Ammonia oxidation reaction and products determination using electrocatalysts and supports with enhanced durability and high catalytic activity

• Grant number: 14/09868-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: January 01, 2015
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Almir Oliveira Neto
• Grantee: Júlio César Martins da Silva
• Supervisor: Elena Baranova
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Ottawa (uOttawa), Canada
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/01577-0 - Development of materials and degradation studies of electrocatalysts and supports for alkaline fuel cell, BP.PD

Abstract

The goal of this project is to promote ammonia electro-oxidation reaction and determine the principal products from this reaction on different materials compositions. Binary electrocatalysts in different atomic rations using Pt, Ir, Ni, Mn, Ru will be prepared. These electrocatalysts will be supported on carbon and also on physical mixtures of carbon-ITO (C-In2O3.SnO2) and carbon-ATO (C-SbO2.SnO2) in deferent proportions weight ratio. These materials will be characterized by X ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), in order to obtain information about structure, particle size and dispersion of the nanoparticles on support materials. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) will also be used to determine the atomic ratios while the surface composition of the catalysts will be analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electro-oxidation of ammonia on the bimetallic electrocatalysts will be carried out in alkaline media. Close product monitoring will be performed, thus for the total nitrogen (Ntot) determination an Appollo total nitrogen analyzer and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) with photoelastic modulations will be used. Furthermore, the determination of nitrite and nitrate concentrations will be performed using Hach analytical kit. The electrochemical measurements will be performed with a BioLogic VSP potentiostat. From the results obtained using the techniques mentioned above, the best materials will be selected and used in fuel cell application and/or for ammonia-rich wastewater treatment. This study is of high importance because the acquired knowledge will lead to the development of this original research direction that is beginning in Brazil with the current research of the applicant. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SILVA, JULIO CESAR M.; NTAIS, SPYRIDON; RAJARAMAN, VISHWANATHAN; TEIXEIRA-NETO, ERICO; TEIXEIRA-NETO, ANGELA A.; NETO, ALMIR O.; ANTONIASSI, RODOLFO M.; SPINACE, ESTEVAM V.; BARANOVA, ELENA A.. The Catalytic Activity of Pt:Ru Nanoparticles for Ethylene Glycol and Ethanol Electrooxidation in a Direct Alcohol Fuel Cell. ELECTROCATALYSIS, v. 10, n. 3, p. 203-213, MAY 2019. (14/09087-4, 14/09868-6)

SILVA, JULIO CESAR M.; NTAIS, SPYRIDON; TEIXEIRA-NETO, ERICO; SPINACE, ESTEVAM V.; CUI, XIAOYU; NETO, ALMIR O.; BARANOVA, ELENA A.. Evaluation of carbon supported platinum-ruthenium nanoparticles for ammonia electro-oxidation: Combined fuel cell and electrochemical approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY, v. 42, n. 1, p. 193-201, JAN 5 2017. (13/01577-0, 14/09868-6)

SILVA, JULIO CESAR M.; PIASENTIN, RICARDO M.; SPINACE, ESTEVAM V.; NETO, ALMIR O.; BARANOVA, ELENA A.. The effect of antimony-tin and indium-tin oxide supports on the catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles for ammonia electro-oxidation. Materials Chemistry and Physics, v. 180, p. 97-103, SEP 1 2016. (13/01577-0, 14/09868-6)

SILVA, JULIO CESAR M.; ASSUMPCAO, MONICA H. M. T.; HAMMER, PETER; NETO, ALMIR O.; SPINACE, ESTEVAM V.; BARANOVA, ELENA A.. Iridium-Rhodium Nanoparticles for Ammonia Oxidation: Electrochemical and Fuel Cell Studies. CHEMELECTROCHEM, v. 4, n. 5, p. 1101-1107, MAY 2017. (13/01577-0, 14/09868-6)