SusChEM: Metal Nanoclusters as Effective Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

NSF化学部的化学催化计划支持加州-圣克鲁斯大学的Shaowei Chen教授的研究工作，以研究非铂金属纳米团簇对氧还原的电催化活性，这是一种对燃料电池技术很重要的反应。拟议的研究是建立在初步研究的基础上，表明（i）（亚）纳米尺寸的金簇表现出更强的电催化活性和（ii）氧化物载体上的金纳米催化剂可以促进氧吸附和最终还原。该项目侧重于以下两个方面：（i）基于Au/Cu纳米团簇和氧化物纳米结构的功能纳米复合材料的制备和表征，以及（ii）用于制备表面合金纳米颗粒的纳米催化剂的界面工程。最终，纳米复合材料的结构和电催化活性之间的明确的相关性将被建立，这将有助于提高电催化性能。 陈教授及同事亦会积极参与多项外展活动，对象包括少数族裔、女性及弱势本科生（例如：UC LEADS、ACCESS和SURF计划）和合格的高中生（例如，为了使燃料电池技术在商业上可行，必须开发用于阳极和阴极反应的有效催化剂，以便实现实际应用所需的电流密度。虽然铂基纳米颗粒传统上被用作催化剂的选择，但铂的高成本和有限的储量阻碍了这些努力。因此，该项目侧重于基于更丰富和/或更便宜的非铂金属（如金和铜）的催化剂，并可能导致一类新的燃料电池无铂催化剂。

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.