Dr. Veronica Augustyn, from the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at NC State has
won the a 2016 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award! Augustyn is one of 35 nationwide
recipients of the award. The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards provide funding
for research by junior faculty at Oak Ridge Associated Universities. These awards enrich the
research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities. The
award amount provided by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) is $5,000. North Carolina
State University, as a member of ORAU, is required to match that award with at least an
additional $5,000.
Augustyn plans to use the award to study the electrochemical interface of metal oxides in contact
with aqueous electrolytes. Specifically, the research will involve the synthesis of redox-active metal
oxide nanosheets which will be deposited on conductive and flat substrates .such as glassy carbon.
These electrodes will be studied ideal for probing electrochemical interfaces with in situ Raman
spectroscopy under electrochemical bias., and then further probed withIn addition, in situ scanning
probe microscopy will be performed in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Lab’s Center for
Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS). The successful outcome of this research will lead to better
understanding of interfacial mechanisms in metal oxides used in contact with aqueous electrolytes for
aqueous-based electrochemical energy storage. Such materials are attractive for low-cost, large-scale
energy storage for sustainable power grid applications.