Development of Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version
Author(s)
Primary Supervisor

Zhao, Huijun

Other Supervisors

Liu, Porun

Yin, Huajie

Editor(s)
Date
2023-05-30
Size
File type(s)
Location
License
Abstract

Hydrogen (H2) has been explored and developed as one of the most promising sustainable energy carriers. However, the current large-scale H2 production, i.e., steam reforming, is inefficient and unsustainable due to the utilization of fossil fuels, low H2 gas purity, high energy consumption and high CO2 emission. Therefore, efficient and sustainable H2 production and conversion technologies are thus indispensable for the clean H2 cycle. Emerging electrochemical technologies, including water electrolysis and fuel cells, can be applied for H2 production and utilization, and four reactions are involved in the reversible conversion between chemical energy and electrical energy, namely, oxygen evolution reaction (OER), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). To facilitate the essential chemical reactions in high efficiency and selectivity, the use of efficient electrocatalysts with low overpotential and satisfactory cost-effectiveness is necessary. Nowadays, electrocatalysts based on platinum (Pt), ruthenium (Ru) or iridium (Ir) have been the benchmark materials for OER, HER, ORR and HOR in electrolyzers and fuel cells, but the scarcity and high price have constrained their large-scale applications. Moreover, compared with 2-electron HER and HOR reactions, a larger overpotential is to be overcome to achieve the same reaction rate for OER and ORR, which involve a 4-electron transfer. Overall, rational design and development of efficient electrocatalysts for OER and ORR are vital to improving the efficiency of H2 technology. The thesis, therefore, aims to develop efficient electrocatalysts towards ORR and OER by (1) improving the catalytic efficiency of noble-metal-based catalysts and (2) exploring cost-effective alternatives for noble-metal-based catalysts.

Journal Title
Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume
Issue
Thesis Type

Thesis (PhD Doctorate)

Degree Program

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

School of Environment and Sc

Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.

Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

electrocatalysis

oxygen reduction reaction

oxygen evolution reaction

Persistent link to this record
Citation