A Collaborative Computational and Experimental Approach to Investigate Ammonia Oxidation Reaction Mechanisms

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Hydrogen is widely recognized as a mechanism to transition from a fossil fuel dependent energy economy to greener alternatives. Canada has targeted an ambitious goal to be net-carbon neutral by 2050 and our national strategy relies heavily on the production of clean hydrogen for both domestic use and international export. A critical aspect of the hydrogen economy is the development of practicable means to store and transport hydrogen. Ammonia, NH3, is a highly appealing hydrogen carrier given its hydrogen density and the fact that infrastructure is already in place to liquefy and transport it. However, for ammonia to be a viable option for hydrogen transport, efficient means must be developed to liberate hydrogen from ammonia at the point of energy production in a process known as the ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR). Better electrochemical catalysts are needed to improve the energy efficiency (amount of hydrogen liberated per unit of input energy) of the AOR. The goal of this International Alliance Catalyst collaboration is to combine the computational expertise in catalyst design of a US-based partner with the expertise in electrode surface characterization (developed and fostered by Canadian funding) of the applicant to achieve new understanding of the AOR mechanism, leading to improved AOR electrocatalysis.