Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy of Single-Crystal Hydrogen Electrocatalysis

在化学系化学测量和成像项目的支持下，匹兹堡大学的Shigeru Amemiya教授和他的团队正在开发新的电化学方法，以识别反应中间体和氢电催化的可能反应途径。该项目的重点是获得对氢电催化的深入了解，这对于有效生产和利用可持续和清洁的氢燃料以及电化学科学和技术的许多重要领域至关重要。氢电催化的分子机理的可靠鉴定不仅是理解铂族金属的上级电催化活性的迫切需要，而且是设计基于廉价和地球丰富的元素的替代上级电催化剂的迫切需要。来自代表性不足的群体的学生将通过参与先进电化学仪器的开发来体验跨学科的培训，并为本科生实验室实施复杂的电催化计算模拟。该项目的重点是对析氢和氧化反应的定量研究，以解决这两个步骤的混合途径。电子反应Amemiya实验室正在开发的新纳米电化学方法将提供一个测量氢原子吸附能的机会，并建立表面中间体的电化学身份。具体而言，Amemiya教授及其研究小组正在开发和应用基于扫描电化学显微镜的瞬态纳米间隙伏安法，以分别确定每个电子转移和吸附步骤的热力学和动力学参数。可靠的反应参数可以通过使用具有良好定义的表面原子排列的清洁单晶金属来获得。一个火山图将建立从实验确定的参数的每一个涉及的反应在弱和强吸附金属，并将作为一个有价值的指导，为合理设计的改进electrocatalysts.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得的支持，通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Shigeru Amemiya and his group at the University of Pittsburgh are developing new electrochemical methods that allow for the identification of reactive intermediates and likely reaction pathways for hydrogen electrocatalysis. This project focuses on gaining an advanced understanding of hydrogen electrocatalysis, which is crucial for the efficient production and utilization of sustainable and clean hydrogen fuel and also for many important fields of electrochemical science and technology. Reliable identification of the molecular mechanism of hydrogen electrocatalysis is urgently demanded not only to understand the superior electrocatalytic activity of platinum-group metals but also to design alternative superior electrocatalysts based on inexpensive and earth abundant elements. Students from underrepresented groups will experience interdisciplinary training by participating in the development of advanced electrochemical instruments for the proposed research and in the implementation of the sophisticated computational simulation of electrocatalysis for an undergraduate laboratory.This project is focused on the quantitative study of both hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions for the resolution of the intermingled pathways of these two-step two-electron reactions. New nanoelectrochemical methods being developed in the Amemiya laboratory will provide an opportunity to measure the adsorption energy of hydrogen atoms as well as establish the electrochemical identity of surface intermediates. Specifically, Professor Amemiya and his research group are developing and applying transient nanogap voltammetry based on scanning electrochemical microscopy to separately determine the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of each electron transfer and adsorption step. Reliable reaction parameters can be obtained by employing clean single crystal metals with a well defined arrangement of surface atoms. A volcano plot will be established from the experimentally determined parameters of each involved reaction at both weakly and strongly adsorbing metals and will serve as a valuable guide for the rational design of improved electrocatalysts.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.