Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/21/2020
All Day
Categories
Umit S. Ozkan, Ph.D.
Department Chair and Distinguished Professor
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
The Ohio State University
Carbon-based Catalysts as Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) and Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) in Acidic Media
Abstract: Large scale commercialization of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) for power generation is hindered by their high cost, most of which is attributed to noble metal based cathode catalysts (platinum). Considerable research has been carried out to develop non-noble metal cathode catalysts for catalyzing the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR). We have previously reported on the role of the transition metal and nitrogen in two classes of carbon-based materials, i.e., nitrogen-containing carbon nanostructures (CNx) and iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) catalysts. Our current research focuses on gaining further insights into these catalysts and establishing differences in their ORR and OER activity and stability. Detailed characterization of these materials has also been performed using techniques such X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Temperature Programmed Oxidation (TPO), X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES), Extended-X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (EXAFS), Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometry, Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and Mössbauer Spectroscopy.
Bio: Umit S. Ozkan is a College of Engineering Distinguished Professor and the Chair of the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She received her Ph.D from Iowa State University in 1984 and joined the faculty of The Ohio State University in 1985. Between 2000 and 2005, she also served as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering. Her current research interests are focused on heterogeneous catalysis and electro-catalysis.
She has edited six books, has written over 200 refereed publications with over 11,000 citations, and holds seven patents. Professor Ozkan has held and continues to hold many leadership positions in several professional organizations, including ACS, AIChE, and North American Catalysis Society. She is on the Editorial Boards of Catalysis Today, Journal of Molecular Catalysis, Catalysis Letters, Topics in Catalysis,The Royal Society of Chemistry, Catalysis Book Series, Applied Catalysis B, ACS Applied Energy Materials and Catalysis Reviews in Science and Engineering, ACS Catalysis, and Nature Sustainability. Dr. Ozkan is a Professional Engineer registered in Ohio. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAS), American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE), and American Chemical Society (ACS).
Professor Ozkan is the recipient of many honors and awards among which are ACS Henry H. Storch Award (2017), ACS Energy and Fuels Distinguished Researcher Award (2012), John van Geuns Lectureship Award at the Van’t Hoff Institute at the University of Amsterdam (2010), Iowa State University, Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering (2010), AICHE Mentorship Excellence Award (2009), Fulbright Senior Scholar Award (2007), the Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award (2002. In 2013, she was honored by a special issue of Topics in Catalysis,which was dedicated in her honor. The volume included contributions from 35 different research groups from 12 different countries. In 2019, she was again honored, this time by a special volume of Catalysis.
In her research group, Dr. Ozkan has advised and mentored over 100 graduate students, post-doctoral researchers and honors students.
