CHEM387

Description

This course combines lecture and laboratory to serve as an immersive experience for understanding fundamental principles in electrochemistry, such as thermodynamics, kinetics and mass transport. Students will carry out experiments and apply electrochemical techniques to probe molecular relationships governing electricity and chemical reactions. We meet once each week for a 4 hr laboratory comprised of a pre-lab discussion followed by electrochemical experimentation. Students will explore the interdisciplinary nature of electrochemistry by engineering and characterizing electroactive electrodes of nanostructured materials such as conducting polymers, carbon allotropes and metal (oxy)hydroxides. Technologies and processes of great relevance to our modern industrial world, such as electrolysis, corrosion and catalysis, will play a central role in discussions and experimental methods. Fundamental theories in electrochemistry will be introduced during lecture, while in the laboratory students will experiment with the fabrication, testing and characterization of electrochemical energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors. May be repeated for credit (twice).