Functionalization of Metal Chalcogenide Frameworks for Electrocatalysis

在化学系化学催化项目的支持下，加州大学河滨分校冯平云教授正在研究新型析氧反应（OER）电催化剂的开发。这个过程是绿色能源应用中的一个关键电化学反应，包括水分解，以生产清洁燃料。OER在可充电锌空气电池等应用中也发挥着重要作用。冯教授和她的团队正在研究金属硫族化物框架中的基本相互作用，这些框架支持可持续的地球丰富的OER催化剂，并可以调整它们的反应性。这项工作通过取代贵金属催化剂和确定如何在低潜力和高效率下实现OER，为可持续和可再生能源的下一代技术的发展做出了贡献。同时，冯教授支持本科研究机会和本科化学职业教育，并开发固态无机材料化学新课程。根据该奖项，冯教授和她的研究小组将在金属硫系材料中开发主客体包合化学，该材料集成了均匀孔隙率，高表面积和半导体性，以支持过渡金属（氧）氢氧化物纳米颗粒，作为OER的有效电催化剂。利用金属硫族化合物纳米孔载体的约束效应，可以制备出具有可控尺寸的纳米颗粒。纳米结构主客体材料的不同化学组成、结构柔韧性和形态为其OER电催化性能的基础系统研究提供了平台。该研究计划将合成设计和执行与新材料的物理和化学性质的表征以及电催化性能的测试相结合。这些活动还支持具有不同背景的本科生和研究生的跨学科培训，为他们在科学领域具有挑战性和回报性的职业生涯做好准备。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With the support of the Chemical Catalysis Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Pingyun Feng of the University of California, Riverside is studying the development of new electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). This process is a critical electrochemical reaction in green energy applications, including water-splitting, to produce clean fuels. The OER also plays an important role in applications such as rechargeable zinc-air batteries. Professor Feng and her team are studying the fundamental interactions in metal chalcogenide frameworks that support sustainable earth-abundant OER catalysts and can tune their reactivity. This work is contributing to the development of next-generation technologies for sustainable and renewable energy by replacing precious metal catalysts and determining how to achieve OER at low potential and high efficiency. Simultaneously, Professor Feng is supporting undergraduate research opportunities and undergraduate education in chemical careers, as well as developing a new course in solid state inorganic materials chemistry.Under this award, Professor Feng and her research group will develop host-guest inclusion chemistry in metal chalcogenide materials that integrate uniform porosity, high surface area, and semiconductivity to support transition metal (oxy)hydroxide nanoparticles that function as efficient electrocatalysts for OER. Incorporated nanoparticles will be prepared with controllable sizes using the confinement effect of the metal chalcogenide nanoporous host. The diverse chemical composition, structural flexibility and morphology of the nano-structured host-guest materials provide a platform for the fundamental systematic study of their electrocatalytic properties for OER. The research program integrates synthetic design and execution with characterization of the physical and chemical nature of the new materials, and their testing for electrocatalytic performance. These activities also support the cross-disciplinary training of both undergraduate and graduate students with diverse backgrounds to prepare them for challenging and rewarding careers in science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.