Fuel Cell & Water Electrolysis
Materials For Next Generation Energy
We are focusing on combinatorial electrocatalysts, synthesis of nano-structured materials, non-platinum or low-platinum based catalysts for energy production.
Catalysts for Fuel Cell
Transition metal-based electrode materials are under development.
- Cathode: Oxygen reduction reaction. High active Pt-based catalysts are under development.
- Anode: Hydrogen oxidation reaction by Pt catalyst
Fe-P: A New Class of Electroactive Catalyst
It has been long thought that Fe–N–C structure, where Fe is bonded with an electronegative heteroatom N, plays a key role as nonprecious metal catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. However, electrocatalytic activity of Fe bonded with electropositive heteroatom P has never been considered for ORR. Herein we report the electrocatalytic activity for ORR of new Fe–P–C.
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2015, 137, 3165–3168
N-doped Hollow Carbon Spheres with Highly Graphitized Mesoporous Shell
N-doped hollow mesoporous shell carbon (N-HMSC) is prepared as a uniform model electrocatalyst by a simple template nanocasting using Fe phthalocyanine (FePc) as a single precursor for carbon, N, and Fe. It is found that the presence of Fe in N-HMSC leads to the efficient graphitization of N-HMSC structure, which can be beneficial for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Interestingly, it is observed that Fe is a must for the preparation of high efficient catalyst, but may not be necessary for OER.
Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2016, 191, 202–208
Catalysts for Water Electrolysis
Transition metal-based electrode materials are under development.
- Cathode: Development of inexpensive alternative materials to replace Pt catalyst.
- Anode: Solving large overpotential(activation energy)
Comparison of theoretical water electrolysis overpotential and real value.
HER and OER volcano plot show reaction energy differences depending on the materials.