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

燃料电池和金属空气电池分别是清洁、可再生、高效发电和储存电能的潜在下一代技术。这些开发技术的一个大障碍是还原氧气所需的电极催化剂的高成本。目前最先进的催化剂使用稀有和昂贵的金属。因此，这些技术对于大规模应用来说在经济上是不可行的。已知更便宜且更容易获得的材料可催化氧还原，但它们的反应性对于实际应用来说不够高。在这个项目中，阿克伦大学的Zhenmeng Peng博士正在开发一种新的策略，以显着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，旨在培养高中生的科学兴趣，并鼓励他们在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域的职业发展。彭博士还为本科生和研究生未来的STEM职业做准备。在化学系化学催化项目的资助下，阿克伦大学的Zhenmeng Peng博士寻求开发一种新的双位点接力催化策略，以显着提高可还原金属氧化物（RMO）基材料在氧还原反应（ORR）中的活性。ORR活性不足的RMO可通过比例关系限制进行解释。Peng博士正在研究双RMO活性催化位点之间的合作，打破这一限制，从而克服活性挑战。RMO异质结结构，具有两个不同的活性位点在相邻的适当组合正在合成，并用于进行机理研究。如何在RMO异质结结构上影响ORR途径和活性性质是验证双位点中继催化概念的关键。 这些途径和属性正在使用实验动力学研究结合计算机模拟进行检查。彭教授致力于确定控制结构参数并建立结构-活性性质关系。他积极参与教育和外展活动，重点是培养高中生的早期科学兴趣，并招募STEM领域代表性不足的学生。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.