Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Investigations in Fuel Cell Catalysis

该方案的目的是利用电化学核磁共振(EC-核磁共振)研究不同铂合金对铂表面电子性质的影响。用于燃料电池的候选电催化剂材料将通过自发沉积单层数量的铂和其他贵金属(Ru、Ir、Os和Re)纳米颗粒来合成。EC-核磁共振研究将探测金属表面和有毒的吸附物质。还将研究Pd/Pt电极上的一氧化碳耐受性。从EC-核磁共振获得的电子水平信息将与电化学测量结果相关联，以努力更好地了解一氧化碳中毒的机制。这种相关性有望帮助指导甲醇电氧化阳极的制备。评价者认为PI是发展EC-核磁共振的先驱，用于检查底物的电子状态和吸附-结构键的变化。表面功函数随吸附和过电位变化的关系对于基本理解电极过程的热力学和动力学是很重要的。该项目的更广泛影响将是对研究生和本科生进行电催化方法的培训。这项研究有助于指导用于交通和移动应用的改进型燃料电池催化剂的开发。

The objective of this proposal is to use electrochemical nuclear magnetic resonance (EC-NMR) to study the influence of various platinum alloys on the electronic properties of Pt surfaces. Candidate electrocatalyst materials for fuel-cell applications will be synthesized through the spontaneous deposition of monolayer quantities of Pt and other noble metal (Ru, Ir, Os, and Re) nanoparticles. EC-NMR studies will probe the metal surfaces and poisoning adsorbates. Carbon monoxide tolerance on Pd/Pt electrodes will also be studied. Electronic-level information, obtained from EC-NMR, will be correlated with the results of electrochemical measurements in an effort to better understand the mechanisms of CO-poisoning. Such correlations are expected to help guide the preparation of anodes for methanol electro-oxidation. Reviewers recognized the PIs as pioneers in the development of EC-NMR for examining changes in the electronic state of the substrate and adsorbate-structure bonding. A correlation of the surface work function changes as a function of adsorption and overpotential is important in the fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and kinetics of an electrode process. The broader impacts of this project will be to train graduate and undergraduate students in the methods of electrocatalysis. This research could help guide the development of improved fuel-cell catalysts for applications in transportation and mobile applications.