Development of Efficient Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions
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Zhao, Huijun
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Liu, Porun
Yin, Huajie
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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.
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Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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School of Environment and Sc
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The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
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Subject
electrocatalysis
oxygen reduction reaction
oxygen evolution reaction