Seminars

The Butler-Volmer (BV) equation, originally developed to fit Tafel’s law for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics, has become the Standard Model in electrochemical science and engineering, and yet a century later, it still lacks a clear physical basis.  In the seminal quantum theory of HER, Gurney (1932) proposed that electron transfer (ET) (or “neutralization”) is a fast step coupled to classical proton transfer (PT).  Marcus (1956) challenged this picture and developed a quantum theory of ET coupled to solvent reorganization. Cukier (1994) combined these ideas in a theory of proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) now used in quantum simulations. Here, we present a simple mathematical theory of coupled ion-electron transfer (CIET), which smoothly interpolates between Marcus-like and BV-like kinetics, depending on whether ET or IT is rate limiting, respectively.  CIET theory provides a critical, missing bridge between quantum chemistry and electrochemical engineering, as illustrated by examples of ion intercalation and electrodeposition in batteries and the dependence of HER kinetics on metal work function.

Martin Z. Bazant is the E. G. Roos (1944) Professor of Chemical Engineering and Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.  After a Ph.D. in Physics at Harvard (1997), he joined the MIT faculty in Mathematics (1998) and then Chemical Engineering (2008), where he served as Executive Officer from 2016 to 2020.  His awards include the Kuznetsov Prize in Theoretical Electrochemistry (ISE), the Acrivos Award in Chemical Engineering (AIChE), and the MITx Prize for Teaching in MOOCs.  He serves as President of the International Electrokinetics Society, Director of the Center for Battery Sustainability, and Chief Scientific Advisor for Saint-Gobain Research North America. He is also the co-founder and Chief Scientist of Lithios, Inc. commercializing electrochemical Advanced Lithium Extraction from brines.

*Refreshments will be provided plus a chance to talk with the speaker after their seminar till 4:50pm.