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），以开展与扩大STEM代表性不足的群体参与有关的研究和活动计划。Ezpinosa博士的奖学金支持在赞助科学家的指导下进行的题为“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。该研究金的主办机构是位于美国加州帕萨迪纳的加州理工学院，赞助科学家是Theodor Agapie博士。该提案旨在研究影响电化学CO2还原中多相单原子催化剂选择性和活性的基本因素。该提案将利用电子共轭多金属菲咯啉大环催化剂，了解单原子催化剂的扩展电子结构对CO2还原为液体产品和燃料的催化活性和选择性的影响。该项目将合成新型均相单金属和多金属体系，其中电子结构和次级配位环境将系统地变化，并与催化活性和选择性进行比较。这项工作的成功实施可以允许开发涉及导电表面上的电子共轭金属中心的单原子催化剂，用于将CO2还原为可再生商品化学品和燃料。利用电化学还原将捕获的人为二氧化碳转化，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来源。PI打算通过指导和为下一代科学家提供机会，并参与科学外联活动、科学交流，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持的搜索.

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.