SusChEM: Metal Nanoclusters as Effective Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

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The Chemical Catalysis Program of the NSF Division of Chemistry supports the research efforts of Professor Shaowei Chen at the University of California - Santa Cruz to investigate the electrocatalytic activity of non-platinum metal nanoclusters for oxygen reduction, a reaction that is important to fuel cell technology. The proposed research is built upon preliminary studies demonstrating that (i) (sub)nanometer-sized gold clusters exhibit much enhanced electrocatalytic activity and (ii) gold nanocatalysts on oxide supports may facilitate oxygen adsorption and eventual reduction. The project focuses on the following two aspects: (i) preparation and characterization of functional nanocomposites based on Au/Cu nanoclusters and oxide nanostructures, and (ii) interfacial engineering of nanocatalysts for the preparation of surface alloy nanoparticles. Ultimately, an unambiguous correlation between the nanocomposite structures and electrocatalytic activity will be established, which will help to improve electrocatalytic performance. Professor Chen and coworkers will also be actively involved in various outreach activities targeting minority, women, and disadvantaged undergraduate students (e.g., the UC LEADS, ACCESS, and SURF programs) and qualified high-school students (e.g., COSMOS, and Summer Internship Program).To render fuel cell technology commercially viable, it is imperative to develop effective catalysts for both the anodic and cathodic reactions so as to achieve the current density that is needed for practical applications. Whereas platinum-based nanoparticles have been traditionally used as the catalysts of choice, the efforts have been hampered by the high costs and limited reserves of platinum. Therefore, this project focuses on catalysts based on more abundant and/or less expensive non-platinum metals such as gold and copper, and may lead to a new class of platinum-free catalysts for fuel cells.