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Overview

The Abruña Group focuses on the development and characterization of new materials using a wide variety of techniques for fuel cells, batteries, and molecular assemblies for molecular electronics.

Research Focus

Our research effort takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of electrochemical phenomena. We employ electrochemical techniques as probes of a variety of chemical systems, and we use other techniques such as x-ray based methods, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, in-situ FT-IR, scanned probe microscopies, scanning electrochemical microscopy, low temperature conductance and spectroscopic techniques to address problems of electrochemical interest.  Current areas of research include:

1.  Fuel cells:

•  The use of ordered intermetallics, such as BiPt for the electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid, methanol, ethanol and other small organic molecules of potential utility as fuels in fuel cells.

•  Use of Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry (DEMS), in-situ FT-IR in for mechanistic studies related to fuel cells.

•  Development of in-situ TEM techniques for the study of fuel cell and battery materials

2. Electrical Energy Storage (EES): Batteries and Supercapacitors

•  Computational screening synthesis and characterization of organic molecules for EES

•  In-situ testing of battery systems using in-situ x-ray based technique (XRD, EXAFS, XANES)

•  Lithium/sulfur batteries

3.  Molecular electronics:

•  The synthesis of nanometric building blocks and their use in molecular electronic devices.

•  Transport measurements using mechanical break junctions and break junctions made through electromigration

•  Investigations of graphene as an experimental electrochemical platform

•  Surface diffusion and surface dynamics on single-layer graphene using scanning electrochemical microscopy.

Publications

Academic Article

• .  Chemistry of Materials. 25:1436-1442. 2013
• .  J. Materials Chem..  1:1433-1440. 2013
• .  Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.  15:9051-9057. 2013
• .  Electrochemistry Communications.  28:40-43. 2013
• .  J. Am. Chem. Soc.  135:763-767. 2013
• .  Nature Materials.  12:81-87. 2013
• .  Journal of the American Chemical Society.  134:18453-18459. 2012
• .  Chemistry of Materials.  24:2274-2281. 2012
• .  Energy and Environmental Science.  7176-7187. 2012
• .  Nano Letters.  12:5230-5238. 2012
• .  IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.  58:826-834. 2011
• .  Journal of Solid State Chemistry.  184:7-11. 2011
• . Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.  12:12978-12986. 2010
• .  Journal of the American Chemical Society.  132:10218-10220. 2010
• .  Chemistry of Materials.  22:1080-1087.2010
• .  Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 114:14929-14938. 2010
• .  Journal of the American Chemical Society.  132:7244-7245. 2010
• .  Journal of Physical Chemistry C.  114: 21664-21671. 2010
• .  Journal of the American Chemical Society.  132:17664-17666. 2010
• .  Chemistry of Materials.  22:3451-3456. 2010
• .  The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.  114. 2010
• .  Chemistry - A European Journal.  16:13689-13697. 2010
• .  Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry.  626:14-22.2009
• .  Langmuir.  25:7725-7735. 2009
• .  Biomacromolecules.  10:2750-2758. 2009
• .  Journal of Nanoparticle Research.  11:965-980. 2009
• .  CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS.  21:2661-2667. 2009
• .  Journal of the Electrochemical Society.  155:B148-B148.2008
• .  Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.  10:3739-3751. 2008
• .  Journal of the American Chemical Society.  130:5452-5458. 2008
• .  ACS Nano.  2:2206-2212. 2008
• Polymer Brushes as Responsive Materials for the Biology-Material Interface.  Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering.  99:109-110. 2008
• .  Surface Science.  602:1830-1836. 2008
• . Journal of Physical Chemistry C.  111:17357-17369. 2007
• .  Inorganic Chemistry.  46:8976-8987. 2007
• .  Nano Letters.  6:1329-1333. 2006
• .  Chemistry of Materials.  18:5591-5596.2006
• .  Surface Science.  600:2670-2680. 2006
• .  Langmuir.  22:10465-10471. 2006
• .  Chemistry of Materials. 18:4296-4306. 2006
• .  Surface Science.  574:1-16. 2005
• .  Applied Environmental Microbiology.  71:4014-4021. 2005
• .  Journal of Bacteriology.  187:4077-4085. 2005
• .  Chemistry of Materials.  17:5871-5876. 2005
• .  Journal of the American Chemical Society.  126:4043-4049. 2004
• .  Journal of the Electrochemical Society.  151:A971-A977. 2004
• .  Thin Solid Films.  438-439:457-461. 2003
• .  Analytical Chemistry.  74:140-148. 2002
• .  Langmuir.  18:4892-4897. 2002
• .  Journal of Physical Chemistry.  90:4926-4928. 1986

Article

• .  Nature.  417:722-725. 2002

In the news

• Abruña honored for chemistry in the public interest
• Portraits honor 8 Cornell faculty as ‘new heroes’
• Héctor Abruña to be honored at Dreyfus Prize ceremony Oct. 23
• Cornell chemists tackle climate change
• Abruña receives 2025 Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Â鶹ÊÓƵ
• Cornell Energy Summit considers global energy needs
• First Level 3 EV fast-charging station opens on campus
• How a pervasive microorganism generates a greenhouse gas
• Chemist Héctor D. Abruña wins Enrico Fermi Award
• Abruña receives Global Energy Prize
• Strong momentum marks 2030 Project’s early fundraising results
• Archaic equation helps scientists control CO2 transformations
• From methane to microbes: 2030 Project conveys first grants
• $8.3M award boosts chemistry research into fuel cells, batteries
• Energy center receives $12.6 million in renewed funding
• Startups flourish in Cornell’s clean energy ecosystem
• Cornell joins NY-led group to propose hydrogen energy hub
• Carbon-coated nickel enables fuel cell free of precious metals
• New catalysts steer hydrogen fuel cells into mainstream
• Electric uprising: Factorial Energy—new lightning, new bottles
• Green hydrogen filling station fueled by Cornell research
• Abruña wins national award in analytical chemistry
• Crossing boundaries: Cornell’s thriving research ecosystem
• Chemistry professor honored by international society
• Ecolectro receives $1.7M from DOE to accelerate hydrogen fuel development
• Abruña honored by Electrochemical Society
• Hispanic-serving institutions partner with CHESS
• $10.75M grant aids next-gen fuel cell development
• A&S faculty member elected to National Academy of Â鶹ÊÓƵ
• McGovern Center incubator graduates a trio of startups
• Cornell collaboration reports unique property of bilayer graphene
• Chemists use electricity to amp up drug manufacturing
• Atkinson's Academic Venture Fund awards $1.8M to 15 projects
• A New Polymer for Low-Cost Fuel Cells