Kinetic instabilities at the electrified solid/liquid interface: measurement and variation of surface temperature

• Grant number: 14/07429-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2014
• End date: January 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Hamilton Brandão Varela de Albuquerque
• Grantee: Alana Aragon Zulke
• Supervisor: Rolf Schuster
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/06205-3 - Kinetic instabilities at the electrode/solution interface: measurement and variation of the surface temperature, BP.DR

Abstract

The temperature dependence of electrodic processes provides unique informationregarding the interface. Particularly useful is the study of the platinum |electrolyteinterface, taking into account the remarkable reactivity of this metal and itsimportance as the most suitable element to catalyze reactions used for direct fuelcell applications. Although fundamental calorimetric studies are extensivelyavailable on the literature, focus on the surface temperature is not a trivial task.With the recent technical feasibility of ultra-sensitive thermal methods, we cannow not only map the thermal transients during electrochemical reactions, as wecan control this variable independently, in order to better elucidate a number ofinterfacial phenomena. This project aims to engage the research on emergence ofcomplex behavior in some electrocatalytic reactions carried out under oscillatoryregime, by in situ calorimetry coupled to conventional electrochemical methods.The systems to be studied are, in principle, the electro-oxidation of smallorganic molecules on platinum. (AU)