Holly Fruehwald

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Waterloo

Although intricate structural assemblies contribute to enhancing the activity of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECR) to C2+ products, blindly coupling multiple design strategies may not yield the expected results, and even inhibit the activity of intrinsic catalytic sites. Therefore, elucidating the promoting or inhibitory effects of each design s...

Achieving large-scale electrochemical CO2 reduction to multicarbon products with high selectivity using membrane electrode assembly (MEA) electrolyzers in neutral electrolyte is promising for carbon neutrality. However, the unsatisfactory multicarbon products selectivity and unclear reaction mechanisms in an MEA have hindered its further developmen...

Blood is an important type of forensic evidence because it can be used for source identification, toxicological analyses, and bloodstain pattern interpretation. Determining the time that bloodshed occurred, often described as the bloodstain’s time since deposition (TSD), has important implications for crime scene investigation. In this work, we foc...

Dual-purpose fuel cell/supercapacitor materials were made by covalent embedding of phenazin-iron adducts into various commercial carbon supports (Vulcan XC-72, Black Pearls 2000, Ketjen Black 600). The diazonium coupling reaction allows for controlled deposition of nitrogen functionalities to the carbon supports via the formation of the strong carb...

Novel oxygen evolution catalysts were prepared through diazonium coupling chemistry to covalently modify Vulcan carbon via terpyridine (tpy) motifs followed by coordination of non-precious transition metal (Ni, Co) to the...

Novel hybrid supercapacitor materials were made by the covalent immobilization of nitrogenous ligands onto the surface of commercial carbon support (Vulcan XC-72), then coordinated to iron. The covalent attachment of the nitrogenous ligands allows for the controlled deposition of nitrogen functionalities on the surface of the carbon. The supercapac...

The growing interest in electrochemistry over recent years has sparked an increase in the popularity of various electrochemical techniques, including more advanced methods, that have previously been overlooked in academia and industry. This makes comprehensive hands-on experience in electrochemistry a highly demanded addition to chemistry graduates...

A novel oxygen evolution catalyst was prepared by reacting NiCl 2 ·6H 2 O with electrochemically exfoliated graphene oxide (EGO) using mild reaction conditions, leading to the simultaneous formation and deposition of Ni oxide nanoparticles onto EGO.

Invited for this month's cover picture are the groups of Brad Easton and Olena Zenkina at Ontario Tech University (Canada). The cover picture shows an artistic dipcition of a treasure map quest for unique M‐N3 non‐platinum group metal fuel cell catalysts. Read the full text of the Article at 10.1002/celc.202000954. “Understanding the role the metal...

The Front Cover shows an artistic depiction of a treasure map quest for unique M–N3 non‐platinum‐group metal fuel cell catalysts. More information can be found in the Article H. M. Fruehwald et al.

The roles of various transition and post‐transition metals in model non‐precious‐metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are reported after being prepared via a molecularly defined terpyridine unit covalently attached to a carbon black support. We previously reported the use of a terpyridine‐modified iron‐based catalyst that allowed...

We report here an investigation of the role that various carbon supports have on a model non-precious metal catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) prepared through a molecularly defined terpyridine moiety covalently embedded onto various high surface area carbons (Black Pearls 2000, Ketjen Black 600, Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes). A terp...

As populations grow world-wide, there is an ever increasing need for more sustainable and renewable energy sources to keep up with the high demand of energy needed. One promising high energy source is the water splitting reaction where water is split into hydrogen and oxygen gas. However, the materials usually required to facilitate this reaction a...

Non-noble catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are in high demand for fuel cell technology due to their use of low cost and widely available starting materials. The development of these catalysts has been a constantly growing area. However, to the extent of our knowledge, there have only been a few literature reports that provide insig...

The influence of the presence of chloride ions (Cl⁻) on the electrochemical stability of a porous carbon black electrode was examined. Using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), we have observed that the durability of this porous carbon layer, similar to those used in fuel cells and supercapacitors, is altered i...

Novel water oxidation reaction (WOR) catalysts prepared via spontaneously depositing Ru on electrochemical graphene oxide (EGO), Ru(III)@EGO and Ru(VII)@EGO, produced outstanding specific activities over 100 A g-1 (@ 1.8 VRHE),...

Reduced bandgap metal oxide materials are consider an alternative to carbon black supports for fuel cell catalysts. Here we report a unique N-enriched titanium nanotube suboxide doped with molybdenum (TNTS-Mo) fuel cell catalyst support. The support was prepared by the surface modification of a TNTS-Mo with a terpyridine (TPY) ligand, yielding TPY/...

Non-precious metal catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are of great interest for fuel cell technology due to their low cost and wide availability of materials. Development of these catalysts has been a constantly growing area. However, there have been very few literature reports that provide insights into the precise nature of the str...

As populations grow worldwide, there is an ever-increasing need for sustainable and renewable energy sources to keep up with the high demand of energy. One promising technology is electrochemical water-splitting, which creates hydrogen and oxygen at the cathode and anode, respectively. Developing viable, stable catalysts for water splitting is crit...

Sulfonated silica-based ceramic carbon electrodes (SS-CCE) are prepared using low-cost organosilane precursors that are mixed with the carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C) catalyst in monomer form, and subsequently polymerized and coated onto a gas diffusion layer in a single step. Our lab has demonstrated that that SS-CCEs can achieve similar H 2 /O 2...

Here we report on strong potential for mercury Hg(II) detection and uptake demonstrated by 2,6-bis(2-thienyl)pyridine molecular receptor (L). Coordination affinity of L with Hg(II) was studied experimentally and computationally. Based on the results of ¹H NMR and Density Functional Theory (DFT), L binds to Hg(II) via SNS chelation. L demonstrates a...

A model for a non‐precious metal catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in aqueous media has been prepared by functionalizing a commercial Vulcan XC‐72 carbon support with a terpyridine‐based nitrogenous ligand. The terpyridine ligand geometry allows the formation of active catalytic sites by selectively embedding an N3/C structural motif...

The ability to form complex 3D architectures using nanoparticles (NPs) as the building blocks and complex macromolecules that direct these assemblies remains a challenging objective for nanotechnology. Here we report results in which the partial substitution of classical Turkevich citrate-capped gold NPs by a novel, heteroaromatic ligand (L) result...

Sulfonated-silica ceramic carbon electrodes (SS-CCE) were prepared by an in-situ sol-gel reaction where tetraethylorthosilicate and 3-trihydroxysilyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (TPS) are polymerized in the presence of a commercial Pt/C catalyst. The resultant catalyst layer is a promising candidate for application in proton exchange membrane fuel cells...