Innovative concepts, materials and structures for direct electrochemistry

我们在直接电化学方面的研究计划包括两个相互关联的创新项目，这两个项目将同时进行，目标是发现新的电极材料和结构：(主题1)能够增强电催化性能的绿色材料或复合材料。-目标是发现乙醇电氧化的新催化剂和结构，乙醇是可以从生物来源生产的燃料，因此通过在燃料电池中使用乙醇，可以产生低温室气体排放的电源。几种金属氧化物价格便宜、储量丰富、绿色环保。CeO_2、SnO_2、TiO_2、MnO_2等纳米功能金属氧化物(FMO)由于其自身独特的性质和功能，正在成为燃料电池中一类独特的电极材料。在此类应用中，FMO可以作为支撑基质来改善催化剂的分散性及其抗烧结和颗粒聚集的稳定性；或者当与其他催化剂结合时，可以促进某些电催化反应。我们将优化合成路线，允许以精确的方式定制设计、构建和操纵FMO，以增强其特定的功能性质，主要是当它们与铂催化剂结合时。第二个关键问题涉及必须以适当的方式将FMO插入整个催化剂层以增强或充分受益于其功能性质，即，当FMO在催化层中以不同的方式布置时，无论是否将相同的官能团添加到催化剂的电化学响应中。 (主题2)生物燃料电池(BFC)的酶电极接口-我们最近在纳米科学和技术方面取得的惊人成就为我们提供了一个独特的机会，使我们能够创造出有史以来第一个血管植入型酶生物燃料电池，作为生物电子的活体电源。我们将开发创造性的超微纳米尺度生物催化电极。这种结构将由单一的碳纤维制成，表面覆盖有高等电点的碳纳米结构(CNS)或过渡金属氧化物(TMO)；这涉及到将CNS或TMO控制生长到单一碳微纤维上，这是具有挑战性的。CNS或TMO有望用作酶和电极表面之间快速直接电子转移(DET)的“纳米线”，从而消除了使用昂贵且不生物兼容的传统电子媒介的需要。 这项研究计划包括两个与材料和电化学相关的主题，如果不是发现的话，也是一个突破的机会。这是雄心勃勃和具有挑战性的，但我们有能力和资源成功开展困难的项目，我们最近在这两个主题上取得的显著成就以及训练有素的HQP将有助于绿色燃料电池和酶葡萄糖生物燃料电池等重要研究领域的发展。

Our research program on direct electrochemistry consists of two innovative and inter-related thrusts that will be pursued at the same time with the objectives of discovering new electrode materials and structures: (Theme 1) Green-based materials or composites that enable or provide enhanced electrocatalytic performance. -The objective is to discover new catalysts and structures for the electrooxidation of ethanol, fuel that can be produced from biological sources, and so by using it in fuel cells, can lead to low greenhouse gas emission power sources. Several metal oxides are cheap, abundant and green. Owing to particular native properties and functions on their own, some nanostructured functional metal oxide (FMO) such as CeO2, SnO2, TiO2, MnO2 are emerging as a unique class of electrode materials in fuel cells. In such applications, FMO can act as a supporting matrix to improve catalyst dispersion and its stability against sintering and particles aggregation; or promotes certain electrocatalytic reactions when combined with other catalysts. We will optimize synthesis routes that allow tailor-designing, architecturing and manipulation of FMOs in a precise manner to enhance particular functional properties principally when they are combined with Pt catalyst. A second crucial issue concerns the proper way in which FMOs must be inserted within the whole catalyst layer in order to enhance or to fully benefit from its functional properties, i.e., FMO when arranged differently in the catalyst layer whether or not adds the same functionality to the electrochemical response of the catalyst. (Theme 2) Enzymatic electrode interfaces for biofuel cells (BFC).- Our recent striking achievements in nanoscale science and technology present a distinctive opportunity for us to create the first-ever blood vessel implantable enzymatic biofuel cell as in vivo power sources for bioelectronics. We will develop creative ultra-micro-nano scales architectured biocatalytic electrodes. Such architectures will be made of a single carbon fiber sheathed with carbon nanostructures (CNs) or transition metal oxides (TMOs) with high isoelectric point; this involves a challenging controlled growth of the CNs or TMOs onto a single carbon microfiber. The CNs or TMOs are expected to work as 'nano-wires' for fast direct electron transfer (DET) between enzyme and electrode surface, eliminating thus the need to employ conventional electronic mediators that are expensive and not biocompatible. The research program comprising of two themes related to materials and electrochemistry, creates an opportunity for a breakthrough, if not a discovery. It is ambitious and challenging, but we have the ability and resources to successfully undertake difficult projects and our recent striking achievements in the two themes with well-trained HQP will contribute to the development of important research areas such as green-based fuel cells and enzymatic glucose biofuel cells.