Chemistry Department Faculty

Alexis Grimaud

Assistant Professor

Research

Our research lies at the frontier between materials science for the design of redox active materials and physical chemistry of liquid electrolytes. We apply these principles to understand and develop efficient electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices with an emphasis on secondary (rechargeable) batteries, water electrolyzers and the electrosynthesis of commodity chemicals. Our research relies on a solid-state chemist approach with the control of bulk redox and diffusion properties of transition metal-based materials for Li-ion batteries. Recognizing that bulk intercalation opens broad scientific opportunities beyond the simple study of novel Li-ion battery electrode materials, we investigate intercalation processes for fine-tuning of electronic properties of materials.聽 Furthermore, we seek to illuminate the influence of electrolyte on the charge transfer kinetics at the solid/liquid interfaces ubiquitous to electrochemical systems, and liquid/liquid interfaces relevant to applications such as recycling. To this end, we foster new strategies to control the liquid water environment at the nanoscale. Our approach allows drawing a molecular understanding on the role of solvation properties on reactions encompassing water oxidation and reduction, and more complex reactions relying on oxygen atom transfer using water as oxygen source.

SELECTED HONORS AND AWARDS

  • French Society of Chemistry (SCF) 鈥 Prize of the Chemistry for Energy Division, 2018
  • French National Founding Agency (ANR) Young Researcher Award, 2017

REPRESENTATIVE KEY PUBLICATIONS

  • Dubouis, N., Marchandier, T., Rousse, G., Marchini, F., Fauth, F., Avdeev, M., Iadecola, A., Porcheron, B., Deschamps, M., Tarascon, J.M. and Grimaud, A. 鈥淓nlarging insertion electrochemistry to soluble layered halides with superconcentrated electrolytes鈥, Nature聽Materials, 2021, 20, 1545-1550
  • Lagadec, M.-F and Grimaud, A. 鈥淲ater electrolyzers with closed and open systems鈥, Nature Materials, 2020, 19, 1140-1150
  • Dubouis, N., Serva, A., Berthin, R., Jeanmairet, G., Porcheron, B. Salager, E., Salanne, M. and Grimaud, A. 鈥淭uning the water reduction through controlled nanoconfinement within an organic liquid matrix鈥, Nature Catalysis, 2020, 3
  • Yang, C., Rousse, G., Svane, K.L., Pearce, P.E., Abakumov, A.M., Deschamps, M., Cibin, G., Chadwick, A.V., Alves Dalla Corte, D., Hansen, H.A., Vegge, T., Tarascon, J.-M. and Grimaud, A. 鈥淐ation insertion to break the activity/stability relationship for highly active oxygen evolution reaction catalyst鈥, Nature Communications, 2020, 11, 1378
  • Zhang, R., Dubouis, N., Ben Osman, M., Yin, W., Sougrati, M.T, Alves Dalla Corte, D., Giaume, D. and Grimaud, A. 鈥淒issolution/precipitation equilibrium on the surface of iridium-based perovskites as oxygen evolution reaction catalysts in acidic media鈥, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2019, 58, 4571-4575
  • Dubouis, N. Park, C. Deschamps, M. Abdelghani-Idrissi, S. Colin, A. Salanne, M. Dzubiella, J. Grimaud, A. and Rotenberg, B. 鈥淐hasing aqueous biphasic systems from simple salts byexploring the LiTFSI/LiCl/H 2 O phase diagram鈥, ACS Central Science, 2019, 54, 640-643