The Study and Application of Nonlinear (Photo)Electrochemical Reactions

非线性行为在自然界中无处不在，包括金属腐蚀、心脏组织中的螺旋波活动、雪崩、股市波动、交通流行为等过程，在过去的三十年里，物理学家、生物学家和数学家依靠化学模型系统来研究这些有趣的行为。新的化学振荡器的发现将极大地影响我们对非线性现象的认识的进一步发展，从基础科学和应用科学的角度来看，非线性现象都是重要的。该研究计划的重点是开发新的（光）电化学振荡器及其在燃料电池和新型纳米材料合成中的应用。所提出的系统涉及氧气的电还原，这是燃料电池中的关键过程。由于电极材料的高成本以及对电解质/电极界面处的化学过程的理解不足，已经严重阻碍了燃料电池（其已经被认为是用于能量存储和生产的环境友好的技术）用于广泛的用途的采用。振荡行为及其对外部扰动的敏感响应的研究将为我们提供一组独特的参数，以深入了解潜在的反应机制。新的机理信息将反过来为开发更高效的燃料电池提供关键指导。 反应动力学对纳米材料形貌和微结构的影响在文献中有很好的记载，但很少有人研究振荡系统。对金属的振荡电化学溶解和含硫化合物的电化学氧化的拟议研究有望导致一类新的金属硫属化物光催化剂的发展。纳米材料的形成导致其潜在的非线性动力学的反馈，为发现新的化学现象提供了独特的机会。从长远来看，该计划将导致非线性科学和材料科学之间的协同作用。

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.