Nanostructured Electrocatalysts for Fuel Cells

作为一种清洁、可持续的能源技术，直接甲酸燃料电池(DFAFC)已成为非常有前途的便携式电子设备的电源。然而，DFAFCs的催化剂性能较低，大大阻碍了其商业化。目前的研究计划旨在应用纳米技术来解决这一挑战。具体地说，重点是通过纳米结构催化剂的形貌和组成控制合成来提高钯的稳定性和铂的活性，这两种催化剂是DFAFC最有效的催化剂。 建议的方法包括：1)开发“更便宜、更快、更环保”的方法，将催化剂的形状从通常获得的纳米颗粒调整为新的纳米结构(例如线、管和树枝)。2)合成上述纳米结构的合金，以进一步提高其在DFAFCs中的催化性能(这是一个关键的新奇发现)，这是一个很少报道的新发现。3)评价它们在DFAFCs中的催化性能(活性和稳定性)。更深入地了解DFAFCs的结构-性质关系，进一步优化DFAFCs的活性和稳定性，将是一个重要的努力。拟议研究的成功完成预计将在纳米材料和清洁能源领域以及其他工业应用领域带来新的重要知识，如传感器、炼油和车辆排放控制，这些应用也使用贵金属作为催化剂。这对加拿大的能源、环境和制造业非常重要。 该研究项目将在未来五年内培养3名博士生和10名本科生。他们将获得宝贵和全面的专业知识(从纳米材料的合成和表征，到燃料电池的应用)。这些HQP将为纳米科学和清洁能源技术的发展贡献他们的专业知识，这些技术对加拿大的经济、环境和社会至关重要。

As a clean, sustainable energy technology, direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs) have emerged as highly promising power sources for portable electronic devices. However, the commercialization of DFAFCs is greatly hindered by their low catalyst performance. The present research program aims at applying nanotechnology to solve this challenge. Specifically, the focus is to increase the stability of Pd and the activity of Pt, the two most effective catalysts for DFAFCs, via the morphology- and composition-controlled synthesis of nanostructured catalysts. Proposed methodologies include: 1) To develop "cheaper, faster, greener" methods to tune the shapes of catalysts from the commonly obtained nanoparticles to novel nanostructures (e.g. wires, tubes and dendrites). 2) To synthesize alloys of the above nanostructures to further enhance their catalytic performance in DFAFCs (a key novelty), which have rarely been reported. 3) To evaluate their catalytic performance (activity and stability) in DFAFCs. An important effort will be made to more thoroughly understand the structure-property relations, to further optimize the activity and stability of DFAFCs. The successful completion of the proposed research is expected to lead to new and important knowledge in the fields of nanomaterials and clean energy, as well as in other industrial applications, such as sensors, oil refining, and vehicle emissions control, which also use noble metals as catalysts. This is of significant importance to the energy, environmental and manufacturing sectors of Canada. This research program will train 3 PhD students and 10 undergraduate students over next five years. They will gain valuable and comprehensive expertise (ranging from nanomaterials synthesis and characterization, to fuel cell applications). These HQP will contribute their expertise to the development of nanoscience and clean energy technologies that are of critical importance for the Canadian economy, environment, and society.