I-Corps: Innovative Nano Catalysts for Automobile and Fuel Cell Applications

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project has to do with impacts on global markets that involve catalysts. Catalysts influence many fields in science and technology such as material science, electrochemical processes, nano science and energy storage technologies. These areas represent some of the most rapidly evolving global sciences and applications. The novel catalyst material that is the basis of this project will likely have commercial impact in global markets in that 60% of chemical synthesis and 90% of chemical transformations in chemical industries are currently dependent on the catalysts. According to the North American Catalysis Society, approximately 35% of global GDP depends on catalysts and the use of catalysts in the industry is increasing by 5% every year. With the growing market need of catalyst materials and the facile synthesis methodology for large scale production, this project's catalyst can be a potential game changer in the global market.This I-Corps project is primarily intended to identify the market need and characterize the technological gap to commercialize a recently developed nano catalyst based on metal-organic framework-modified nitrogen-doped graphene (N-G/MOF) for oxygen reduction reaction applications. The modification of the nitrogen-doped graphene (N-G) catalyst by metal-organic framework materials (MOFs) has been developed to enhance the catalytic and electrochemical performance of N-G catalysts. The MOF-modified N-G catalyst (N-G/MOF) has high catalytic performance due to high surface area and porosity, which has better performance than the conventional precious group metal (PGM) catalyst. The innovative and economically viable synthesis method using nano high energy wet (NHEW) ball milling was developed for the synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene catalyst in room temperature environments. The NHEW ball milling synthesis method offers a long-term solution to the primary challenges generated during the high-temperature synthesis process, and serve as the primary synthesis method for the industry-scale production of the N-G/MOF catalyst in the future.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.