Adaptive interfaces for electrified chemical synthesis

Title: Adaptive interfaces for electrified chemical synthesis

Speaker: Prof Fengwang Li, University of Sydney

Abstract: Electrocatalytic reactions occur at interfaces in which catalyst structure, adsorbates, solvent molecules, ions and molecular modifiers interact under applied potential. A central challenge is therefore not simply to design an active catalyst, but to determine which features of the interface should remain well defined, which should be allowed to respond, and how these responses can be coupled to productive reaction pathways. In this seminar, I will discuss our efforts to develop such selectively adaptive interfaces using electrochemical CO2 reduction and ammonia oxidation reactions as model systems. We first use molecular coordination and crystallographic surface control to establish well-defined catalytic environments that regulate intermediate binding and bond-forming reactions. In CO2 electroreduction, we then move beyond the active site itself and show how immobilised molecular layers and polymeric ions can regulate proton availability and the hydrogen-bonding structure of interfacial water, redirecting reaction pathways without changing the underlying metal catalyst. Finally, I will show how structural evolution can itself become a design variable. During ammonia oxidation, bias-driven formation of a Pt–NiOOH interface promotes productive N–N coupling while suppressing poisoning pathways, transforming conventional catalyst deactivation into self-activation. Together, these studies suggest a framework of selective adaptation: preserving catalytic identity where it is essential, while programming interfacial degrees of freedom to respond where change is beneficial. More broadly, this shifts electrocatalyst design from controlling only the material we synthesise towards controlling the operating state and the trajectory by which the interface reaches it.

Biography: Fengwang Li is an Associate Professor and ARC Future Fellow in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Sydney. He leads the Electrochemical Engineering Laboratory, where his research focuses on electrocatalysis and electrochemical engineering for sustainable chemical and energy conversion. His group develops catalyst and interfacial design strategies for CO2 electrocatalysis, green hydrogen and ammonia chemistry, with particular interests in understanding and controlling dynamic electrochemical interfaces through molecular engineering, operando spectroscopy and device-level studies. Fengwang received his PhD in Chemistry from Monash University and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto. His research has been recognised by the Australian Academy of Science Le Fèvre Medal, the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Outstanding Early Career Researcher, and inclusion among Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers. He is also an Associate Editor of SmartMat.