Nicole Ritzert

Nicole Ritzert has over 10 years of experience in designing and executing measurements to characterize the electrochemical properties of proteins, organic molecules, and thin layer materials, focusing on charge transfer at electrode-electrolyte interfaces. Her interests are electroanalytical chemistry methods (e.g., cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry), scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), fabrication of electrochemical cells and microelectrodes, and electrode surface preparation and modification. As a postdoc and guest researcher in the Materials Science and Engineering Division at NIST, she established a laboratory facility dedicated to imaging spatial variations of electrochemical reactions occurring at surfaces using SECM and optical microscopy. Her work involved mapping the reactivity of active sites of electrocatalysts and characterized electrodeposition of thin metal films at micrometer-sized electrodes that revealed chemical processes, including precipitation and local pH changes, hidden at larger area electrodes. As a Project Leader with the Volpe Research Center, she is designing and test oral biosensor platforms for real time screening and diagnosis of disease as well as fabricate microelectrodes for characterizing dental materials.

Selected Publications

• K. Sun,  N. L. Ritzert, J. John, H. Tan, W. G. Hale, J. Jiang, I. Moreno-Hernandez, K. M. Papadantonakis, T. P. Moffat, B. S. Brunschwig, and N. S. Lewis. Performance and Failure Modes of Si Anodes Patterned with Thin-film Ni Catalyst Islands for Water Oxidation.  Sustainable Energy and Fuels 2, 983-998 (2018). 

• N. L. Ritzert and T. P. Moffat.Ultramicroelectrode Studies of Self-Terminated Nickel Electrodeposition and Nickel Hydroxide Formation upon Water Reduction. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 120, 27478–27489 (2016).

• N. L. Ritzert, W. Li, C. Tan, G. G. Rodriguez-Calero, J. Rodríguez-López, K. Hernandez-Burgos, S. Conte, J. J. Parks, D. C. Ralph, and H. D. Abruña, Single Layer Graphene as an Electrochemical Platform, Faraday Discussions 118, 924–932 (2014).

• N. L. Ritzert, J. Rodríguez-López, C. Tan, and H. D. Abruña,  Kinetics of Interfacial Electron Transfer at Single–Layer Graphene Electrodes in Aqueous and Nonaqueous Solutions, Langmuir 29, 1683–1694 (2013).

• J. Rodríguez-López, N. L. Ritzert, J. A. Mann, C. Tan, W. R. Dichtel, and H. D. Abruña, Quantification of the Surface Diffusion of Tripodal Binding Motifs on Graphene using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy, Journal of the American Chemical Society 134, 6224–6236 (2012).

2014 – 2016  National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Associateship, National Institute of Standards and Technology

2013  Young Investigators Award, Energy Materials Center at Cornell University

2010 – 2012  Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Fellowship, Cornell University

2007, 2008, 2009  Presidential Scholar (Top 20 Students at University), Slippery Rock University    

2005 – 2009  Merit Scholarship, Slippery Rock University

2005 – 2009  Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, Slippery Rock University, administered by Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency

2009  Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh College Chemistry Award, Slippery Rock University

2008  Leadership in Science Scholarship, College of Health, Environment, and Science, Slippery Rock University

2008  Louis S. and Eva Puntureri Science Memorial Scholarship, College of Health, Environment, and Science, Slippery Rock University

2008  George Smith Research Grant, College of Health, Environment, and Science, Slippery Rock University

2007, 2008  Lynne Ernes Women in Science Scholarship, College of Health, Environment, and Science, Slippery Rock University

2005  College of Health, Environment, and Science Chemistry Scholarship, Slippery Rock University