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Indian Institute of Science emblemLEISLaboratory for Electrochemistry and In situ Spectroscopy

Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry · Indian Institute of Science

Laboratory for Electrochemistry and In situ Spectroscopy

LEIS

We develop multimodal operando diagnostics that combine electrochemistry, spectroscopy, impedance and live imaging to understand and develop solutions to bottlenecking challenges in electrocatalysis. We carry out deep diagnostic study of materials and processes under a wide range of conditions and uncover key performance indicators/descriptors.

Led by Chinmoy Ranjan, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Our researchHighlightsFaculty profile ↗
Operando spectroscopySolid oxide electrolysisCO2 to fuelsGreen hydrogenFuel cell cathodesIon transport
Painting of the IISc Main Building under a swirling blue sky, with trees and people in the foreground
The Main Building, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Explore the lab

People

8 researchers in the lab, our PI and 9 alumni.

Research

High-temperature CO₂ electrolysis, oxygen reduction and evolution, hydrogen at platinum and ion transport.

Instruments

Operando Raman, mass spectrometry and test stations at up to 800 °C.

18awards and prizes

Highlights

News, prizes and milestones: best-thesis and best-paper awards, talks and defences.

Publications

Peer-reviewed papers, reviews and book chapters.

→openings

Join us

PhD, postdoctoral and project openings, and how to apply.

Highlights

All news and awards →
Unravelling electrochemical reaction mechanisms at 800 °C: CO2 reduction on Ni and Ni{Cu} electrodes on an oxide-ion conductor, with a carbonate-type intermediate
Thermochemical vs. electrochemical reactions in solid oxide electrolysers: reverse water gas shift and electrolysis yields on Ce{Pr}Ox-YSZ
Operando tracking of electrochemical surfaces at 800 °C: Raman spectra and optical images of the catalyst surface under increasing current
Energy-efficient conversion of CO2 to fuels using solid oxide cells: CO2 electrolysis to CO, then Fischer–Tropsch synthesis to hydrocarbons, powered by green electricity
Operando tracking of electrocatalytic surfaces at 800 °C: the operando Raman cell and spectra of Ni-YSZ and Ni{Cu}x-YSZ cathodes under current
Tracking catalytic mechanisms at 800 °C using mass transients: online mass spectrometry of reverse water gas shift and CO2 reduction on ceria
Mechanisms at 800 °C using time-domain analysis of reaction kinetics: distribution of relaxation times for ceria, PDC and GDC electrodes

Latest news and awards

  • Chinmoy gave an invited talk at the 19th Asian Conference on Solid State Ionics (ACSSI-2026), Bangkok.

  • Award:

    Shivam: ACS Omega Best Poster Award, 13th Asian Conference on Electrochemical Power Sources (ACEPS-13), Bengaluru. Poster: CO2 reduction in SOEC for flue gas compositions

  • Award:

    Soham Raychowdhury: ACS Best Poster Award, 13th Asian Conference on Electrochemical Power Sources (ACEPS-13), Bengaluru. Poster: Theoretical studies of CO2 reduction on doped ceria electrodes

  • Congratulations to Dr. Veenu on completing her PhD on adsorbed hydrogen in Pt-based electrocatalysis.

  • New ANRF core research grant (co-PI) on first-principles and data-driven multiscale modelling of CO2 electroreduction catalysts, 2026–2029.

  • Paper on controlling CO selectivity and coking on doped-ceria electrodes with applied bias published in J. Mater. Chem. A.

  • Paper on the unusual redox behaviour of doped ceria in H2 published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

  • Congratulations to Dr. Bapuji Mohapatra on completing his PhD on mixed metal oxide electrodes for oxygen evolution. He has joined Thermax, Pune.

Research

All research themes →

Socially relevant projects

Multimodal operando diagnostics at 800 °C

Our facilities →

We designed and built a two-chamber operando cell that records four diagnostics at the same time at 800 °C and 1 atm, while simulating the real operating environment. Raman spectroscopy gives a molecular fingerprint of the electrode surface; optical microscopy films phase changes and heterogeneity; impedance spectroscopy, analysed by the distribution of relaxation times, separates resistances at different timescales; and online mass spectrometry tracks products and transients. Precise three-electrode geometries make electrode comparisons meaningful.

01Electrochemistry and EISActivity, charge-transfer and series resistances, DRT
02Operando RamanSurface oxides, intermediates, coking carbon
03Online mass spectrometryCO production rate and transients
04Optical microscopyActive boundaries, phase changes, delamination

Selected publications

All publications →

CO2 reduction on doped-ceria electrodes: controlling CO selectivity and coking with applied bias

Vipin Kamboj, Soham Raychowdhury, Shivam, Chinmoy Ranjan*

J. Mater. Chem. A, 14, 8400–8411 (2026) · doi:10.1039/D5TA09656A

Operando studies on solid oxide ceria electrodes during CO2 electroreduction

Vipin Kamboj, Soham Raychowdhury, Chinmoy Ranjan*

Appl. Catal. B Environ. Energy, 365, 124880 (2025) · doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2024.124880

Enabling pure CO2 reduction on Ni{Cu}x-YSZ electrode via an oxide-mediated mechanism Best Paper Award, ICCCU 2024

Vipin Kamboj, Soham Raychowdhury, Chinmoy Ranjan*

Appl. Catal. B Environ. Energy, 344, 123631 (2024) · doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2023.123631

Suppressing H2O2 formation in oxygen reduction reaction using Co-doped Cu electrodes

Sekhar Kumar Biswal, Chinmoy Ranjan*

J. Mater. Chem. A, 10, 22042–22057 (2022) · doi:10.1039/D2TA04349A