Ethanol electrooxidation on PtNi nanoparticles: electrocatalysis and non-linear kinetics

• Grant number: 14/23073-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date until: January 01, 2015
• End date until: December 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Hamilton Brandão Varela de Albuquerque
• Grantee: Bruno Alarcon Fernandes Previdello
• Supervisor: Peter Strasser
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Technical University of Berlin (TU), Germany
• Associated to the scholarship: 12/21204-0 - Temporal self-organization in electro-oxidation of small organic molecules: surface structure effect, water concentration and temperature, BP.PD

Abstract

A Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell (DEFC) is a device where chemical energy is converted to electricity with a high theoretical efficiency. However, an operating DEFC reaches values lower than expected, compromising its potential commercial applications. This problem is due to a poisoning of the catalysts by the reaction's intermediates, summed to the unfavorable kinetics of the ethanol complete oxidation to carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, to devise strategies regarding the deployment of DEFC technology, it is necessary further knowledge of the system. For such, bimetallic catalysts have been employed to study the ethanol electro-oxidation. Despite increases in selectivity for this reaction, no viable catalyst has been developed yet. Then, this project intends to study bimetallic nanoparticulated PtNi catalysts for the electro-oxidation of ethanol. This one is a versatile material, since it is possible to control its geometry, surface properties and particle size depending on the treatment used. Additionally, PtNi nanoparticles have presented promising results for the electro-oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO), one of the intermediates that strongly blocks the catalyst's sites. The electrochemical studies will be performed using different configurations of PtNi in an oscillatory regime, in order to study the reaction's selectivity. Methanol will be used as a probe for better comprehension of the results. (AU)

Scientific publications

(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)

PREVIDELLO, B. A. F.; FERNANDEZ, P. S.; TREMILIOSI-FILHO, G.; VARELA, H.. Oscillatory Electro-oxidation of Methanol on Platinum Single Crystal Electrodes. ELECTROCATALYSIS, v. 7, n. 4, p. 276-279, JUL 2016. (13/16930-7, 12/24152-1, 14/23073-6, 12/21204-0)

PREVIDELLO, B. A. F.; FERNANDEZ, P. S.; TREMILIOSI-FILHO, G.; VARELA, H.. Probing the surface fine structure through electrochemical oscillations. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, v. 20, n. 8, p. 5674-5682, FEB 28 2018. (12/24152-1, 16/01365-0, 13/16930-7, 14/23073-6)