Innovative concepts, materials and structures for direct electrochemistry

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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.