CAS: Dual-Site Relay Catalysis in Oxygen Reduction Reactions on Reducible Metal Oxide Heterojunction Structures

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Fuel cells and metal-air batteries are potential next-generation technologies for clean, renewable, efficient electrical energy generation and storage, respectively. A big hindrance to these developing technologies is the high cost of the electrode catalysts needed to reduce oxygen. Current state-of-the-art catalysts use rare and expensive metals. As a result, these technologies are not economically viable for large-scale applications. Much cheaper and more readily available materials are known to catalyze oxygen reduction, but their reactivity is not high enough for practical application. In this project, Dr. Zhenmeng Peng of the University of Akron is developing a new strategy to significantly improve the activity of these inexpensive catalysts. If successful, this will allow replacement of rare, precious metals with low-cost materials in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, eventually rendering them economically viable. Dr. Peng is actively engaged in education and outreach activities directed at creating scientific interest on the part of high school students and encouraging their career development in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Dr. Peng is also preparing undergraduate and graduate students for future STEM careers. With funding from the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Division of Chemistry, Dr. Zhenmeng Peng of the University of Akron seeks to develop a new, dual-site relay catalysis strategy to significantly improve the activity of reducible metal oxide (RMO)-based materials in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). RMOs with insufficient ORR activity are explained by scaling relationship restrictions. Dr. Peng is studying the cooperation between dual RMO active catalysis sites that break this restriction and thus, overcome the activity challenge. RMO heterojunction structures that possess a proper combination of two different active sites in adjacency are being synthesized and used to conduct mechanistic investigations. How the ORR pathway and the activity property are influenced on RMO heterojunction structure are critical to verifying the dual-site relay catalysis concept. These pathways and properties are being examined using experimental kinetic studies in conjunction with computational simulations. Professor Peng seeks to identification the governing structure parameters and establish structure-activity property relationships. He is actively engaged in education and outreach activities, with a focus on creating early scientific interest in high school students and recruiting underrepresented students in STEM.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.