About

Thomas Jaramillo is a Professor of Chemical Engineering, of Energy Science Engineering, of Photon Science, and a Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University. His role encompasses research and teaching in the fields related to chemical engineering and energy science, contributing to the university's focus on energy-related research and innovation.

Research topics

• Organic chemistry
• Chemistry
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science
• Chemical engineering
• Metallurgy
• Process engineering
• Thermodynamics
• Inorganic chemistry
• Engineering
• Electrical engineering

Selected publications

• Source data for "Dependence of catalytic properties of strongly supported platinum clusters with atom counts"

  Open MIND · 2026-02-13

  dataset

  This file contains the spreadsheet source data for the manuscript entitled “Dependence of catalytic properties of strongly supported platinum clusters with atom counts” (aeb3087) and its Supplementary Materials. DFT-optimized structures, energies, and related metadata are available at Catalysis-Hub: https://www.catalysis-hub.org/publications/SongStrongly2026

  DOI

• Ternary and Quaternary Nickel-Iron-Oxide-Based Thin Films as Oxygen Evolution Reaction Catalysts in Alkaline Media

  ACS Catalysis · 2026-04-10

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Alkaline water electrolyzers are a promising technology for energy storage and conversion through the electrochemical production of hydrogen; however, the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) pose a major challenge. The alkaline environment enables the use of non-Pt-group metals as OER catalysts, in particular, NiFe-based materials. In this study, Mn and/or Cr were elementally mixed with NiFe to further improve the OER catalyst properties through a controlled, systematic synthesis process involving thin films prepared by electron beam-induced physical vapor deposition (PVD). By exploring both simultaneous co-deposition and serial deposition of the different metals, the OER performance was investigated as a function of both the location of Mn or Cr in the multi-metal NiFe-based catalysts and the difference between surface versus bulk mixing. The distinct differences in the redox dynamics, surface oxidation, and stability of the seven studied catalysts reveal metal Cr- and/or Mn-overlayers as a promising synthesis approach for fine-tuning catalyst properties and improving the OER performance.

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring Cobalt Accessibility Limits in a Two-dimensional Porphyrin-based Covalent Organic Framework for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

  ChemRxiv · 2026-02-25

  articleOpen access

  There is a growing need for new technologies in the energy and chemicals sectors to improve global sustainability. Meeting this need requires the development of efficient and robust catalysts and a detailed understanding of the nature, accessibility and stability of their active sites under operando conditions. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are crystalline, porous materials that offer high surface areas and molecular-level design, making them attractive platforms for heterogeneous catalysis. However, while COFs are highly porous systems, the accessibility of active sites in layered COFs remains insufficiently explored. Here, we investigate the activity, stability, and accessibility of metal active sites in the prototypical two-dimensional cobalt porphyrin-based COF (COF-366-Co) for the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). COF-366-Co exhibits an overpotential of 492 ± 13 mV at 10 mA cm -2 and demonstrates notable cobalt coordination stability in alkaline electrolyte (0.1 M KOH). By selectively blocking surface-accessible cobalt sites using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tetrasodium salt (EDTA), corroborated by quantum chemical calculations, we reveal that cobalt centers in the bulk of the COF - despite its large surface area - are largely inaccessible for OER catalysis. Altogether, this work highlights active-site accessibility as a critical design parameter for 2D COF-based catalysts and aims to motivate the development of new strategies to achieve optimal utilization of catalytic sites.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Electrochemical Ocean-Based Carbon Capture: Roadblocks to Scale-Up

  ACS Energy Letters · 2026-01-29 · 2 citations

  article

  Electrochemical ocean-based negative emission technologies (EC-ONETs) are emerging strategies that harness the ocean’s capacity for carbon dioxide removal. These systems can couple carbon capture with renewable electricity and water treatment infrastructure and, in the long term, support more ambitious industrial and environmental remediation projects. However, progress─from early demonstrations to deployment at scale─hinges on a more nuanced understanding of electrochemical and transport phenomena in seawater, rigorous field validation, and identification of ecological risks. In this Perspective, we map the current portfolio of EC-ONETs, synthesize reported performance metrics, and outline their limitations and future opportunities. We emphasize the need for a better understanding of pH swing mechanisms and failure modes in seawater, benchmarking standards, biogeochemical impact assessment, coordination with marine sciences, and enhanced public trust through transparent risk assessment and regulatory alignment. We aim to clarify the steps the community can take to advance the practical application of EC-ONETs.

  PublisherDOI

• Corrosion-resistant mesoporous carbon allowing for durable, high-performance hydrogen fuel cells for heavy-duty vehicle applications

  EES Catalysis · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Unlike conventional mesoporous carbon, graphitic mesoporous carbon enhances corrosion stability while preserving high performance and suppressing catalyst dissolution in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Unveiling the mechanism of lithium-mediated nitrogen reduction <i>via operando</i> X-ray scattering in a flow cell with hydrogen oxidation

  Energy & Environmental Science · 2026-01-01 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Operando GI WAXS in a flow cell with HOR revealed LiNH 2 as the only stable crystalline intermediate in the lithium mediated nitrogen reduction reaction (Li-NRR) and the unique solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed by diglyme electrolytes.

  PublisherDOI

• Optimized Tandem Catalyst Patterning for CO ₂ Reduction Flow Reactors

  Journal of The Electrochemical Society · 2026-03-27

  articleOpen access

  Tandem catalysis involves two or more catalysts arranged in proximity within a single reaction vessel, with the aim of synergistically aligning the catalysts’ reaction pathways to maximize overall system performance. This study presents a proof of concept showing the integration of continuum transport modeling with design optimization in a simplified two-dimensional flow reactor setup for electrochemical CO 2 reduction. Ag catalysts provide the CO 2 ⟶ CO reaction capability, and Cu catalysts provide the CO ⟶ high-value products reaction capability. Given a set of input parameters, the optimization algorithm uses adjoint methods to modify the Ag/Cu surface patterning in order to maximize the current density toward high-value products, such as ethylene. The optimized designs yield significant performance enhancement especially at more negative applied voltages (i.e., stronger surface reactions) and for larger numbers of patterning sections. For an applied voltage of −1.7 V vs. SHE, the 12-section optimized design increases the current density toward ethylene by up to 65% compared to the unoptimized 2-section design. For the optimized cases, observed differences in the production and consumption of CO (the key intermediate species) and minimized zones of low CO reactant surface concentration on Cu sections explain the improved reactor performance.

  PublisherDOI

• Defect-rich CuO/SnO2 hybrid nanowires with tailored heterointerfaces for selective electrochemical CO2 reduction

  Applied Catalysis B: Environmental · 2026-03-27 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Coupled Microenvironments for Artificial Photosynthesis of a C ₆ Oxygenated Product from CO ₂

  ACS Energy Letters · 2026-01-12

  articleCorresponding

  Research on solar fuels generation has aspired to mimic photosynthesis. Powered by sunlight, photosynthesis converts CO2 and water into C3 intermediates en route to C6 oxygenates (sugars). This study reports an analogous artificial photosynthesis process, inspired by the biological principle of an assembly of coupled microenvironments to achieve multistep, selective chemical conversions to a desired C6 product. Through four codesigned microenvironments working in concert, powered by simulated sunlight, this work demonstrates the conversion of CO2 and water to 2-methyl-2-pentenal, a C6 oxygenate. Specifically, a photovoltaic-driven electrolyzer with a Ag–Cu cathode converts CO2 and water to H2, CO, and C2H4. The products are fed into a photothermocatalytic reactor containing a dual-catalyst bed of Rh-PPh3/SBA-15 and TiO2, which promotes ethylene hydroformylation to propanal, and subsequent propanal aldol condensation to 2-methyl-2-pentenal, a product convertible to hexane, a liquid fuel. This study presents an outline for codesigning assemblies of microenvironments that enable the conversion of CO2 to C6 products.

  PublisherDOI

• Defect-Rich CuO/SnO2 Hybrid Nanowires with Tailored Heterointerfaces for Selective Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• CAREER: Manipulating energy conversion chemistry with metal overlayer structures

  NSF · $400k · 2011–2016

• NSF/DOE Solar Hydrogen Fuel: Engineering Surfaces, Interfaces, and Bulk Materials for Unassisted Solar Photoelectrochemical (PEC) Water Splitting

  NSF · $750k · 2015–2017

• BRIGE: Nanostructured Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for the Solar Production of Hydrogen

  NSF · $175k · 2008–2010

Frequent coauthors

• Christopher Hahn

  383 shared

• Jens K. Nørskov

  Technical University of Denmark

  369 shared

• Adam C. Nielander

  Interface (United States)

  204 shared

• Alessandro Gallo

  Interface (United States)

  201 shared

• Michaela Burke Stevens

  178 shared

• Drew Higgins

  McMaster University

  166 shared

• Jakob Kibsgaard

  Technical University of Denmark

  159 shared

• Melissa E. Kreider

  Stanford University

  143 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering

  Stanford University

  2006

• B.S., Chemical Engineering

  University of California, Berkeley

  2001