| Grant number: | 12/24152-1 |
| Support type: | Scholarships abroad - Research |
| Effective date (Start): | July 15, 2013 |
| Effective date (End): | July 14, 2014 |
| Field of knowledge: | Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry |
| Principal Investigator: | Hamilton Brandão Varela de Albuquerque |
| Grantee: | Hamilton Brandão Varela de Albuquerque |
| Host: | Markus Eiswirth |
| Home Institution: | Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil |
| Local de pesquisa : | Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany |
| Associated research grant: | 09/07629-6 - Electrocatalysis IV: fundamental and applied aspects of electrocatalytic processes, bio-electrocatalysis and kinetic instabilities, AP.BIOEN.TEM |
Abstract The combination of the nonlinear kinetics, the competition for surface sites, and the transport of reactants to and of (by-)products from the electrode surface make electrochemical systems very susceptible to undergo kinetic instabilities. In terms of fuel cells relevant processes, most anodic reactions oscillate under both current and potential control. In the last five years our Group at the Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos of the University of São Paulo (ICSC/USP) have studied the electro-oxidation of many small organic molecules (C1-C3) on platinum and platinum-based catalysts. The investigation has been performed through state-of-the-art experimental techniques and approaches, and complimented by modeling and numerical simulations. Despite the relative progress in the understanding of some mechanistic aspects of such systems, a clear and comprehensive picture is still missing. In order to fill this gap, it is proposed in the present application the use of Stoichiometric Network Analysis (SNA) to rationalize and organize the considerable amount of experimental data generated, and also to deeper the current understanding. The SNA will be carried out analytically and the results tested numerically. The work will be developed at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, Germany, under the supervision of Prof. Markus Eiswirth, a well-known specialist in both theoretical and experimental aspects of nonlinear chemical kinetics. From a wider perspective, the development of this project might impact the future research in our Group at ICSC/USP by (a) strengthening the integration between experiments and theory, (b) facilitating the systematic design of experiments, and (c) providing the tools to explore other electrochemical, chemical and even biological systems. (AU) | |
| News published in Agência FAPESP Newsletter about the scholarship: | |
| Theoretical model predicts fuel cell performance | |