SusChEM: Metal Nanoclusters as Effective Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction

NSF化学部的化学催化计划支持加州大学圣克鲁斯分校的陈少伟教授的研究工作，他研究了非铂金属纳米簇对氧还原的电催化活性，这一反应对燃料电池技术非常重要。初步研究表明，(I)(亚)纳米金团簇显示出更强的电催化活性，(Ii)氧化物载体上的金纳米催化剂可促进氧的吸附和最终还原。该项目主要集中在以下两个方面：(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，将建立纳米复合结构与电催化活性之间的明确关联，这将有助于提高电催化性能。陈教授和同事还将积极参与针对少数族裔、女性和弱势本科生(例如加州大学的Leads、Access和SURF计划)和合格的高中生(例如COSMOS和暑期实习计划)的各种外展活动。为了使燃料电池技术具有商业可行性，必须为阳极和阴极反应开发有效的催化剂，以便达到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，但由于铂的高成本和有限的储量，这一努力受到了阻碍。因此，该项目将重点放在基于更丰富和/或更便宜的非铂金属(如金和铜)的催化剂上，并可能导致一种新型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.