CI² is working to connect fundamental mechanisms of IIT at the interfaces between two immiscible liquids (e.g. that are hydrophilic, hydrophobic, and/or fluorophilic) with related mechanisms at solid/liquid IIT systems that are technology relevant but more difficult to study due to the challenges in controlling and measuring intermediates. This approach is analogous to the understanding derived from homogeneous catalysis compared to more complicated (but useful) heterogeneous catalysis. Liquid/Liq. interfaces are thus useful because:

By inventing new measurement platforms and theoretical and simulation approaches to solve longstanding limitations in studying IIT, CI² is working to deliver a general theoretical framework for IIT processes (Aim 1). This will be coupled with the development of methods to systematically control the interface to tune and measure thermodynamics, and time-resolve mechanisms using light stimulation (Aim 2). We then work to apply this knowledge to invent the new field of IIT catalysis and explore relevance to battery science, while building toolsets for understanding IIT heterogeneity at solid/liquid systems (Aim 3).