Orion Farr

Did catalytic functionality emerge in geochemical systems before the origin of life? My research explores whether reactive minerals provided early architectures for charge transfer and molecular activation - the chemical principles that were later organised and refined by biological metabolism. By studying this continuity between geochemistry and biochemistry, I seek to identify mineral-derived design principles for electrocatalysts needed in a low-carbon future. 

My principal model system is Green Rust, a mixed-valence Fe(II)/Fe(III) layered mineral with unusual electrocatalytic and charge-transfer properties. Its hydrated structure couples the movement of electrons, protons, and ions while reorganising in response to its chemical environment. Green rust mediates enzyme-like transformations of metals and a wide range of inorganic and organic compounds. Its electrochemical reactivity towards CO₂ and CO reduction and CH₄ oxidation makes it a compelling model for understanding how catalytic, adaptive, and history-dependent behaviour can emerge from relatively simple inorganic matter. 

To investigate these phenomena, I combine geochemical synthesis, electrochemistry, and spectroscopy to determine how composition, hydration, and redox state govern proton-coupled electron transfer through the green rust lattice. I am particularly interested in how these processes control carbon conversion, enable memristor-like storage of electrochemical history, and inform new approaches to environmental remediation and critical-resource recovery. By treating early Earth mineral chemistry as a source of catalytic design principles, my work connects questions about the emergence of metabolism with the development of adaptive functional materials.