Sebastian is a student in the PREM program at CHESS.
The focus of Sebastian's research is to improve the efficiency while simultaneously lowering the costs of production of both electrolytic cells and fuel cells.
What is your home institution and your expected graduation year?
My home institution is the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus. I expect to graduate in May 2024.
Which CLASSE summer program are you a part of and who is your mentor?
I am a PREM member, my mentor is Louise Debefve, and I've also been working with Joesene Soto from Abruña's lab.
What is the research you are engaged in and what have you accomplished so far this summer? What are you hoping to accomplish by the end of your project?
The focus of my research is to improve the efficiency while simultaneously lowering the costs of production of both electrolytic cells and fuel cells. This could help in the fight against climate change, having an easier and more viable way to make and use Hydrogen as a fuel source. I've been electrochemically testing different iterations of my material while also learning how to analyze XAS data taken at CHESS, which gives us lots of in depth information about what is happening to our element of choice, and what surrounds it. By the end of the summer, I would like to be proficient at analyzing this type of data, and to test all the samples I brought from home.
What are the impacts of your research for the general public?
My area of research will help develop better catalysts for electrolytic cells and fuel cells while lowering the costs of production of them, making them more viable on a industrial scale.
What are you enjoying most about this research/summer experience?
I've really enjoyed the freedom I've been given by my mentors in regards to how I go about my work. I've learned a lot, and things I found extremely complicated I now know how to do. I've also met lots of new people, be it REU students or training partners at the Jiujitsu school I'm training at.
What are you finding the most challenging about this research?
For me, the most challenging aspect of my summer research experience has been the amount of time I have to spend on analyzing XAS data. I've learned how to analyze this type of data, but I'm still very much a novice when it comes to this, so its very time consuming for me, and sometimes it can be frustrating.
How has this experience changed your view about being a researcher?
It has shown me how researchers live and work day to day. How they organize themselves, what their days consist of. It's been very informative on how my life would go if I decide to go into graduate school for research.