Collaborative: Investigation of Electrocatalytic Trends on Core/Shell Structured Palladium Bimetallic Surfaces for Renewable Energy Research

1032942 Dai大多数可再生能源如风能、太阳能和潮汐能的发电量与电力需求不一致。为了解决这些可再生能源发电的不连续性，需要将一种高效且具有成本效益的储能装置与它们集成。已经提出了再生燃料电池，特别是那些用H2O捕获CO2以产生甲酸的电池。因此，通过将CO2电化学还原过程与直接甲酸燃料电池相结合，基于非化石能源的未来能源系统的前景是显而易见的。然而，现实情况是，这项技术并不那么好用，承诺也没有兑现。华盛顿州立大学的PI Su Ha和Louis Scudiero以及田纳西大学诺克斯维尔的Sheng Dai将甲酸燃料电池中的催化剂不足归咎于甲酸燃料电池。他们指出，现有的阳极电催化剂是Pd，并且通过促进形成表面中毒物质的不期望的反应途径来阻止电池性能达到其全部潜力。燃料电池催化剂的改进可以通过改进催化剂设计来实现。然而，由于缺乏对各种过渡金属作为载体如何影响负载型Pd的催化性能的理解，进展受到限制。有人提出，将有改进的催化剂的选择性，从催化剂，通过涂层过渡金属中心与Pd壳的核/壳结构。他们打算制造这些催化剂用于试验。通过对制备物的表面电子结构、化学性质和甲酸氧化催化性能的表征，将进一步提高目前的认识。基于对催化剂催化效应的进一步理解，人们应该能够设计出上级催化剂，其提高比活性并进一步抑制甲酸氧化中不期望的反应途径。这些上级催化剂可用于开发高效再生DFAFC系统，其使得来自可再生能源的间歇性功率的问题变得易于处理。拟议的研究活动的成功具有广泛的社会影响的潜力，因为它导致高性能和稳定的再生甲酸燃料电池系统。这种系统可以捕获CO2并将其转化为燃料，在燃料电池中消耗以产生电能。PI计划将这些新知识传播给科学界以外的人。在帕卢塞探索科学中心，PI和研究生将展示再生燃料电池技术的科学原理，以提高初中和高中学生攻读科学和工程学位的兴趣。此外，PI将通过持续参与NSF资助的华盛顿州立大学教师研究经验（RET）计划，将研究结果传播到高中课堂。本科生将有机会体验最新的燃料电池和可再生能源技术使用几个类内和类外的方法，包括建立甲酸燃料电池的国家化学电子汽车竞赛。PI将积极吸引本科生，特别是WSU和田纳西大学的女性和代表性不足的男性参与拟议的研究活动。在WSU，这将通过直接与多元文化学生服务办公室主任合作来完成。

1032942DaiThe power generation from most renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and tidal energy is not coincident with power demand. To address the discontinuous nature of power generation from these renewable energy sources, an efficient and cost-effective means of energy storage device needs to be integrated with them. Regenerative fuel cells, particularly those capturing CO2 with H2O to produce formic acid, have been suggested. Thus, by combining the CO2 electrochemical reduction process with direct formic acid fuel cells, the prospects for future energy systems based on non-fossil energy sources are apparent. However, the reality is that the technology does not work so well and the promise goes unfulfilled. PIs Su Ha and Louis Scudiero of Washington State University, and Sheng Dai of the University of Tennessee Knoxville ascribe the shortfall to the catalyst in the formic acid fuel cell. They point out that the existing anode electrocatalyst is Pd, and the cell performance is prevented from reaching its full potential by promotion of the undesired reaction pathways for formation of surface poisoning species. Improvement of the fuel cell catalyst could be had through bimetallic catalyst design. However progress is limited by the lack of understanding of how the various transition-metals used as supports influence the catalytic performance of supported Pd. It is proposed that improved catalyst selectivity will be had from catalysts made by coating transition-metals centers with a Pd shell in the core/shell structure. They intend to make these catalysts for test. By treating the preparations to characterization of the surface electronic structure, chemical properties and catalytic performance for formic-acid oxidation, the current understanding will be improved upon. Based on the improved understanding of the bimetallic effect, one should be able to design superior bimetallic catalysts that increase the specific activity and inhibit further the undesired reaction pathways in formic acid oxidation. These superior bimetallic catalysts can be used to develop high efficiency regenerative DFAFC systems which make tractable the issue of intermittent power from renewable energy sources. The success of the proposed research activities has the potential for broad societal impact because it leads to high performance and stable regenerative formic acid fuel cell systems. Such a system can capture CO2 and convert it into a fuel that is consumed in the fuel cell to produce electrical energy. The PIs have plans for disseminating this new knowledge to those outside the scientific community. At the Palouse Discovery Science Center, the PIs and graduate students will demonstrate the scientific principle of regenerative fuel cell technology to increase middle and high school students interest in pursuing science and engineering degrees. Furthermore, the PIs will disseminate the research findings to high school classrooms by continuously participating in the NSF funded Research Experiences for Teacher (RET) program at Washington State University. Undergraduate students will be given an opportunity to experience the latest fuel cell and renewable energy technologies using several in-class and out-of-class approaches, including building formic acid fuel cells for the national Chem-E-Car Competition. The PIs will actively involve the undergraduate students, especially females and underrepresented males at WSU and University of Tennessee into the proposed research activities. At WSU, this will be accomplished by working directly with the director of the Office of Multicultural Student Services.