Electrocatalysis for new sustainable and 'green' technologies

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

A major problem of today's world is its heavy dependency on fossil fuels and non-environmentally-friendly technologies. The long-term solution of these problems will require the use of sustainable and 'green' energy resources and technologies. Hydrogen has been identified as the most promising and cleanest fluid energy carrier, while electrochemistry-based technologies have also attracted a significant attention due to their 'green' nature.      The proposed research program outlines new strategies for the development of new nano-structured electrocatalytic materials for production of hydrogen in sustainable-energy-powered hydrogen generators, and for sustainable electrochemistry-based processes, with the aim to use new methods, approaches, materials and techniques in research.      By theoretical considerations and combinatorial electrochemistry, and using new approaches in tailoring electrode surfaces, a number of active and functionalized materials will be identified and developed as new electrocatalysts. Using state-of-the-art experimental techniques, fundamental relationships between physico-chemical properties of new electrocatalysts, reaction mechanisms/kinetics and the resulting electrocatalytic properties will be determined. This, in turn, will enable researchers to base the design of more active, efficient, cheaper and durable catalysts on phenomena at the electronic/atomic/nano-surface level, rather than on empirical methods.      The proposed research will contribute to global efforts to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels and non-environmentally-friendly technologies. It will give students an opportunity to be trained in an interdisciplinary area of research. The research program, methods and approaches proposed here will also ensure that the quality of the students trained reflects the position of Canada as one of the world's leaders in science and technology.