New electrode materials for hydrogen production by water electrolysis

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The use of fossil fuels to meet our energy demands has created negative implications on the planet. Since the need for energy will continue to grow, the danger of increased greenhouse gas emissions will also grow. One of the solutions is to use alternative/green/renewable energy sources (wind, sun, water). However, their intermittent nature possesses a problem, which can be circumvented by storing exes of produced electrical energy to be used when required. In this respect, hydrogen gas has been identified as a promising energy-storage medium/vector. The Canadian Government has identified hydrogen "as a tool to achieve our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 and position Canada as a global, industrial leader of clean renewable fuels". "Green hydrogen" can be produced by electrolysis of water using solar/wind/hydro-produced electricity: this is a clean route to the hydrogen economy without the consumption of fossil fuels or the emission of carbon dioxide. Of particular interest have become polymer-electrolyte-membrane water electrolysers (PEMWEs) since these offer a range of advantages over the well-established alkaline water electrolysers. However, current PEMWE electrodes require very high loadings of expensive platinum and iridium. The research proposed here aims at addressing this drawback of the PEMWE technology, and at contributing to bringing it to a wider-scale use. It outlines new strategies for the development of nano-structured electrode materials based on mixed-metal-nitrides/oxides/borides (MMXs) with a significantly lower Pt and Ir loadings than those in current PEMWEs, with the long-term goal of replacing Pt/Ir with completely non-noble-metal-based electrocatalysts. By theoretical considerations and semi-combinatorial electrochemistry, and using new approaches in tailoring electrodes, a number of Pt/Ir-MMXs will be identified and developed as nanostructured, and as Pt/Ir-single-atom-based electrodes. The research will also contribute to our understanding on how fundamental surface physicochemical properties, surface topography and morphology, bulk structure and chemical composition, and electronic/dielectric properties of these materials influence their corresponding electrochemical properties. This will, in turn, enable researchers to base the design of electrodes for various applications on phenomena at the nano- and electronic-level, rather than on empirical methods. The proposed research will train 2 PhD, 2 MSc and 10 undergraduate students. The students will gain knowledge and advanced experimental skills in the areas of electrochemistry and surface and materials science and engineering. The students will be trained to use state-of-the-art experimental research tools, and in important soft skills, such as bias awareness, communication and project-management. It is expected that the research will produce IP and knowledge that will contribute to the Canadian academic and industrial sectors.