B.S., Chemistry, Emporia State University, 1976 M.S., Chemistry, Emporia State University, 1978 Ph.D., Chemistry, The University of Texas at Austin, 1981 Honors and Awards EaStCHEM Intern'l Visiting Fellowship lecturer, U. of Edinburgh & St. Andrews, Scotland 2008 George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry, Amer. Chem. Soc. (ACS) 2007 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2004 University de Paris-Sud, Professeur Invite', Orsay, France, 2001 Osaka Nat'l Res. Inst., AIST Guest Researcher Awards, Osaka, Japan, 1999 and 2000 Keynote Address, Brazilian Vacuum Society Annual Conf., Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, 2000 Fellow of the American Vacuum Society (AVS), 1999 Distinguished Alumnus of Emporia State University, 1998 Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), 1996

Our research involves investigating and understanding chemical reactions at surfaces. Interfacial processes and surface chemistry are at the heart of a wide range of technologies, including those associated with the chemical and petroleum industries, functioning of batteries and fuel cells, production of microelectronic devices, and design and fabrication of sensors and diagnostic devices. Surfaces play key roles in heterogeneous processes in environmental and atmospheric chemistry. By discovering novel methods to alter and control surface chemistry, we seek to develop new catalysts for specialty chemical synthesis, make advanced materials with novel properties, and build functional nanostructures. Surfaces are central to nanoscience and technology, modifying and controlling important properties of nanoparticles and electrical contacts. We employ a wide array of surface analytical techniques in our work, including scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HR-XPS), low energy ion scattering (LEIS), and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). Current research activities include: (i) structure and chemistry of alloy and oxide films at bimetallic Pt surfaces; (ii) characterization of active sites of heterogeneous catalysts for olefin metathesis; (iii) photochemistry at hematite surfaces for production of renewable hydrogen; (iv) in-situ high resolution studies of the solid electrolyte interphase layer in batteries; (v) surface-modified iron and iron oxide nanoparticles for enhanced remediation of U(VI)-contaminated groundwater; (vi) liquid metals as plasma-facing materials for fusion energy systems; and (vii) fundamental studies of deuterium retention in solid and liquid metals. Other projects being started include: (i) catalysis by nanoparticles for sustainable hydrogen production from biomass; (ii) establishing the role of the electrode surface in solar-driven pyridine-catalyzed CO2 reduction; (iii) reactions at iron-enriched mineral interfaces and implications for catalytic oxidation of aqueous contaminants; (iv) plasmon-enabled chemistry; (v) fundamental studies of reactive processes at plasma-surface interfaces; and (vi) plasma-driven synthesis of nanomaterials.

“Controlling Acetylene Adsorption and Reactions on Catalytic Pt-Sn Surfaces”, J. Gao, H. Zhao, X. Yang, B. E. Koel, S. G. Podkolzin, ACS Catal., 3, 1149-53 (2013). Chapter 9 “Combining Vibrational Spectroscopies with Quantum Chemical Calculations for Molecular-Level Understanding of Reaction Mechanisms on Catalytic Surfaces”, S. G. Podkolzin, G. B. Fitzgerald, B. E. Koel, , in ACS Symposium Series, Vol. 1133, Applications of Molecular Modeling to Challenges in Clean Energy, G. B. Fitzgerald and N. Govind, (Eds.), (ACS, 2013), pp. 153-176. “Alloy formation and chemisorption at Zn/Pt(111) bimetallic surfaces using Alkali ISS, XPD, and TPD”, C.-S. Ho, E. Martono, S. Banerjee, J. Roszell, J. Vohs, and B. E. Koel, J. Phys. Chem. A, Article ASAP,DOI: 10.1021/jp4006668, Publication Date (Web): May 6, 2013 “Highly Stable Pt–Au@Ru/C Catalyst Nanoparticles for Methanol Electro-Oxidation”, Q. He, B. Shyam, N. Masahiko, X. Yang, B. E. Koel, F. Ernst, D. Ramaker, and S. Mukerjee, J. Phys. Chem., 117(3), 1457-1467 (2013). “Iron nanoparticles for environmental clean-up: recent developments and future outlook”, W. Yan, H.-L. Lien, B. E. Koel and W.-X. Zhang, Environ. Sci.: Processes and Impacts, 15, 63-77 (2013). “Plasma Facing Surface Composition During NSTX Li Experiments”, C. H. Skinner, R. Sullenberger, B. E. Koel, M. A. Jaworski, and H.W. Kugel, J. Nuclear Mater., (2013), in press, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2013.01.136. “Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Study of Novel Cu and Fe-based Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction in Alkaline Media”, Q. He, X. Yang, R. He, A. Bueno-López, H. Miller, X. Ren, and W. Yang and B. E. Koel, J. Power Sources, 213, 169-179 (2012). “Activation of tungsten carbide catalysts by use of an oxygen plasma pretreatment”, X. Yang, Y. C. Kimmel, J. Fu, B. E. Koel and J. G. Chen, ACS Catalysis, 2(5), 765-769 (2012). “Intra-particle reduction of arsenite (As(III)) by nanoscale zerovalent iron (nZVI) investigated with in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy”, W. Yan, R. Vasic, A. Frenkel and B. E. Koel, Environ. Sci. Technol., 46(13), 7018-7026 (2012). “Nano-faceted C/Re(11-21): Fabrication, Structure and Template for Synthesizing Nanostructured Model Pt Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction”, X. Yang, B. E. Koel, H. Wang, W. Chen, and R. A. Bartynski, ACS Nano, 6(2), 1404-1409 (2012). “As(III) Sequestration by Iron Nanoparticles (nZVI): Study of Solid-Phase Redox Transformations with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy”, W. Yan, M. A. Ramos, B. E. Koel, and W.-X. Zhang, J. Phys. Chem. C, 116(9), 5303-5311 (2012). “Role of Surface Iron in Enhanced Activity for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction on a Pd3Fe(111) Single-Crystal Alloy”, X. Yang, J. Hu, J. Fu, R. Wu, and B. E. Koel, Angew. Chem. Internat. Ed., 50(43), 10182-10185 (2011). “A novel CuFe-based catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline media”, Q. He, X. Yang, X. Ren, B. E. Koel, N. Ramaswamy, S. Mukerjee, and R. M. Kostecki, J. Power Sources, 196(18), 7404-7410 (2011). “Multi-tiered distributions of arsenic in iron nanoparticles: Observations of dual redox functionality enabled by a core-shell structure”, W. Yan, M. A. Ramos, B. E. Koel, and W.-X. Zhang, Chem. Comm., 46(37), 6995-6997 (2010). “Studies Of Ethylene Oxide Adsorption On Pt-Sn Alloys with TPD, HREELS, UPS and DFT Calculations”, J. Kim, J. Fu, S. Podkolzin, and B. E. Koel, J. Phys. Chem. C, 114(40), 17238–17247 (2010). “Adsorption and Decomposition of Cyclohexanone (C6H10O) on Pt(111) and the (2×2) and (√3×√3)R30°-Sn/Pt(111) Surface Alloys”, J. Kim, L. A. Welch, A. Olivas, S. J. Podkolzin, and B. E. Koel, Langmuir, 26(21), 16401–16411 (2010). “Formation of Pd monomers and dimers on a single crystal Pd3Fe(111) surface”, X. Yang, J. Hu, R. Wuand B. E. Koel, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 1(16), 2493-2497 (2010). “Surface Structure of Pd3Fe(111) and Effects of Oxygen Adsorption”, X. Yang, L. A. Welch, J. Fu and B. E. Koel, in Catalytic Materials for Energy, Green Processes and Nanotechnology, edited by C-Y. Mou, J. Liu, H.H. Kung, S. Dai (Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 1217, Warrendale, PA, 2010), 1217-Y08-43. “Influence of phosphate anion adsorption on the kinetics of oxygen reduction on low index Pt(hkl) single crystals”, Q. He, X. Yang, W. Chen, S. Mukerjee, B. E. Koel, S. Chen, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 12, 12544-12555 (2010). “Modification of active sites on YSZ(111) by yttria segregation”, J. Lahiri, A. Mayernick, S. L. Morrow, B. E. Koel, A. C. T. van Duin, M. J. Janik, and M. Batzill, J. Phys. Chem. C, 114(13), 5990-5996 (2010).