Electrochemistry, from batteries to brains

The members of her lab study fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity (and water). They study electrolyzers, which go the other way, using electricity to convert water into hydrogen and oxygen. They even study computers that attempt to mimic the way the brain processes information in learning. What brings all this together in her lab is the electrochemistry of ionic-electronic oxides and their interfaces. "It may seem like we've been contributing to different technologies," says Yildiz, MIT's Breene M. Kerr (1951) Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, who was recently named a fellow of the American Physical Society.