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

CAS：可还原金属氧化物异质结结构氧还原反应中的双位点中继催化

• 批准号: 2341158
• 负责人: Zhenmeng Peng
• 金额: $ 35.08万
• 依托单位: University of South Carolina at Columbia
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-15 至 2024-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2341158&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAS; Dual; Site; Relay; Catalysis

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.

燃料电池和金属-空气电池分别是清洁、可再生、高效的电能生产和储存的潜在下一代技术。这些正在开发的技术的一大障碍是还原氧气所需的电极催化剂的高昂成本。目前最先进的催化剂使用稀有和昂贵的金属。因此，这些技术在经济上不适合大规模应用。众所周知，更便宜、更容易获得的材料可以催化氧还原，但它们的反应活性还不够高，无法用于实际应用。在这个项目中，阿克伦大学的彭振蒙博士正在开发一种新的策略，以显著提高这些廉价催化剂的活性。如果成功，这将允许在燃料电池和金属-空气电池中用低成本材料取代稀有的贵金属，最终使它们在经济上可行。彭博士积极参与教育和外展活动，旨在激发高中生的科学兴趣，鼓励他们在科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)领域的职业发展。彭博士还在为本科生和研究生为未来的STEM职业生涯做准备。在化学系化学催化项目的资助下，阿克伦大学彭振蒙博士致力于开发一种新的双位点接力催化策略，以显著提高基于可还原金属氧化物(RMO)的材料在氧气还原反应(ORR)中的活性。ORR活动不足的RMO可通过扩展关系限制来解释。彭博士正在研究双RMO活性催化位点之间的合作，以打破这一限制，从而克服活性挑战。具有相邻两个不同活性中心的RMO异质结结构正在被合成并用于进行力学研究。ORR途径和活性性质对RMO异质结结构的影响是验证双位接力催化概念的关键。这些途径和性质正在用实验动力学研究和计算模拟相结合的方法进行检验。彭教授试图识别治理结构参数，并建立结构-活性属性关系。他积极参与教育和外展活动，专注于培养高中生的早期科学兴趣，并在STEM招收代表不足的学生。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。