Postdoctoral Fellowship: MPS-Ascend: The Effects of Electronic Stucture and Coordination Enviornment on the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide in Single-Atom Catalysts

马修·瑞安·埃斯皮诺萨被授予NSF数学和物理科学上升博士后研究奖学金(NSF MPS-Ascend)，以开展一项与扩大STEM中代表性不足群体的参与相关的研究和活动。这项给Ezpinosa博士的奖学金支持在一位赞助科学家的指导下开展的题为《MPS-Ascend：电子结构和配位环境对单原子催化剂中二氧化碳电化学还原的影响》的研究项目。这项研究的主办机构是加州帕萨迪纳的加州理工学院，发起科学家是Theodor Agapie博士。这项建议旨在研究影响多相单原子催化剂在电化学还原二氧化碳中的选择性和活性的基本因素。该提案将利用电子共轭的多金属邻菲咯啉大环催化剂来了解单原子催化剂的扩展电子结构对二氧化碳还原为液体产品和燃料的催化活性和选择性的影响。该项目将合成新型的均相单金属和多金属体系，其中电子结构和二次配位环境将发生系统的变化，并与催化活性和选择性进行比较。这项工作的成功实施可能有助于开发单原子催化剂，该催化剂包括导电表面上的电子共轭金属中心，用于将二氧化碳还原为可再生商品、化学品和燃料。利用电化学还原技术转化捕获的人为二氧化碳，将能够生产可再生的碳中性燃料和化学原料，取代目前不可持续的石化资源。PI打算通过指导和为下一代科学家提供机会，并参与科学推广活动、科学交流和社区服务来激励和告知当地社区，以增加未被充分代表的群体在科学领域的广泛参与。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Mathew Ryan Espinosa is awarded an NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSF MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and activities related to broaden participation by groups underrepresented in STEM. This fellowship to Dr. Ezpinosa supports the research project entitled “MPS-Ascend: The Effects of Electronic Structure and Coordination Environment on the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide in Single-Atom Catalysts” under the mentorship of a sponsoring scientist. The host institution for the fellowship is California Institute of Technology at Pasadena, CA, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Theodor Agapie.This proposal intends to investigate the fundamental factors influencing the selectivity and activity of heterogeneous single-atom catalysts in electrochemical CO2 reduction. The proposal will utilize electronically conjugated multi-metallic phenanthroline macrocyclic catalysts to understand the influence of the extended electronic structure of single-atom catalysts on the catalytic activity and selectivity of CO2 reduction to liquid products and fuels. The project will synthesize novel homogeneous mono- and multi-metallic systems where electronic structure and secondary coordination environment will be systematically varied and compared to the catalytic activity and selectivity. Successful implementation of this work may allow for developing single-atom catalysts involving electronically conjugated metal centers on a conducting surface for CO2 reduction to renewable commodity chemicals and fuels. The conversion of captured anthropogenic CO2 using electrochemical reduction would enable the production of renewable, carbon-neutral fuels and chemical feedstocks, displacing current unsustainable petrochemical sources. The PI intends to increase broadening participation of underrepresented groups in science by mentoring and providing opportunities to the next generation of scientists and participating in scientific outreach activities, scientific communications, and community service to inspire and inform local communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.