GOALI: SusChem: Fundamentals of Oxygen Electrocatalysis on Mixed-Metal Oxyhydroxides for Alkaline Membrane Electrolysis

GOALI/SusChem：碱性膜电解中混合金属氢氧化物上的氧电催化基础清洁和可持续能源的发展对人类文明的经济和环境活力至关重要。太阳能和风能等可再生能源是间歇性的，因此以为地球提供动力所需的容量与传统能源整合成本高昂。需要可扩展的、廉价的储能技术。在这个项目中，Boettcher博士（俄勒冈州大学）正在与Proton OnSite（康涅狄格州沃灵福德）的Ayers博士合作，研究使用可再生电力作为输入将水转化为氢气和氧气的催化剂。氢气是一种可持续的、无碳的、可再生的燃料，可用于替代化石燃料。它可用于燃料电池，按需再生电力或像天然气一样燃烧，而不会产生碳排放。这项研究解决了整个反应中氧气生产部分的效率低下问题。该团队将产氧反应如何发生的基础研究与工业-学术合作中的更多应用研究相结合，以测试商业相关系统中的优化催化剂。参与该项目的研究生将在Proton OnSite完成行业实习。 Proton OnSite研究人员访问了俄勒冈大学尤金分校。该团队与当地中学生开展外展活动。 这些活动让学生在俄勒冈州大学校园内参与实际的储能和可持续性实验室活动，并通过研究沉浸式实验室课程向大学新生介绍科学研究。凭借化学系化学催化计划的这一奖项，来自俄勒冈州大学（UO）的副教授Shannon Boettcher：（1）合成新的多阳离子（氧）氢氧化物析氧催化剂以鉴定活性位点基序并提高关键性能标准（固有活性、电导率和稳定性），（2）采用原位和非原位散射，X射线吸收，和光电子能谱技术以将铁位点处的局部电子结构和键合与测量的不同催化剂的固有活性相关联，以及（3）将所获得的基础知识应用于设计催化剂结构，所述催化剂结构以电子方式和离子方式连接成有效且稳定的碱性-在实际电流密度为1 A cm-2的条件下运行的膜电解槽。这项工作是与Proton OnSite（Wallingford，CT）的Kathy Ayers博士及其团队合作进行的。为了支持更广泛的影响目标，该项目通过由Boettcher教授开发的项目整合了研究和教育，包括动手中学外展活动和UO大一新生的研究浸入式实验室。通过在Proton OnSite完成合作实习的UO博士生，以及通过访问UO的Proton团队成员，加强了行业与学术界的合作伙伴关系。

GOALI/SusChem: Fundamentals of Oxygen Electrocatalysis on Mixed Metal Oxyhydroxides for Alkaline Membrane ElectrolysisThe development of clean and sustainable energy sources is critical for the economic and environmental vitality of human civilization. Renewable energy, such as sun and wind power, is intermittent and thus expensive to integrate with traditional energy sources at the capacity needed to power the planet. Scalable, inexpensive energy storage technologies are needed. In this project, Dr. Boettcher (University of Oregon) is collaborating with Dr. Ayers at Proton OnSite (Wallingford, Connecticut) to study catalysts for converting water into hydrogen and oxygen gas using renewable electricity as the input. Hydrogen gas is a sustainable, carbon-free, renewable fuel that can be used to replace fossil fuels. It can be used in fuel cells to regenerate electricity on demand or burned like natural gas, without carbon emission. This research addresses the inefficiency of the oxygen production part of the overall reaction. The team combines fundamental studies of how the oxygen production reaction occurs, with more applied aspects of research within the industry-academic collaboration to test optimized catalysts in commercially-relevant systems. The graduate student working on the project completes an industry internship at Proton OnSite. The Proton OnSite researchers visit the University of Oregon-Eugene. The team conducts outreach activities with local middle school students. These activities engage the students in hands-on energy storage and sustainability laboratory activities on the University of Oregon campus, and introduces university freshman to scientific research through research immersion laboratory courses.With this award from the Chemical Catalysis Program of the Division of Chemistry, Assoc. Professor Shannon Boettcher from the University of Oregon (UO) is: (1) synthesizing new multi-cation (oxy)hydroxide oxygen-evolution catalysts to identify active-site motifs and enhance key performance criteria (intrinsic activity, electrical conductivity, and stability), (2) employing in situ and ex situ scattering, x-ray absorption, and photoelectron spectroscopy techniques to correlate local electronic structure and bonding at iron sites to measured intrinsic activities across different catalysts, and (3) applying the fundamental knowledge obtained to design catalyst architectures that are electronically and ionically wired into efficient and stable alkaline-membrane electrolyzers operating at practical current densities 1 A cm-2. The work is carried out in collaboration with Dr. Kathy Ayers at Proton OnSite (Wallingford, CT) and her team. In support of broader-impacts goals, the project integrates research and education through programs developed by Prof. Boettcher including hands-on middle school outreach events and research-immersion laboratories for UO freshman. The industry-academic partnership is strengthened by UO PhD students completing collaborative internships at Proton OnSite, and through Proton team members visiting the UO.