Support effects on electrocatalysis at metal nanoparticles

拟议的研究将带来催化剂设计的新概念和用于有机燃料氧化的新型多功能催化剂。这将促进燃料电池的商业化，这些燃料电池能够使用各种可再生燃料，如乙醇和甘油。这项工作的中心主题是研究复合催化剂中使用的材料对和材料组之间的协同作用。例如，将研究金属氧化物和铂颗粒的组合用于乙醇的电化学氧化。新的方法将被设计来提高我们对这些材料如何协同工作以提高乙醇氧化反应的速率和效率的理解。这将使我们能够选择适当的材料组合，用作燃料电池的催化剂，从而以高效率和低排放从乙醇中产生电力。

The proposed research will lead to new concepts in catalyst design and new multifunctional catalysts for the oxidation of organic fuels. This will facilitate the commercialization of fuel cells that are able to run on a variety of renewable fuels such as ethanol and glycerol. The central theme of the work is to investigate synergies between pairs and groups of materials used in composite catalysts. For example, combinations of metal oxides and platinum particles will be investigated for use in the electrochemical oxidation of ethanol. New methodology will be designed to enhance our understanding of how such materials can work together to increase the rate and efficiency of the ethanol oxidation reaction. This will allow us to select appropriate combinations of materials for use as catalysts in fuel cells that will produce electrical power from ethanol with high efficiency and low emissions.