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Welcome to the Ćuk Lab

We are a group that investigates the fundamental principles of catalytic reactions at surfaces, such that they can be controlled for energy harvesting and for chemical synthesis.  The highly interdisciplinary research involves physical and inorganic chemistry, condensed matter and device physics, and surface science.

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Coherent Acoustic Interferometry during the Photodriven Oxygen Evolution Reaction Associates Strain Fields with the Reactive Oxygen Intermediate (Ti–OH*)

Oct. 4, 2021

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) from water requires the formation of metastable, reactive oxygen intermediates to enable oxygen–oxygen bond formation. Conversely, such reactive intermediates could also structurally modify the catalyst. A descriptor for the overall catalytic activity, the first electron and proton transfer OER intermediate from water, (M–OH*), has been associated with significant distortions of the metal–oxygen bonds upon charge-trapping. Time-resolved spectroscopy of in situ, photodriven OER on transition metal oxide surfaces has characterized M–OH* for the charge trapping and the symmetry of the lattice distortions by optical and vibrational transitions, respectively, but had yet to detect an interfacial strain field arising from a surface coverage of M–OH*.

Read more about Coherent Acoustic Interferometry during the Photodriven Oxygen Evolution Reaction Associates Strain Fields with the Reactive Oxygen Intermediate (Ti–OH*)

One-Electron Water Oxidation Intermediate on TiO2 P25 Probed by Ultrafast Attenuated Total Reflection

Oct. 4, 2021

Water oxidation is considered as one of the most important reactions in solar-to-fuel generation. The initial catalytic intermediates formed on an ultrafast timescale play a great role in controlling water oxidation reaction. Here, we use ultrafast in situ infrared attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy to study the initial water oxidation intermediates at a state-of-the-art TiO2 P25/aqueous interface.

Read more about One-Electron Water Oxidation Intermediate on TiO2 P25 Probed by Ultrafast Attenuated Total Reflection

The electron-transfer intermediates of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as polarons by in-situ spectroscopy

April 26, 2021

The conversion of diffusive forms of energy (electrical and light) into short, compact chemical bonds by catalytic reactions regularly involves moving a carrier (electron or hole) from an environment that favors delocalization to one that favors localization. While delocalization lowers the energy of the carrier through its kinetic energy, localization creates a polarization around the carrier that traps it in a potential energy minimum. The trapped carrier and its local distortion—termed a polaron in solids—can play a role as a highly reactive intermediate within energy-storing catalytic reactions but is rarely discussed as such. Here, we present this perspective of the polaron as a catalytic intermediate through recent in-situ and time-resolved spectroscopic investigations of photo-triggered electrochemical reactions at material surfaces.

Read more about The electron-transfer intermediates of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as polarons by in-situ spectroscopy

Free energy difference to create the M-OH* of the oxygen evolution reaction by time-resolved optical spectroscopy

April 19, 2021

Theoretical descriptors differentiate the catalytic activity of materials for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by the strength of oxygen binding in the reactive intermediate created upon electron transfer. Recently time-resolved spectroscopy of (photo)-electrochemically driven OER followed the vibrational and optical spectra of this intermediate, denoted M-OH*. However, these inherently kinetic experiments have not been connected to the relevant thermodynamic quantities. Here, we discover that picosecond optical spectra of the Ti-OH* population on lightly doped SrTiO3 are ordered by the surface hydroxylation.

Read more about Free energy difference to create the M-OH* of the oxygen evolution reaction by time-resolved optical spectroscopy

Accuracy in Resolving the First Hydration Layer on a Transition-Metal Oxide Surface: Experiment (AP-XPS) and Theory

Oct. 25, 2020

Understanding the equilibrium conditions at the metal oxide/aqueous interface is a key component toward visualizing the structure of water in confined environments and differentiating the catalytic activity of transition-metal oxides. While ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS) has been the primary technique to investigate the formation of a hydration layer on many surfaces, results over the extended relative humidity (RH) range accessible experimentally have not been compared quantitatively to theoretical predictions. With the use of first-principles theoretical methods and accumulated knowledge of AP-XPS spectral analysis, we do so here for a model surface, TiO2-terminated undoped SrTiO3(100) (STO).

Read more about Accuracy in Resolving the First Hydration Layer on a Transition-Metal Oxide Surface: Experiment (AP-XPS) and Theory

News

Tweets by @tanjacuk1
Congratulations to David Courter and James Stewart!

April 26, 2021

For both passing their qualification exams in Chemistry!

Read more about Congratulations to David Courter and James Stewart!

Congratulations to Hanna Lyle!

Sept. 13, 2020

For recently passing her exam and becoming a full-fledged phD candidate! Wonderful work, and so great to have you part of this group.

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Welcome to new graduate students!

July 16, 2020

Welcome to three new graduate students this summer: Michael Paolino (Physics), James Stewart (Chemistry), and David Courter (Chemistry)!

Read more about Welcome to new graduate students!

Basic Research Needs Workshop for Catalysis Science

Aug. 21, 2018

Last summer, a workshop was held by the Department of Energy to determine the vision for Catalysis Science in the coming decade. The results of the workshop have now been published. See a highlight on our research within Novel Approaches to Energy Transformations (Sidebar 1, pg. 83)!

Read more about Basic Research Needs Workshop for Catalysis Science

Ćuk Research Group

Department of Chemistry
University of Colorado at Boulder
Cristol Chemistry | 215 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0215

Ćuk office phone: 303-492-4813
Fax: (departmental, please specify recipient): 303-492-5894

 

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