Brian Tackett

Robert & Sally Weist Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering

FRNY 2158
Purdue University
School of Chemical Engineering
Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering
480 Stadium Mall Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2100
(765) 496-7235 (office)
(765) 494-0805 (fax)
B.S.   Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 2013
Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, 2019
NRC Postdoctoral Fellow, NIST, 2019 - 2021
Joined Purdue in 2021

Research Interests

Group Webpage

CISTAR Webpage

Electrocatalysis & Sustainability

Electrons originating from wind and solar power make it possible to reimagine global industries with electrified parts and processes, including molecular transformations that support a sustainable and circular carbon economy. We study and design electrocatalysts to facilitate these transformations, so CO2 and other waste chemicals can be recycled to useful products, instead of accumulating in the environment.

Fundamental Electrocatalysis: Renewable electrons transform CO2 and other molecules at the solid-liquid interface of an electrocatalyst. We use surface-sensitive techniques to study and optimize these interactions.

High-Throughput Operation: Electron-driven chemical transformations must be performed at large-scale to have significant impact on global sustainability goals. We use electrochemical flow cells to reach high reaction rates, while monitoring catalyst behavior with in-situ measurements.

Sustainable Transformations: Electrocatalysis research should support the broader picture of global sustainability. We use chemical engineering fundamentals combined with our experimental expertise to identify, evaluate, and optimize sustainable electron-driven chemical transformations.

Selected Publications

  • Tackett, B. M.; Raciti, D.; Walker, A. R. H.; Moffat, T. P. Surface Hydride Formation on Cu(111) and Its Decomposition to Form H2 in Acid Electrolytes. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2021, 12, 10936-10941. https://doi.org/10.1021/ACS.JPCLETT.1C03131.
  • Tackett, B. M.; Lee, J. H.; Chen, J. G. Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Syngas with Palladium-Based Electrocatalysts. Acc. Chem. Res. 2020, 53 (8), 1535-1544. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.0c00277.
  • Tackett, B. M.; Gomez, E.; Chen, J. G. Net Reduction of CO2 via Its Thermocatalytic and Electrocatalytic Transformation Reactions in Standard and Hybrid Processes. Nat. Catal. 2019, 2 (5), 381-386. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-019-0266-y.
  • Tackett, B. M.; Sheng, W.; Kattel, S.; Yao, S.; Yan, B.; Kuttiyiel, K. A.; Wu, Q.; Chen, J. G. Reducing Iridium Loading in Oxygen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalysts Using Core−Shell Particles with Nitride Cores. ACS Catal. 2018, 8 (3), 2615-2621. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.7b04410.
  • Tackett, B. M.; Sheng, W.; Chen, J. G. Opportunities and Challenges in Utilizing Metal-Modified Transition Metal Carbides as Low-Cost Electrocatalysts. Joule 2017, 1 (2), 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JOULE.2017.07.002.