Contact
734-763-5167
Location
NCRC-B28 2004E (Faculty Office)
NCRC-B28 2109C (Research Lab)
Personal Pronouns
She / Her / Hers
Primary Website
Education
University of Michigan
PhD, Chemical Engineering, 2009
University of Michigan
MSE, Chemical Engineering, 2004
Oakland University
BS, Engineering Chemistry, 2003
Research Interests
Research interests: Heterogeneous catalysis/electrocatalysis
Electrocatalysis: Low temperature oxygen electrocatalysis in alkaline and acid media (ORR/OER); High temperature H2O and CO2 electrolysis using solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs); Energy storage in alkaline metal air batteries.
Thermal catalysis: Hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived feedstock; Hydrogenolysis of plastic waste; Oxidative coupling of methane; Thermal chemical reduction of CO2 to methanol; NOx adsorption and oxidation.
Professional Service
Associate Editor, Journal of Catalysis, 2020 – current.
Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of ACS Catalysis, 2019 – 2020.
Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of ACS Energy Letters, 2021 – current.
Member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2018 – current.
Member of the Editorial Board, Catalysis Communications, 2021 – current.
Biography
University of Michigan
Chemical Engineering Department
Professor, starting in August 2022
Wayne State University
Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department
Professor, 2020-2022
Wayne State University
Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department
Associate Professor, 2017-2020
Wayne State University
Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department
Assistant Professor, 2011-2017
California Institute of Technology
Chemical Engineering Department
Postdoctoral Scholar, 2009-2011
Awards
ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science, ACS Division of Catalysis Science & Technology and the ACS Publications journal ACS Catalysis, 2022.
College of Engineering Excellence in Teaching Award, Wayne State University, 2022.
The Michigan Catalysis Society Parravano Award for Excellence in Catalysis Research and Development, Michigan Catalysis Society, 2021.
WCC’s Rising Stars Award for 2019, ACS Women Chemists Committee (WCC), 2019.
Young Innovator Award in NanoEnergy, Nano Research, 2019.
Career Development Chair Award, Wayne State University, 2017-2018.
Class of Influential Researchers, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2017.
Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2016-2021.
Academy of Scholars’ Junior Faculty Award, Wayne State University, 2016-17.
WSU Engineering Student Faculty Board Community Engagement Award, Wayne State University, 2016.
Department of Energy Early Career Research Award, Office of Basic Energy Science, 2015.
Faculty Research Excellence Award, College of Engineering, Wayne State University, 2015.
National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, 2014.
Featured in “Movers and Shakers” in Catalysis, The Catalysis Review magazine, 2011.
Publications
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
*- corresponding author, ‡ – equal contributions
Tezel E., Guo D., Whitten A., Yarema G., Freire M., Denecke R.*, McEwen J-S*, Nikolla E.*, “Elucidating the Role of B-Site Cations toward CO2 Reduction in Perovskite-Based Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells”, J. Electrochem. Soc., https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac5e9b, 2022.
Herrera L. I. P., Freitas L., Hong J., Hoffman A. S., Bare S. R., Nikolla E.*, Medlin J. W.*, “Reactivity of Pd-MO2 inverted catalytic systems for CO oxidation”, Catal. Sci. Technol., 12, 1476-1486, 2022.
Samira, S.‡, Hong, J.‡, Camayang, J. C., Sun, K., Hoffman, A., Bare, S. R.*, Nikolla, E.*, “Dynamic Surface Reconstruction Unifies the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Performance of Nonstoichiometric Mixed Metal Oxides” J. Amer. Chem. Soc. Au, https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.1c00359, 2021.
Samira,S, Camayang J. C. A., Gu X-K, Nikolla E.*, “Modulating Catalytic Properties of Targeted Metal Cationic Centers in Non-Stochiometric Mixed Metal Oxides for Oxygen Electrocatalysis”, ACS Energy Lett.,6, 3, 1065–1072, 2021.
Nacy, A. M.‡, Freitas de Lima e Freitas, L.‡, Albarracin-Suazo, S., Ruiz-Valentin, G., Roberts, C.A., Nikolla, E.*, and Pagan-Torres, Y.J.*, “Selective C-O Bond Cleavage of Bio-Based Organic Acids over Palladium Promoted MoOx/TiO2”, ChemCatChem, 12, 1-6, 2020.
Freitas de Lima e Freitas, L.‡, Puértolas, B.‡, Zhang, J., Wang, B., Hoffman, A. S., Bare, S. R., Pérez-Ramírez, J.*, Medlin, J. W.*, and Nikolla, E.*, “Tunable Catalytic Performance of Palladium Nanoparticles for H2O2 Direct Synthesis via Surface-Bound Ligands”, ACS Catalysis, 10, 5202-5207, 2020.
Gu X-K‡, Camayang J. C. A.‡, Samira,S, Nikolla E.*, “Oxygen evolution electrocatalysis using mixed metal oxides under acidic conditions: Challenges and opportunities”, J. of Catalysis, 388, 130-140, 2020.
Carneiro J., Gu X-K, Tezel E., Nikolla E.*, “Electrochemical reduction of CO2 on Metal-based Cathode Electrocatalysts of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells”, I&EC Research, 10, 516-527, 2020.
Carneiro J., Williams J., Gryko A., Herrera L. P., Nikolla E.*, “A viewpoint on controlled synthesis of high surface area non-stoichiometric mixed metal oxides for electrocatalysis”, ACS Catalysis, 10, 1, 516-527, 2020.
Samira,S‡, Gu X-K‡, Nikolla E*, “Design Strategies for Efficient Oxygen Reduction on Non-stoichiometric Mixed Metal Oxides”, ACS Catalysis, 9, 11, 10575, 2019.
SamiraS‡, Deshpande S‡, Roberts C. A., Nacy A. M., Kubal J., Matesić K., Oesterling O, Greeley J.*, Nikolla E*, “Nonprecious Metal Catalysts for Tuning Discharge Product Distribution at Solid–Solid Interfaces of Aprotic Li–O2 Batteries”, Chemistry of Materials, 31 (18), 7300-7310, 2019.
Gu X.‡, CarneiroJ.‡, Samira S., Das A., Ariyasingha N., Nikolla E.*, “Efficient Oxygen Electrocatalysis by Nanostructured Mixed Metal Oxides”, J. of Amer. Chem. Soc., 140 (26), 8128–8137, 2018
Gu, X. K. & Nikolla, E.*, “Design of Ruddlesden–Popper Oxides with Optimal Surface Oxygen Exchange Properties for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution”, ACS Catalysis 7, 5912, 2017
Zhang J.‡, Wang B.‡, Nikolla E.*, Medlin J. W.*, “Directing Reaction Pathways Through Controlled Reactant Binding at Pd-TiO2 Interfaces”, Angew. Chemie, 129 (23), 6694, 2017.
Gu X., Nikolla E.*, “Fundamental Insights into High Temperature Water Electrolysis Using Ni-Based Electrocatalysts”, J. Phys. Chem. C, 119 (48), 26980, 2015.
Ma X. ‡, Carneiro J. ‡, Gu X. ‡, Qin H., Xin H., Sun K., Nikolla E.*, “Engineering complex, layered metal oxides: High performance nickelate oxide nanostructures for oxygen exchange and reduction”, Editors’ Choice – ACS Catalysis, 5 (7), 4013, 2015