Education: ^top

PhD Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, 2015

BSE Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2009

Research Interests: ^top

Energy Storage, Renewable Fuels and Waste Remediation Our lab focuses on improving electrochemical processes to effectively use renewable electricity. Many renewable energy sources (solar, wind, etc.) provide electricity, but without an efficient or cost-effective method to convert the electricity to useful or storable products. Our goal is to develop processes to store energy, produce useful products such as transportation fuels or industrially-needed chemicals, and clean up waste streams varying from agricultural to low level nuclear waste. This includes experimental catalysis, electrocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, focusing on understanding how to drive reactions efficiently and selectively.

Current research thrusts focus on:

• Improving kinetics of charge transfer for redox flow batteries
• Converting sunlight or renewable electricity to fuels and chemicals
• Developing electrocatalysts for electrochemical wastewater remediation

To address these, we will develop new materials, find links between heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis, and use in situ spectroscopy of catalysts/electrocatalysts under operating conditions to better understand surface chemical reactions.

Biography: ^top

Professional Experience

University of Michigan
Chemical Engineering Department
Ann Arbor, Michigan

Assistant Professor, 2017-

University of Washington Clean Energy Institute and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

WRF Innovation Fellow, 2016-1017
Post Doctorate Research Scientist, 2015-2017
Advisors: Charles Campbell and Johannes Lercher

University of California-Santa Barbara

PhD Candidate, 2010-2015
Advisors: Eric W. McFarland and Horia Metiu

Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation
University of Queensland-Brisbane, QLD

Staff, Summer 2014

Air Products and Chemicals
Energy Technology R&D
Allentown, PA

Intern, Summer 2013

Transphorm, Inc.
Santa Barbara, CA

Intern, January 2010-August 2010
Intern, Summer, 2009

Awards: ^top

1st Place Perfect Pitch-Clean Energy Institute-University of Washington, 2016

Washington Research Foundation Innovation Fellowship-University of Washington, 2016-2018

Air Products and Chemicals Fellowship-UC-Santa Barbara, 2013

ConvEne IGERT Fellowship-UC-Santa Barbara, 2011

Heslin Fellowship-UC-Santa Barbara, 2010

James B. Angell Scholar-University of Michigan-March, 2009

Publications: ^top

Journal Articles

1. N. Singh, Y. Song, O. Gutiérrez, D. Camaioni, C. Campbell, J. Lercher, Electrocatalytic Hydrogenation of Phenol over Platinum and Rhodium: Unexpected Temperature Effects Resolved, ACS Catal., (2016), 6, pp 7466-7470. DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.6b02296
2. N. Singh, M. Gordon, H. Metiu, E.W. McFarland, Doped Rhodium Sulfide and Thiospinels as Hydrogen Evolution and Oxidation Electrocatalysts in Strong Acid Electrolytes, J. Applied Electrochem., (2016), 46, pp 497-503. DOI: 10.1007/s10800-016-0938-0
3. F. Plascencia-Hernández, G. Valverde-Aguilar, N. Singh, A. R. Derk, E. W. McFarland, F. Zaera, N. Cayetano-Castro, R. Vásquez-Arreguín, Miguel A. Valenzuela, Photocatalytic hydrogen production from aqueous methanol solution using Pt nanocatalysts supported on mesoporous TiO2 hollow shells, J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol., (2016), 77, pp 39-47. DOI: 10.1007/s10971-015-3826-x
4. D.M. Fabian, S. Hu, N. Singh, F.A. Houle, T. Hisatomi, K. Domen, F. Osterloh, S. Ardo, Particle Suspension Reactors and Materials for Solar-Driven Water Splitting, Energ Environ. Sci., (2015), 8, pp 2825-2850. DOI: 10.1039/C5EE01434D
5. N. Singh, E.W. McFarland, Levelized cost of energy and sensitivity analysis for the hydrogen-bromine flow battery, J. Power Sources, (2015), 288, pp 187-198. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.04.114
6. M. Seal, N. Singh, E.W. McFarland, J. Baltrusaitis, Electrochemically Deposited Sb and In Doped Tin Sulfide (SnS) Photoelectrodes, J. Phys. Chem. C, (2015), 119, pp 6471-6480. DOI: 10.1021/jp512927y
7.  T. Nguyen, J. Masud, N. Singh, E. McFarland, M. Ikenberry, K. Hohn, C. Pan, and B. Hwang, A RhxSy/C Catalyst for the Hydrogen Oxidation and Hydrogen Evolution Reactions in HBr, J. Electrochem. Soc., (2015), 162, pp F455-F462. DOI: 10.1149/2.0901504jes
8. N. Singh, J. Hiller, H. Metiu, E. W. McFarland, Investigation of the Electrocatalytic Activity of Rhodium Sulfide for Hydrogen Evolution and Hydrogen Oxidation, Electrochim. Acta, (2014), 145, pp 224-230. DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2014.09.012
9. S. Mubeen, J. Lee, W. Lee, N. Singh, G. D. Stucky, M. Moskovits, On the Plasmonic Photovoltaic, ACS Nano, (2014), 8, pp 6066-6073. DOI: 10.1021/nn501379r
10.  J. Masud, J. Walter, T. V. Nguyen, G. Liu, N. Singh, E. McFarland, H. Metiu, M. Ikenberry, K. Hohn, C. Pan, B. Hwang, Synthesis and Characterization of RhxSy/C Catalysts for HOR/HER in HBr, ECS Trans., (2014), 58, pp 37-43. DOI: 10.1149/05837.0037ecst
11. N. Singh, D. C. Upham, R. Liu, J. Burk, N. Economou, S. Buratto, H. Metiu, E. W. McFarland, Investigation of the Active Sites of Rhodium Sulfide for Hydrogen Evolution/Oxidation Using Carbon Monoxide as a Probe, Langmuir, (2014) 30, pp 5662-5668. DOI: 10.1021/la500723y
12. N. Singh, S. Mubeen, J. Lee, H. Metiu, M. Moskovits, E. McFarland, Stable electrocatalysts for autonomous photoelectrolysis of hydrobromic acid using single-junction solar cells, Energ Environ. Sci., (2014), 7, pp 978-981. DOI: 10.1039/C3EE43709D
13. N. Singh, C. Upham, H. Metiu, E. W. McFarland, Gas-Phase Chemistry to Understand Electrochemical Hydrogen Evolution and Oxidation on Doped Transition Metal Sulfides, J. Electrochem. Soc., (2013), 160, pp A1902-A1906. DOI: 10.1149/2.002311jes
14. T. V. Nguyen, H. Kreutzer, V. Yarlagadda, E. McFarland and N. Singh, HER/HOR Catalysts for the H2-Br2 Fuel Cell System, ECS Trans., (2013), 53 (7), pp 75-81. DOI: 10.1149/05307.0075ecst
15. S. Mubeen, J. Lee, N. Singh, S. Kramer, G. D. Stucky, M. Moskovits, An autonomous photosynthetic device in which all charge carriers derive from surface plasmons, Nature Nano., (2013), 8, pp 247-251. DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2013.18
16. S. Mubeen, J. Lee, N. Singh, M. Moskovits, E. W. McFarland, Stabilizing inorganic photoelectrodes for efficient solar-to-chemical energy conversion, Energ Environ. Sci., (2013), 6 (5), pp 1633-1639. DOI: 10.1039/C3EE40258D
17.  S. Mubeen, N. Singh, J. Lee, G. D. Stucky, M. Moskovits, E. W. McFarland, Synthesis of Chemicals Using Solar Energy with Stable Photoelectrochemically Active Heterostructures, Nano Lett., (2013), 13 (5), pp 2110-2115. DOI: 10.1021/nl400502u
18. A. Ivanovskaya, N. Singh, R. Liu, H. Kreutzer, J. Baltrusaitis, T.V. Nguyen, H. Metiu, E. McFarland, Transition Metal Sulfide Hydrogen Evolution Catalysts for Hydrobromic Acid Electrolysis, Langmuir, (2013), 29 (1), pp 480-492. DOI: 10.1021/la3032489
19. W. Cheng, N. Singh, J.A. Macià-Agulló, G.D. Stucky, E.W. McFarland, J. Baltrusaitis, Optimal experimental conditions for hydrogen production using low voltage electrooxidation of organic wastewater feedstock, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, (2012), 37 (18), pp 13304-13313. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.06.073

Manuscripts Under Review

1. W. Cheng, N. Singh, A. Rassoolkhani, J. Lee, E. McFarland, X. Jin, S. Mubeen, Earth Abundant Tin Sulfide-Based Photocathodes for Solar H2 Production. Submitted to Advanced Science.

Patents

1. Syed, M., Young, T., McFarland, E., Singh, N., Lee, J., Moskovits, M., 2015/0303540 A1. Process and systems for stable operation of electroactive devices.
2. McFarland, E., Young, T., Singh, N., Syed, M., US13676901, Photoelectrosynthetically active heterostructures.