Collaborative Research: Nanomanufacturing of High-performance Graphene-based Electrocatalysts for Efficient Energy Conversion

合作研究：用于高效能量转换的高性能石墨烯基电催化剂的纳米制造

• 批准号: 1400274
• 负责人: Liming Dai
• 金额: $ 21.14万
• 依托单位: Case Western Reserve University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-07-01 至 2018-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1400274&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Nanomanufacturing; performance; Graphene

Green and renewable energy generation from water and sunlight holds great promise to solve the present energy and environmental challenges. The fuel cell technology, which utilizes light-induced water-splitting to produce oxygen and hydrogen gases coupled with the electrochemical reaction of these gases, offers a viable approach to electricity generation directly from water and sunlight. However, catalysts are required to facilitate the electrochemistry. Platinum is the state-of-the-art catalyst, but its limited resources and high cost have restricted commercialization of these renewable energy technologies. If properly functionalized, graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms placed in a hexagonal pattern, can replace expensive platinum as a high-performance catalyst for clean and renewable energy generation from water and sunlight. However, its applications to the market are hindered by the lack of approaches for large scale production of high-quality graphene at low-cost. This research is to fill the knowledge gap on manufacturing of high-performance graphene-based catalysts for energy applications. This project is to develop a novel scalable, low-cost, and eco-friendly ball milling technology that directly transforms conventional graphite - or pencil lead - into graphene-based catalysts. This technology will pave the way for more efficient and lower-cost fuel cells and batteries (e.g., lithium-air batteries) for commercial applications.Edge-functionalized graphene has been demonstrated as high-performance electrocatalysts for energy conversion and storage. This project aims at developing a ball milling process that directly converts bulk graphite into edge-functionalized graphene flakes. The molecular structural change during the ball milling is characterized using advanced analytic tools. In addition, molecular simulations of self-exfoliation and edge-functionalization processes are carried out using first-principles methods. Characterization and simulation tasks will be performed together to better understand the basic mechanochemical reactions and graphite-to-graphene structural evolution in ball milling, and to guide the materials and process development. The success of this project will provide a generic approach for scalable nanomanufacturing of graphene-based catalysts for energy devices, including fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Along with these research and development activities, an associated education program will be carried out to provide research training and education opportunities to all levels of students.

利用水和阳光产生的绿色和可再生能源对解决当前的能源和环境挑战具有巨大的希望。燃料电池技术利用光诱导的水分解产生氧气和氢气，再加上这些气体的电化学反应，提供了一种直接从水和阳光发电的可行方法。然而，需要催化剂来促进电化学。铂是最先进的催化剂，但其有限的资源和高昂的成本限制了这些可再生能源技术的商业化。如果功能化得当，石墨烯（一层以六边形图案排列的碳原子）可以取代昂贵的铂，作为一种高性能催化剂，用于从水和阳光中产生清洁和可再生能源。然而，由于缺乏低成本大规模生产高质量石墨烯的方法，其市场应用受到阻碍。这项研究旨在填补能源应用中高性能石墨烯基催化剂制造的知识空白。该项目旨在开发一种新型的可扩展，低成本和环保的球磨技术，直接将传统的石墨或铅笔芯转化为石墨烯基催化剂。这项技术将为更高效、更低成本的燃料电池和电池铺平道路（例如，边缘官能化的石墨烯已被证明是用于能量转换和存储的高性能电催化剂。该项目旨在开发一种球磨工艺，将块状石墨直接转化为边缘功能化的石墨烯薄片。利用先进的分析工具表征了球磨过程中分子结构的变化。此外，自剥离和边缘功能化过程的分子模拟进行了第一性原理方法。表征和模拟任务将一起进行，以更好地了解球磨中的基本机械化学反应和石墨到石墨烯的结构演变，并指导材料和工艺开发。该项目的成功将为能源设备（包括燃料电池和金属空气电池）的石墨烯基催化剂的可扩展纳米制造提供一种通用方法。沿着这些研究和开发活动，将开展一项相关的教育计划，为各级学生提供研究培训和教育机会。