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

特拉华大学的徐炳军教授和阎玉山教授得到了化学系化学催化项目的支持，对燃料电池和电解槽的电化学有了基本的了解。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传统的贵金属元件可以降低成本，但效率较低。在这个项目中，开发了对设备组件之间相互作用的基本理解，以便在保持甚至提高其效率的同时使用廉价金属。K-12和本科生都参与了这个项目。此外，还开发了一个基于移动设备的软件应用程序，以提高人们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。本研究计划的总体目标是在分子水平上了解碱性聚合物电解质（有机阳离子）与电极的相互作用，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拴系有机阳离子的分子结构及其在电极表面吸附时的电位依赖构型。本文还研究了游离和吸附有机阳离子的化学性质，包括它们与HOR中间体的相互作用以及它们对HOR活性的影响和机理。本课题建立的构效关系对氢氧化物交换膜和电化学能量转换装置电催化剂的设计具有指导意义。

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.