocathode systems that elucidate key structure–property relationships related to charge transport, charge transfer, and operational durability.

Our initial device employs a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) strategy, combining PTB7-Th (hole transport) and N2200 (electron transport) polymers, deposited on passivated ITO and capped with a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst (e.g., Pt or RuO₂), all immersed in an acidic electrolyte. Insights from optoelectronic analogs guide our focus toward enhancing chemical and mechanical interfacial stability and enabling selective charge extraction.

Efforts that will be described in this talk include multiple spectroelectrochemical methods and theoretical efforts to reveal the impact of electrochemical doping and ultimately serve as signatures to drive charge transfer reactions such as solar fuel production. Other highlights will include opportunities to functionalize various interfaces to increase rates of hydrogen evolution. 

Bio: Erin L. Ratcliff is a full professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  She earned a B.A. in chemistry, mathematics,and statistics in 2003 from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Iowa State University in 2007. After completing a postdoc at the University of Arizona (2007 – 2009), she served as a research scientist and research professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (2009 – 2014). She was previously an assistant and associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona (2014 – 2024). She joined the faculty at Georgia Tech in 2024. 

Her group, Laboratory for Interface Science for Printable Electronic Materials, uses a combination of electrochemistry, spectroscopies, microscopies and synchrotron-based techniques to understand fundamental structure-property relationships of next-generation materials for energy conversion and storage and biosensing. Materials of interest include metal halide perovskites, π-conjugated materials, colloidal quantum dots and metal oxides. Current research is focused on mechanisms of electron transfer and transport across interfaces, including semiconductor-electrolyte interfaces and durability of printable electronic materials.

Ratliff was also the director of the funded Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) titled Center for Soft PhotoElectroChemical Systems (SPECS) and is currently the associate director of scientific cContinuity for SPECS. She has received several awards for her research and teaching, including the 2023 Da Vinci Fellow and the 2022 College of Engineering Researcher of the Year award at UArizona, The Ten at Ten People of Energy Frontier Research Centers DOE Basic Energy Sciences award in 2019, and Senior Summer Faculty Research Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory (2020, 2021, and 2024). Her research program has been funded by the Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences, the Solar Energy Technology Office, Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation and the Nano Bio Materials Consortium.

This lecture series commemorates the life and legacy of Professor Susan Odom, an energetic, productive and driven faculty member in the Department of Chemistry from 2011 to 2021. It features speakers noted for outstanding research in Professor Odom’s fields of synthetic and materials chemistry. Visit this page for more information on the Susan A. Odom lecture series.

Abstract: Organic semiconducting polymers present a versatile platform for energy conversion and storage and sensing devices due to tunable optical and transport gaps, compatibility with electrolytes, and scalability via solution processing. The Center for Soft Photoelectrochemical Systems (SPECS) is an Energy Frontier Research Center that focuses on understanding the fundamental factors that control charge and matter transport processes that underpin energy conversion and storage technologies across spatiotemporal scales in scalable, durable, π-conjugated polymer materials. Within SPECS, we aim to establish design rules for robust photocathode systems that elucidate key structure–property relationships related to charge transport, charge transfer, and operational durability.

Our initial device employs a bulk heterojunction (BHJ) strategy, combining PTB7-Th (hole transport) and N2200 (electron transport) polymers, deposited on passivated ITO and capped with a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst (e.g., Pt or RuO₂), all immersed in an acidic electrolyte. Insights from optoelectronic analogs guide our focus toward enhancing chemical and mechanical interfacial stability and enabling selective charge extraction.

Efforts that will be described in this talk include multiple spectroelectrochemical methods and theoretical efforts to reveal the impact of electrochemical doping and ultimately serve as signatures to drive charge transfer reactions such as solar fuel production. Other highlights will include opportunities to functionalize various interfaces to increase rates of hydrogen evolution. 

Bio: Erin L. Ratcliff is a full professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds a joint appointment at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  She earned a B.A. in chemistry, mathematics,and statistics in 2003 from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Iowa State University in 2007. After completing a postdoc at the University of Arizona (2007 – 2009), she served as a research scientist and research professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry (2009 – 2014). She was previously an assistant and associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona (2014 – 2024). She joined the faculty at Georgia Tech in 2024. 

Her group, Laboratory for Interface Science for Printable Electronic Materials, uses a combination of electrochemistry, spectroscopies, microscopies and synchrotron-based techniques to understand fundamental structure-property relationships of next-generation materials for energy conversion and storage and biosensing. Materials of interest include metal halide perovskites, π-conjugated materials, colloidal quantum dots and metal oxides. Current research is focused on mechanisms of electron transfer and transport across interfaces, including semiconductor-electrolyte interfaces and durability of printable electronic materials.

Ratliff was also the director of the funded Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) titled Center for Soft PhotoElectroChemical Systems (SPECS) and is currently the associate director of scientific cContinuity for SPECS. She has received several awards for her research and teaching, including the 2023 Da Vinci Fellow and the 2022 College of Engineering Researcher of the Year award at UArizona, The Ten at Ten People of Energy Frontier Research Centers DOE Basic Energy Sciences award in 2019, and Senior Summer Faculty Research Fellow at the Naval Research Laboratory (2020, 2021, and 2024). Her research program has been funded by the Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences, the Solar Energy Technology Office, Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation and the Nano Bio Materials Consortium.

Abstract: Molecular characterization of Atmospheric Organic Aerosol (OA) using advanced methods of high-resolution mass spectrometry provides essential insights into the composition, properties, and behavior of chemical constituents, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of its environmental impacts. These studies have enabled the identification and quantification of specific components of OA, including light-absorbing chromophores, such as phenolic, quinone and nitroaromatic compounds, N-heteroatom compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. Through comprehensive understanding the chemical composition of OA, we can now assess its sources and atmospheric transformations. Recent investigations have also broadened their scope to explore the partitioning of OA species between the particle and gas phases. These measurements yield valuable data on particle-to-gas transition enthalpies and apparent volatilities of individual OA species, crucial for constructing volatility basis sets (VBS). The resulting VBS distributions enable an assessment of equilibrium gas-particle partitioning across various atmospheric conditions of organic mass loadings, temperatures, and pressures relevant to Earth’s atmosphere. Furthermore, novel parameterization models leverage chemical characterization and volatility datasets to evaluate the viscoelastic properties of OA. This comprehensive molecular understanding of OA chemistry is essential for predicting their ability to undergo chemical reactions, partition between gas and particle phases, and impact atmospheric environment and related processes, such as radiative forcing of climate and cloud formation. This presentation will provide an overview of recent advancements in this field and outline future directions for continued research. 

Bio: Professor Alexander Laskin is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He received his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from St. Petersburg Polytechnical Institute, Russia, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Laskin’s group advances aerosol and multiphase environmental chemistry with discoveries that reframe sources, composition, and climate/health impacts. 

He is actively involved in the scientific community, serving as a Co-editor of the Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics journal since 2013, and as a member of the Editorial Board for Aerosol Science and Technology and Scientific Reports. His honors include the NASA Honor Award (FIREX-AQ Group Achievement) in 2019 and being named a W.R. Willey Research Fellow of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at PNNL in 2018.

Abstract: Molecular characterization of Atmospheric Organic Aerosol (OA) using advanced methods of high-resolution mass spectrometry provides essential insights into the composition, properties, and behavior of chemical constituents, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of its environmental impacts. These studies have enabled the identification and quantification of specific components of OA, including light-absorbing chromophores, such as phenolic, quinone and nitroaromatic compounds, N-heteroatom compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc. Through comprehensive understanding the chemical composition of OA, we can now assess its sources and atmospheric transformations. Recent investigations have also broadened their scope to explore the partitioning of OA species between the particle and gas phases. These measurements yield valuable data on particle-to-gas transition enthalpies and apparent volatilities of individual OA species, crucial for constructing volatility basis sets (VBS). The resulting VBS distributions enable an assessment of equilibrium gas-particle partitioning across various atmospheric conditions of organic mass loadings, temperatures, and pressures relevant to Earth’s atmosphere. Furthermore, novel parameterization models leverage chemical characterization and volatility datasets to evaluate the viscoelastic properties of OA. This comprehensive molecular understanding of OA chemistry is essential for predicting their ability to undergo chemical reactions, partition between gas and particle phases, and impact atmospheric environment and related processes, such as radiative forcing of climate and cloud formation. This presentation will provide an overview of recent advancements in this field and outline future directions for continued research. 

Bio: Professor Alexander Laskin is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Earth Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He received his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from St. Petersburg Polytechnical Institute, Russia, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Laskin’s group advances aerosol and multiphase environmental chemistry with discoveries that reframe sources, composition, and climate/health impacts. 

He is actively involved in the scientific community, serving as a Co-editor of the Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics journal since 2013, and as a member of the Editorial Board for Aerosol Science and Technology and Scientific Reports. His honors include the NASA Honor Award (FIREX-AQ Group Achievement) in 2019 and being named a W.R. Willey Research Fellow of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at PNNL in 2018.

Abstract: Li-free solid-state batteries, which contain no excess Li metal initially, are considered promising next-generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density and enhanced safety. However, heterogeneous Li plating onto the current collector leads to early failure and low energy efficiency. Porous interlayers positioned between the current collector and solid electrolyte have the potential to guide uniform Li plating and improve electrochemical performance. In this configuration, both the electrochemical reduction of Li ions and mechanical deformation, which allow Li metal to flow into the porous interlayer, occur simultaneously. These complexities make understanding Li plating kinetics challenging. Factors such as stack pressure, interlayer composition, current density, and the mechanical response of the interlayer can influence Li deposition kinetics. In this talk we discuss how heterogenous plating can cause fracture in the cathode and impacts the reversible operation of li-free solid state batters. We examine a model porous Ag-C interlayer with two different Ag particle sizes and observed Li plating behavior under various stack pressures and current densities. While Ag nanoparticles in the interlayer can facilitate Li movement, they can also induce internal stress, leading to void formation that impedes Li flow. Nanostructure analysis using cryo-FIB are combined with chemomechanical modeling to uncover the mechanical interaction of interlayer during the alloying reaction between Ag and Li. When comparing the morphology of Li electrodeposits at different conditions, morphological changes correlate with the creep strain rate over Li ion flux. The electrochemical performance is determined by the morphology of Li electrodeposits rather than the Li plating current density. 

Bio: Dr. Hatzell is an Associate Professor at Princeton University in the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment and department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Hatzell earned her Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering at Drexel University, her M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and her B.S./B.A. in Engineering/Economics from Swarthmore College. Hatzell is the recipient of several awards including the ORAU Powe Junior Faculty Award (2017), NSF CAREER Award (2019), ECS Toyota Young Investigator Award (2019), finalist for the BASF/Volkswagen Science in Electrochemistry Award (2019), the Nelson “Buck” Robinson award from MRS (2019), Sloan Fellowship in Chemistry (2020), and POLiS Award of Excellence for Female Researchers (2021), NASA Early Career Award (2022), ONR Young investigator award (2023) and Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2024). 

The Hatzell Research Group works on understanding phenomena at solid|liquid, solid|gas, and solid|solid interfaces through non-equilibrium x-ray techniques, with particular interest in energy conversion and storage and separations applications. 

Abstract: Li-free solid-state batteries, which contain no excess Li metal initially, are considered promising next-generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density and enhanced safety. However, heterogeneous Li plating onto the current collector leads to early failure and low energy efficiency. Porous interlayers positioned between the current collector and solid electrolyte have the potential to guide uniform Li plating and improve electrochemical performance. In this configuration, both the electrochemical reduction of Li ions and mechanical deformation, which allow Li metal to flow into the porous interlayer, occur simultaneously. These complexities make understanding Li plating kinetics challenging. Factors such as stack pressure, interlayer composition, current density, and the mechanical response of the interlayer can influence Li deposition kinetics. In this talk we discuss how heterogenous plating can cause fracture in the cathode and impacts the reversible operation of li-free solid state batters. We examine a model porous Ag-C interlayer with two different Ag particle sizes and observed Li plating behavior under various stack pressures and current densities. While Ag nanoparticles in the interlayer can facilitate Li movement, they can also induce internal stress, leading to void formation that impedes Li flow. Nanostructure analysis using cryo-FIB are combined with chemomechanical modeling to uncover the mechanical interaction of interlayer during the alloying reaction between Ag and Li. When comparing the morphology of Li electrodeposits at different conditions, morphological changes correlate with the creep strain rate over Li ion flux. The electrochemical performance is determined by the morphology of Li electrodeposits rather than the Li plating current density. 

Bio: Dr. Hatzell is an Associate Professor at Princeton University in the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment and department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Hatzell earned her Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering at Drexel University, her M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and her B.S./B.A. in Engineering/Economics from Swarthmore College. Hatzell is the recipient of several awards including the ORAU Powe Junior Faculty Award (2017), NSF CAREER Award (2019), ECS Toyota Young Investigator Award (2019), finalist for the BASF/Volkswagen Science in Electrochemistry Award (2019), the Nelson “Buck” Robinson award from MRS (2019), Sloan Fellowship in Chemistry (2020), and POLiS Award of Excellence for Female Researchers (2021), NASA Early Career Award (2022), ONR Young investigator award (2023) and Camille-Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2024). 

The Hatzell Research Group works on understanding phenomena at solid|liquid, solid|gas, and solid|solid interfaces through non-equilibrium x-ray techniques, with particular interest in energy conversion and storage and separations applications. 

Abstract: After an introduction to organic light-emitting diodes, we will discuss our recent computational work dealing with three strategies to design efficient, purely organic emitters: 

The first strategy was introduced in 2012 by Chihaya Adachi and co-workers at Kyushu University, who proposed to harvest the triplet excitons in purely organic molecular materials via thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). These materials now represent the third generation of OLED emitters. Impressive photo-physical properties and device performances have been reported, with internal quantum efficiencies reaching 100% (which means that, for each injected electron, one photon is emitted). In the most efficient materials, the TADF process has been shown to involve several singlet and triplet excited states. 

A second strategy, which has been applied more recently, was proposed by Feng Li and co-workers at Jilin University in 2015 and is based on the exploitation of stable organic radicals. In these materials, where the lowest excited state and the ground state usually belong both to the doublet manifold, we will describe how high efficiencies and photo-stability can be obtained. 

Finally, we will briefly discuss our very recent work on so-called multi-resonance (MR) TADF materials, initially developed by Takuji Hatakeyama and co-workers at Kwansei Gakuin University.

Bio: Jean-Luc Brédas received his B.Sc. (1976) and Ph.D. (1979) degrees from the University of Namur, Belgium. In 1988, he was appointed Professor at the University of Mons, Belgium, where he established the Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials. While keeping an “Extraordinary Professorship” appointment in Mons, he joined the University of Arizona in 1999. In 2003, he moved to the Georgia Institute of Technology where he became Regents’ Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and held the Vasser-Woolley and Georgia Research Alliance Chair in Molecular Design. Between 2014 and 2016, he joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as a Distinguished Professor and served as Director of the KAUST Solar & Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center. He returned to Georgia Tech in 2017 before moving back to the University of Arizona in 2020. Prof. Brédas is an elected Member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, the Royal Academy of Belgium, and the European Academy of Sciences. He is the recipient of the 1997 Francqui Prize, the 2000 Quinquennial Prize of the Belgian National Science Foundation, the 2001 Italgas Prize, the 2003 Descartes Prize of the European Union, the 2010 ACS Charles Stone Award, the 2013 APS David Adler Award in Materials Physics, the 2016 ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials, the 2019 Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, the 2020 MRS Materials Theory Award, and the 2021 RSC Centenary Prize. He has served as editor for Chemistry of Materials between 2008 and 2021 and scientific editor for Materials Horizons since 2022. His current Google Scholar h-index is 171.

To view this years brochure, click here.

Abstract: After an introduction to organic light-emitting diodes, we will discuss our recent computational work dealing with three strategies to design efficient, purely organic emitters: 

The first strategy was introduced in 2012 by Chihaya Adachi and co-workers at Kyushu University, who proposed to harvest the triplet excitons in purely organic molecular materials via thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF). These materials now represent the third generation of OLED emitters. Impressive photo-physical properties and device performances have been reported, with internal quantum efficiencies reaching 100% (which means that, for each injected electron, one photon is emitted). In the most efficient materials, the TADF process has been shown to involve several singlet and triplet excited states. 

A second strategy, which has been applied more recently, was proposed by Feng Li and co-workers at Jilin University in 2015 and is based on the exploitation of stable organic radicals. In these materials, where the lowest excited state and the ground state usually belong both to the doublet manifold, we will describe how high efficiencies and photo-stability can be obtained. 

Finally, we will briefly discuss our very recent work on so-called multi-resonance (MR) TADF materials, initially developed by Takuji Hatakeyama and co-workers at Kwansei Gakuin University.

Bio: Jean-Luc Brédas received his B.Sc. (1976) and Ph.D. (1979) degrees from the University of Namur, Belgium. In 1988, he was appointed Professor at the University of Mons, Belgium, where he established the Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials. While keeping an “Extraordinary Professorship” appointment in Mons, he joined the University of Arizona in 1999. In 2003, he moved to the Georgia Institute of Technology where he became Regents’ Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and held the Vasser-Woolley and Georgia Research Alliance Chair in Molecular Design. Between 2014 and 2016, he joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as a Distinguished Professor and served as Director of the KAUST Solar & Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center. He returned to Georgia Tech in 2017 before moving back to the University of Arizona in 2020. Prof. Brédas is an elected Member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, the Royal Academy of Belgium, and the European Academy of Sciences. He is the recipient of the 1997 Francqui Prize, the 2000 Quinquennial Prize of the Belgian National Science Foundation, the 2001 Italgas Prize, the 2003 Descartes Prize of the European Union, the 2010 ACS Charles Stone Award, the 2013 APS David Adler Award in Materials Physics, the 2016 ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials, the 2019 Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, the 2020 MRS Materials Theory Award, and the 2021 RSC Centenary Prize. He has served as editor for Chemistry of Materials between 2008 and 2021 and scientific editor for Materials Horizons since 2022. His current Google Scholar h-index is 171.

To view this years brochure, click here.

This lecture series commemorates the life and legacy of Professor Susan Odom, an energetic, productive, and driven faculty member in the Department of Chemistry from 2011 to 2021. It features speakers noted for outstanding research in Professor Odom’s fields of synthetic and materials chemistry.

Visit this page for more information on the Susan A. Odom lecture series.

Bio: Veronica Augustyn is the Jake and Jennifer Hooks Distinguished Scholar in Materials Science and Engineering and Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at North Carolina State University. She received her B.S. from the University of Arizona and Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, both in Materials Science and Engineering. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on the electrochemistry of materials for energy and environmental applications, including interfacial phenomena, insertion mechanisms, and confinement effects.  She is the recipient of several awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER, the Department of Energy Early Career, and Sloan Research Fellowship. She is also the founder and faculty advisor of an award-winning international project, SciBridge, a student-led group that develops renewable energy research and education collaborations between universities in Africa and the U.S. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A and Materials Advances, and serves on the editorial advisory boards of ACS Energy Letters, Physical Review Materials, Energy Storage Materials, and ACS Nanoscience Au.

Abstract: Technological interest in electrode materials with long-term stability and reactivity in aqueous electrolytes is motivated by the urgent need for large scale, safe, and low-cost electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Transition metal oxides are an important class of redox-active electrode materials for aqueous electrochemical technologies including batteries, fuel cells, and electrolyzers. From a fundamental perspective, the electrochemistry of metal oxides in aqueous electrolytes across the entire pH scale inevitably involves protons. These can interact with transition metal oxides via numerous reactions including water electrolysis, surface adsorption and bulk insertion, and dissolution. These reactions are sensitive to the pH (especially the interfacial pH), and can involve proton donors beyond H₃O⁺. In this seminar, I will discuss our work on understanding the electrochemical behavior of metal oxides in aqueous electrolytes for energy storage and conversion. This includes proton insertion mechanisms, the interplay of proton insertion with the hydrogen evolution reaction, and the role of acid electrolyte composition on the speciation of proton-coupled electrochemical reactions. The metal oxides that I will discuss include hydrous tungsten oxides, metastable hydrogen titanates, and layered MnO₂.