The Study and Application of Nonlinear (Photo)Electrochemical Reactions

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Nonlinear behavior occurs everywhere in Nature, including processes such as metal corrosion, spiral wave activity in cardiac tissue, avalanches, stock market fluctuation, traffic flow behavior, etc. In the past three decades, physicists, biologists and mathematicians have relied on chemical model systems to investigate these intriguing behaviors. Further advancement of our knowledge of nonlinear phenomena, which is of importance from points of view of both fundamental and applied science, will be significantly affected by the discovery of new chemical oscillators. This research program focuses on the development of new (photo)electrochemical oscillators and their applications in fuel cells and the synthesis of novel nanomaterials. The proposed systems involve electroreduction of oxygen, which represents a key process in fuel cells. The adoption of fuel cells, which have been regarded as an environmentally friendly technology for energy storage and production, for a wide range of uses has been severely hindered by the high cost of electrode materials as well as the poor understanding of chemical processes at the electrolyte/electrode interface. The study of oscillatory behavior and its sensitive response to external perturbations will offer us a unique set of parameters for gaining insights into the underlying reaction mechanisms. The new mechanistic information will in turn provide critical guidance for developing more efficient fuel cells. Influences of reaction kinetics on the morphologies and microstructures of nanomaterials are well documented in literature, yet few studies have been done on oscillatory systems. The proposed research on oscillatory electrochemical dissolutions of metals and the electrochemical oxidations of sulfur-containing compounds are expected to lead to the development of a new class of metal chalcogenides photocatalysts. The formation of nanomaterials results in feedback to their underlying nonlinear dynamics, providing unique opportunities for discovering new chemical phenomena. In the long term, this program will lead to a synergy between nonlinear science and materials science.