Hydrogen oxidation reaction at alkaline polymer electrochemical interfaces: Achieving mechanistic understanding through surface sensitive spectroscopy

特拉华州大学的徐炳军教授和严玉山教授得到了化学系化学催化项目的支持，以发展对燃料电池和电解槽电化学的基本理解。提高效率和降低成本是这些清洁能源生产设备经济性能的关键。 用较便宜的金属代替这些装置的传统的含贵金属的部件降低了成本，但导致效率降低。 在该项目中，开发了对设备组件之间相互作用的基本理解，以使用廉价的金属，同时保持甚至提高其效率。 K-12和本科生都参与了该项目。此外，我们亦开发了一个以移动的装置为基础的软件应用程序，以提高对碳足迹和环境的认识，并提供一个分享绿色能源相关信息的平台。该研究计划的总体目标是了解碱性聚合物电解质（有机阳离子）与电极在分子水平上的相互作用，以及其对氢氧化反应（HOR）活性的影响。原位衰减全反射-表面增强红外吸收光谱（ATR-SEIRAS）主要用于关联自由和束缚的有机阳离子的分子结构及其吸附在电极表面时的电位依赖性构型。 自由和吸附的有机阳离子的化学，包括它们与HOR中间体的相互作用及其对HOR活性和机理的影响，也进行了研究。 从这个项目建立的结构-活性关系指导氢氧化物交换膜和电化学能量转换装置的电催化剂的设计。

Professors Bingjun Xu and Yushan Yan of the University of Delaware are supported by the Chemical Catalysis program of the Division of Chemistry to develop a basic understanding of the electrochemistry of fuel cells and electrolyzers. Increased efficiency and reduced cost are key to the economical performance of these clean energy producing devices. Replacing the traditional precious metal containing components of these devices with less expensive metals reduces costs but results in lower efficiency. In this project a fundamental understanding of the interaction between the device components is developed to enable the use of inexpensive metals while maintaining or even improving their efficiency. Both K-12 and undergraduate students are involved in the project. In addition, a mobile device-based software application is developed to raise awareness on carbon footprint and the environment and provide a platform for sharing green energy related information. The overarching goal of this research program is to understand the interaction of alkaline polymer electrolytes (organic cations) with electrodes at the molecular level, and its impact on the activity of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). In-situ attenuated total reflection - surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR-SEIRAS) is primarily employed to correlate the molecular structure of free and tethered organic cations and their potential-dependent configurations when adsorbed on electrode surfaces. The chemistry of free and adsorbed organic cations, including their interactions with HOR intermediates and their impact on HOR activity and mechanism, are also investigated. The structure-activity relations established from this project guides the design of both hydroxide exchange membranes and electrocatalysts for electrochemical energy conversion devices.