Vagelos Institute Lecture in Energy Science and Technology

Deep decarbonization of industry and heavy-duty transportation will require the efficient production, distribution, and utilization of lower-carbon chemical fuels. Relatively mature technologies exist for producing hydrogen from water using renewable electricity, but hydrogen is difficult to store and transport, impeding its direct adoption for deep decarbonization. Thus, a renewable fuels economy requires efficient methods for storing hydrogen equivalents in density energy carriers and releasing them efficiently at the point of use. In this vein, methanol, ammonia, and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) have emerged as promising candidate fuel vectors. We have developed a deep mechanistic understanding of the factors that control the efficiency of CO2 reduction to CO, the key intermediate required for methanol production and have developed new strategies for promoting the efficient release of hydrogen from ammonia and LOHCs. This talk will discuss the advantages and tradeoffs of each fuel vector and the challenges and opportunities for realizing deep decarbonization via the electrochemically-driven production and interconversion of chemical fuels. 

Bio

Yogesh (Yogi) Surendranath is Professor of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He holds dual bachelor's degrees in chemistry and physics from the University of Virginia and a PhD in inorganic chemistry from MIT, obtained under the direction of Professor Daniel Nocera. After receiving his PhD, Professor Surendranath undertook postdoctoral studies as a Miller Research Fellow at UC Berkeley, under the direction of Professor Paul Alivisatos. In 2013, he launched his independent research program at MIT. The Surendranath group aims to address frontier challenges in energy conversion and sustainability by controlling interfacial reactivity at the molecular level.