Dr Reshma Rao - Imperial College London

Research Fellowships 2022-23

Dr Reshma Rao aims to develop active, stable, and selective catalysts that can enable electrolysis of low-grade water such as seawater and wastewater. Devices that use renewable electricity to convert earth-abundant resources, such as seawater and wastewater, to high-value fuels, such as hydrogen, will enable a secure energy future. The use of low-grade water to produce hydrogen eliminates the need for water purification technologies required for current electrolysers, and thus widens the global reach of green hydrogen. However, the long-standing challenge of using low-grade water is the presence of ions and contaminants in it. These can have detrimental effects on the stability, activity, and selectivity of catalyst materials, impacting device efficiency, and lifetime.

Designing flexible and resilient systems requires an understanding of how materials perform in harsh operating environments and so rationally designing novel materials to improve performance. Dr Rao’s research focuses on characterising these electrochemical interfaces, using a combination of X-ray, optical, and vibrational spectroscopy, under typical operating conditions, to gain insight into the molecular processes limiting catalytic performance. This will enable her to determine the key material properties that govern a catalyst’s performance in devices and thus develop more resilient catalysts for green hydrogen production.

Personal website:

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/reshma.rao

https://www.linkedin.com/in/reshma-rao-511b384b/

https://twitter.com/Reshma_R_Rao