CPM Seminar

The Physics of Electron Transfer at Solid-Liquid Interfaces

Kirk Bevan

Materials Engineering
McGill University

The control and understanding of electron transfer phenonena has played a crucial role in the technological development of our society. In this lecture we'll explore how elementary electron transfer reactions at solid-liquid interfaces can be understood from the perspective of physicists, by bridging the language of both physics and chemistry. In particular, we'll focus on elementary electrochemical tunneling reactions and develop an understanding of how tools such as voltammetry can reveal important electronic structure information that can be harnessed and analyzed by the physical sciences in a manner analogous to solid-state spectroscopic tools. Important physical chemistry concepts such as the Gersicher-Hopfield electron transfer model, as well as solid state physics concepts such as Coulomb and Franck Condon Blockade will be explained on the same footing. By bridging the concepts of both communities, the physics and chemistry research communities will be further positioned to tackle the complex electrochemical interface problems that lie at the heart of our emerging carbon free and sustainably developed world.