Dr. Kirtley’s research focuses on developing direct insights into high-temperature chemistry, with an eye on optimizing materials/processes that support environmental sustainability. For example, biofuels as an energy source in solid oxide fuel cells promise efficient, clean and renewable electricity generation. However, detrimental fuel-electrocatalyst interactions often undermine these advantages, especially at the required high-temperature, harsh environments. Dr. Kirtley plans to use his optical and electrochemical expertise to directly probe catalytic surface mechanisms on various materials, with the intent of guiding the design of new electrocatalysts. Another area of research includes developing biochar as a tunable platform for various environmental and even military applications. Biochar is produced when biomass is slowly heated under anaerobic conditions (pyrolysis). Because the product varies widely with its feedstock and heating method, rich opportunities exist to directly probe pyrolysis chemistry, while optimizing the products for various purposes.
