Andrew B. Bocarsly

Andrew B. Bocarsly (born April 23, 1954 in Los Angeles, California) is currently a professor at Princeton University, New Jersey. His primary research interests lie in physical inorganic chemistry. He has facilitated various scientific research in electrochemistry, photochemistry, solids state chemistry and fuel cells.^[1]

Education^[1]

Andrew B. Bocarsly graduated with a B.S., Magna Cum Laude, from University of California, Los Angeles with a double major in chemistry and physics (June 1976). There his research under the guidance of Professor John Gladysz involved metal Atom cocondensations for organometallic synthesis. In June 1980 he received his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in physical inorganic chemistry. His thesis delved into the characterization and manipulation of charge transfer processes on semiconductors.

Carbon Dioxide Conversion Research / Liquid Light inc.

In 2003 Andrew Bocarsly was deeply invested in his research to find a solution of carbon dioxide pollution causing global climate change. His graduate student Emily Barton picked up from where he left off and continued research of an electrochemical cell that utilizes photovoltaic material as an electrode to tap into solar energy and transform carbon dioxide into basic organic fuels.^[2] In 2008 Emily Barton published a selective conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol using a p-GaP semiconductor electrode with homogeneous pyridinium catalyst.^[3] Using solar energy, faradaic efficiencies reached near 100% for the conversion of carbon dioxide to methanol. In 2010 Emily Barton published her research on using pyridinium and its substituted derivatives as an electrocatalyst for aqueous multiple-electron, multiple-proton reduction of carbon dioxide to many organic compounds such as formic acid, formaldehyde, and methanol.^[4] This publication explained mechanistically how the electrocatalyst aided in reduction of carbon dioxide. With Bocarsly's artificial photosynthesis technology Liquid Light inc. was established with support from Redpoint Ventures. David Biello from Scientific American has emphasized the need to recycle the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons in order to fuel civilization.^[5] He points out that Liquid Light inc. is currently trying to achieve a cheap, efficient and scalable method of carbon dioxide conversion.

Professional Experience^[1]

• 1994–Present: Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University
• 1987–1994: Associate Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University
• 1980–1987: Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University
• 1976–1980: Graduate Research Assistant, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• 1973–1975: Laboratory Assistant, University of California, Los Angeles

Awards^[1]

• President's Undergraduate Research Fellowship UCLA (1975)
• Sigma Pi Sigma - National Physics Honor Society
• DuPont Young Faculty Grant (1980)
• The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Newly Appointed Faculty Grant (1980)
• American Chemical Society, EXXON Solid State Chemistry Fellowship (1984)
• Alfred P. Sloan Fellow (1986–1988)

Associations^[1]

• Liquid Light Inc.
• American Chemical Society
• The Electrochemical Society
• Princeton Section, American Chemical Society, Secretary-Treasurer, 1992
• Princeton Section, American Chemical Society, Chairman, 1994
• Princeton Section, American Chemical Society, Education Outreach Chair and
• Director of “Hands on Chemistry” Workshops 1992–present
• Quest K-6 Science Outreach Professor 1996–1998
• Associate Editor, Methods in Materials Research: A Current Protocols Pub.
• National Science Foundation Advisory Panel to E=mc2, Elem. Science Ed.
• Director, Princeton Partners in Science Program
• NASA, Mars Oxidation Experiment Science Team (1997–1998)

Footnotes

General references/External Links

• Bocarsly Group
• Liquid Light inc.
• Selective Solar-Driven Reduction of CO2 to Methanol Using a Catalyzed p-GaP Based Electrochemical Cell // Journal of the American Chemical Society
• Using a One-Electron Shuttle for the Multielectron Reduction of CO2 to Methanol: Kinetic, Mechanistic, and Structural Insights // Journal of the American Chemical Society
• Reverse Combustion: Can CO2 Be Turned Back into Fuel? // Scientific American
• The Value of CO2 // Chemical & Engineering News
• Celebrate Princeton Invention: Andrew Bocarsly // News at Princeton
• Stimulus Grants Top $31 Million Princeton Alumni Weekly
• CO2 to Fuels // WV Coal Research and Development
• Making Methanol from Carbon Dioxide and Sunlight // Chemical & Engineering News