Harry O. Finklea

Professor, C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry @ West Virginia University

Phone: 304.293.3435 x6408

Email: Harry.Finklea@mail.wvu.edu

Website: www.wvu.edu/~chemistry/people/HarryOFinklea.html

Electrochemistry, electron transfer kinetics, solid oxide fuel cells, photoelectrochemistry

Electron Transfer Kinetics

Fundamental investigations of the factors affecting electron transfer kinetics accompanied by bond breaking and bond formation, with emphasis on protoncoupled electron transfer. Electron transfer kinetics measurements are performed on redox couples attached to self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols on gold electrodes. Data analysis uses Marcus theory.

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Protocols for characterizing solid oxide fuel cells and half-cells electrochemically to sort out the factors determining the performance of the SOFCs. Projects are focused on both the anode (with an interest in using coal syngas as the fuel) and the cathode (with an interest in reducing the kinetic losses of oxygen reduction at lower operating temperatures). Interest in developing in situ optical spectroscopy methods for SOFCs and in novel anode and cathode structures.

Photo-electrochemistry

Photo-electrochemical and photocatalytic properties of anion-doped TiO2 nanowires.