Research Initiation Award: Introducing Electrochemistry in Hydrophobic Media Using Weakly Coordinating Cations

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科项目（HBCU-UP）研究启动奖（RIAs）为hbcu的STEM教师提供支持，让他们在自己的母校、美国国家科学基金会资助的中心、研究密集型机构或国家实验室进行研究。RIA项目将有助于进一步提高教师的研究能力和效率，改善其所在机构的研究和教学，并使本科生参与研究经验。在美国国家科学基金会的支持下，将在奥尔巴尼州立大学（ASU）建立一个电化学研究项目，该领域的教学和研究很少。此外，可持续能源研究的关键问题将被整合到这所以非洲裔美国人为主的教学机构的本科教育中，该机构主要为少数民族和得不到充分服务的学生提供服务。该计划将通过将电化学的基本原理与可再生能源的实践经验相结合，将STEM教育和研究联系起来，以产生更好的学习成果，并确保亚利桑那州立大学毕业生在大学和就业市场上取得成功。该项目的长期目标是解决与可再生能源及其在电池中的安全和可持续转换和存储有关的问题，以供适当设备使用。研究人员假设，可以在非极性溶剂中使用的电解质可以扩展测试其他氧化还原活性材料的能力，这可能会提高有机自由基电池（orb）和有机氧化还原液流电池（orfb）的性能。orb和orfb提供了制造轻便灵活的设备的可能性，这些设备具有与锂基电池相当的性能，但安全性更好，并且已经存在越来越多的需求。将合成一系列弱配位阴离子（wca）和阳离子（wcc），这些阴离子（wca）和阳离子具有多取代四芳基膦/四（五氟苯）硼酸盐的特征，作为新型电解质，可在低极性介质中实现电化学。电化学测量将在非极性溶剂中进行，电解质设计成可溶于溶剂，具有增加的离子迁移率，因此，提高了相对电导率。脉冲辐射分解实验包括时间分辨中红外研究将用于测定氧化还原活性分子在非极性溶剂中的氧化还原电位，并可能首次测量无电解质环境中的氧化还原电位。非极性环境下的氧化还原电位测定可以应用于更广泛的科学和工程领域，包括有机合成、管道石油处理、能源和生物。能源界将受益于该项目的综合结果，因为新设计的电解质和优越的氧化还原电位测量将导致更好地理解通过电子转移储存能量，特别是作为orb和orfb。该项目将与布鲁克海文国家实验室（BNL）和BNL的激光电子加速器设施（LEAF）合作进行。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) Research Initiation Awards (RIAs) provide support to STEM faculty at HBCUs to pursue research at their home institution, at an NSF-funded Center, at a research intensive institution or at a national laboratory. The RIA projects are expected to help further the faculty member's research capability and effectiveness, to improve research and teaching at their home institution, and to involve undergraduate students in research experiences. With support from the National Science Foundation, an electrochemistry research program will be established at Albany State University (ASU) where teaching and research in this field are scant. Additionally, critical issues in sustainable energy research will be integrated into undergraduate education at this predominantly African American teaching institution, which serves mainly minority, underserved students. This program will link STEM education and research by integrating fundamental principles of electrochemistry with hands-on experience in renewable energy, to produce better learning outcomes and ensure success in both college and the job market for ASU graduates. The long term goal of this project is to address issues related to renewable energy and its safe and sustainable conversion and storage in batteries for use in appropriate devices. The researchers hypothesize that electrolytes that can be used in non-polar solvents could expand the ability to test other redox-active materials, which may improve the performance of Organic Radical Batteries (ORBs) and Organic Redox Flow Batteries (ORFBs). ORBs and ORFBs offer the possibility of manufacturing lightweight and flexible devices with comparable performance but better safety than lithium-based batteries and for which increasing demands exist already. A series of weakly coordinating anions (WCAs) and cations (WCCs) featuring polysubstituted tetraarylphosphonium/tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate salts will be synthesized as novel electrolytes to enable electrochemistry in low-polarity media. Electrochemical measurement will then be conducted in non-polar solvents with electrolytes designed to be soluble in the solvents, having increased ion mobility and, therefore, improved relative conductivities. Pulse radiolysis experiments including time-resolved mid-infrared studies will be employed to determine redox potentials of redox-active molecules in non-polar solvents and, possibly to measure redox potentials in an electrolyte-free environment for the first time. Redox potential determinations in non-polar environments can be applied to a wider range of fields in science and engineering, including organic synthesis, petroleum handling in pipelines, energy, and biology. The energy community will benefit from the comprehensive results of this project as newly designed electrolytes and superior measurement of redox potentials will lead to a better understanding of energy storage by electron transfer, especially as ORBs and ORFBs. This project will be conducted in collaboration with the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) and BNL's Laser Electron Accelerator Facility (LEAF).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.