Research Capabilities

E4 labs cover 2300 ft2 of laboratory space across six rooms within the energy and the environment laboratory with each room covering a different area of focus covering a wide range of electrochemical science and engineering applications. They also contain 14 ft2 and 4 ft2 Supreme Air LV fume hoods with 70 FPM ventilation capacities, and an exhaustive chemical storage room. The lab rooms are supported by a centralized deionized water system (along with millipore systems), chilled water lines, compress air lines, and a robust gas exhaust infrastructure.

Rotating disk electrode (RDE) station

Stations: 2 × Pine research RDE stations
Rotation control: 50 to 10,000 RPM
Temperature capability: Heated bath measurements up to 80 °C
Available RDE electrode materials: Gold (Au), Platinum (Pt), Glassy Carbon (GC), Palladium (Pd)
Typical use: Reaction kinetics and mass-transport studies for electrocatalysis, redox couples, and corrosion electrochemistry

Compact glove box

Purifier/recirculation: Integrated closed-loop gas purification
Purity: < 1 ppm O2, < 1 ppm H2O
Gases: N2 / Ar / He (configuration dependent)
Pressure control: Positive/negative; auto control (±15 mbar)
Workspace/transfer: LABstar glovebox with main antechamber
Typical use: Electrode/material preparation, and sealed-cell assembly under inert atmosphere, battery testing

Potentiostats

Instruments: 2 × Gamry Reference 3000, 2 × Gamry Reference 600, 1 × Gamry Reference 600+, 1 × PalmSens Emstat pico, 1 × Pine wavenow XV potentiostats (All EIS capable)
Potential limits (Gamry): Ref 600 ±11 V; Ref 600+ ±12 V; Ref 3000 up to ±32 V @ ±1.5 A or ±15 V @ ±3 A
Current limits (Gamry): Ref 600 / 600+ ±600 mA; Ref 3000 up to ±3 A (or ±1.5 A in the high-voltage setting)
EIS range (Gamry 600/600+): Ref 600 10 µHz–1 MHz; Ref 3000 10 µHz–1 MHz; Ref 600+ 10 µHz–5 MHz
Typical use: Batteries/redox systems, corrosion, sensors, etc.

Scribner flow cell system

Instrument: Scribner model 892 data acquisition expansion system for fuel cell / flow cell
Channels: 16 (two factory-installed 8-channel modules)
Input type: 8 thermocouple + 8 analog (mV/V/mA); thermocouple types J, T, E, K, R, S, B, C
Range + performance: RS485 pass-through; directly supported by Scribner software
Form factor: 2U 19-inch rack mount
Typical use: Adds extra channels to log temperature, pressure, flow, and voltage signals for system diagnostics

Sputtering system

Instrument: Turbomolecular-pumped Q150V ES PVD system
Operational range: Up to 1 × 10−6 mbar (high-vac mode)
Coating modes: Metal sputtering, carbon rod evaporation, plasma cleaning
Supported sputter target materials: Pt, Pt/Pd, Au, Au/Pd, Ni, Ag, Pd, Cu, Cr, W, Al, Ti, Fe, Ir, Co, Sn, Mo, Mg, Ta, ITO
Targets in our lab: Cr, Pt, and carbon coating
Typical use: Conductive coatings for SEM sample prep and thin film coating for electrode testings

UV Vis spectrometer

Instrument: Shimadzu UV-1800 double beam spectrometer with spectroelectrochemical cell with low path length
Wavelength: 190 - 1100 nm
Spectral resolution: 1 nm
Photometric range: Absorbance −4.0 to +4.0 Abs
Precision: ± 0.3 nm (full range); repeatability ± 0.1 nm
Typical use: UV-Vis spectra, concentration/quantitation, and time-scan kinetics for electrolytes, redox species, and reaction monitoring

Corrosion testing systems

High temperature autoclave system: We use a high-temperature, high-pressure autoclave system to reproduce condensed-phase conditions found in power-plant steam cycles, up to 300 °C and 124 bar. The setup supports controlled flow, temperature monitoring, corrosion coupons, and in situ three-electrode electrochemical measurements.
High temperature electrophoresis: Our hydrothermal zetia potential setup combines a flow-through capillary cell, high-pressure optical access, and controlled electric fields to measure electrophoretic mobility at elevated temperature (up to 250 °C, 50 bar). In situ microscopy with PIV-based tracking provides quantitative, real-time particle dynamics in harsh aqueous environments.
Membrane based sensors: Our membrane based electrochemical sensor platform presses pipeline alloy coupons against an ion conductive Nafion membrane and measures corrosion using paired working electrodes with platinum counter and quasi reference electrodes through sealed feedthroughs. We evaluate uncoated X65 carbon steel and 316 stainless steel, plus protective coatings such as electrodeposited zinc and cold spray aluminum 7050, including controlled defects (scratches and partial coating removal) to quantify coating failure response.
Corrosion testing for gas pipelines: Our flow-loop platform reproduces key natural-gas pipeline environments by switching between humidified gas streams and condensed-phase fluids while continuously logging sensor electrochemical signals. For safety and control we use argon as a methane proxy, and we impose programmed transitions from low to high RH followed by DI water and salt solution to emulate real upset scenarios.

Bruker FTIR + In-situ spectroelectrochemistry

3D printers and Fabrication workshop

Instrument: Bruker INVENIO FTIR research spectrometer (modular platform)
Spectral range: Typical MIR configuration 8000 - 350 cm⁻¹; expandable from FIR to UV/VIS with optional optics
Resolution: Down to < 0.085 cm⁻¹ (configuration dependent)
Detectors: DGTS and MCT available
SEC hardware: Jackfish J2 three-electrode spectroelectrochemical cell + PIKE Veemax II variable-angle accessory with rotatable polarizer for polarization-controlled IR measurements
Advanced fabrication: Operando FTIR spectroelectrochemistry to track interfacial species, adsorbates, and reaction intermediates during electrochemical polarization.

Workspace: Dedicated fabrication and assembly bench space for custom test rigs and components
3D printing: Bambu and LulzBot printers for rapid prototyping (parts, fixtures, electrochemical cell components)
Electronics: Soldering station for wiring, sensor integration, and control hardware
Fluidics: Tubing, tube fittings, and adapters for building flow loops and test stands
Accessories available: Relays, heaters, chillers, controllers, thermocouples, pressure transducers, mass flow controllers)
Advanced fabrication: Access to university machine shop and engineering services for complex builds

Other capabilities and facilities available

We maintain a dedicated laboratory for spectroelectrochemical experiments and materials deposition, designed for controlled, alignment sensitive in situ measurements and electrode preparation. The space supports wet chemical processing for wafer and substrate preparation, including HF etching, piranha cleaning, aqua regia cleaning, and RCA cleaning protocols, along with solution based metal deposition workflows such as gold and platinum coatings. An optical table serves as a vibration-stable platform for the FTIR-based spectroelectrochemical setup, supporting consistent optical alignment during operando measurements. For device fabrication, we use a hydraulic press for membrane electrode assembly preparation, and we maintain furnaces for thermal treatments such as carbon electrode modification and calcination. All work is conducted using appropriate chemical handling procedures, dedicated personal protective equipment and fume hoods. All hazardous wet-chemistry processes are performed under Penn State EHS approved standard operating procedures (SOPs), with required training and controls in place.

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