An Approach to Understanding Electrocatalytically Relevant Structure-Property Correlations in the Methanol Oxidation Reaction

燃料电池（FC）是一种通过催化反应将化学能转化为电能的电化学装置。最近在发展替代能源、可再生能源和可持续能源方面所作的努力已导致旨在建立可行的FC配置的研究增加。fc可用于许多应用，从便携式电子产品、商业建筑、住宅电力到公用事业规模的应用。传统的商业FC催化剂通常基于铂（Pt）和类似的贵金属，但这些系统往往存在严重的性能问题，并且成本过高。在这个项目中，石溪大学的Stanislaus Wong博士通过研究催化效率和成本效益，正在设计新型更便宜、性能更好的FC催化剂。这些目标是通过全面考虑关键的反应变量，如催化剂载体的大小、形状和组成来实现的。他的研究小组将这些因素与FC性能联系起来，以提高成本效率和可持续性。黄教授致力确保少数族裔学生充分参与科学研究。为此，他创建了SCI-LIFE讨论倡议，为学生提供从专业研究人员和科学家那里获得重要职业信息的机会。SCI-LIFE邀请来自学术界、工业界和政府的研究人员和科学家给学生们做非正式的谈话，不仅描述他们的研究兴趣，而且描述他们如何处理和解决潜在的职业担忧、恐惧、问题和误解。在化学部大分子、超分子和纳米化学（MSN）项目的资助下，黄博士正在探索新型纳米级电催化剂的催化行为的形态和成分依赖关系。他正在研究一维形态、核-壳基序、过渡金属掺杂剂（即合金芯成分）的故意添加以及底层支撑对相关甲醇氧化反应活性和动力学的影响的基本的、个体的机制作用。纳米级电催化剂正在被合成，它由支撑在超薄纳米线核上的铂单层壳组成。然后将这些模型系统固定在钙钛矿或混合支架上。超薄，一维，核壳系统的结构和电催化性能，然后用一套互补的表征技术，包括原位方法来检查。这些研究解决了新型催化剂-支持系统中催化增强的结构和电子起源。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A fuel cell (FC) is an electrochemical device that converts chemical energy into electrical energy through catalyzed reactions. Recent efforts in developing alternative, renewable and sustainable energy sources have led to increased research aimed at building viable FC configurations. FCs could be used in many applications from portable electronics, commercial buildings, and residential power, to utility-scale applications. Conventional, commercial FC catalysts are often based on platinum (Pt) and similar precious metals, but these systems tend to have serious performance problems and can be cost prohibitive. In this project, Dr. Stanislaus Wong of Stony Brook University is designing new classes of cheaper and better-performing FC catalysts by investigating catalytic efficiency and cost-effectiveness. These objectives are achieved through a holistic consideration of key reaction variables such as the size, shape, and composition of the underlying catalyst support. His research group correlates these factors with the FC performance to improve cost efficiency and sustainability. Professor Wong seeks to ensure the full participation of underrepresented minority students in science. To do this, he creates the SCI-LIFE discussion initiative, to provide students with the opportunity to receive important career information from professional researchers and scientists. SCI-LIFE invites researchers and scientists from academia, industry, and government to give informal talks to the students, describing not only their research interests but how they address and tackle potential career concerns, fears, questions, and misconceptions.With funding from the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry (MSN) Program of the Chemistry Division, Dr. Wong is probing the morphology- and composition-dependence of the catalytic behavior of novel nanoscale electrocatalysts. He is examining the fundamental, individual mechanistic roles of the effects of a one-dimensional morphology, a core-shell motif, the deliberate addition of a transition metal dopant (i.e. alloy core composition), and the effect of the underlying support upon the associated methanol oxidation reaction activity and kinetics. Nanoscale electrocatalysts are being synthesized, consisting of platinum monolayer shells supported on and circumscribing ultrathin nanowire cores. These model systems are then immobilized onto either perovskite or hybrid supports. The structure and electrocatalytic properties of the ultrathin, one-dimensional, core-shell system are then examined with a suite of complementary characterization techniques, including in situ methods. These studies address the structural and electronic origins of catalytic enhancement within novel catalyst-support systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.