Gold nanoparticules for lithium-air batteries

• Grant number: 15/24717-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2016
• End date: February 28, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Fritz Cavalcante Huguenin
• Grantee: Sabrina Dorta de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increase in energetic consumption followed by the environmental warning due to excessive gas emission creates a favorable scenario to research and develop new technologies clean and more efficient for energy sources. In this context, a promising alternative is the development of lithium air batteries to apply in energy storage and conversion. The theoretical energy provided are five or ten fold improved (13 kW.h.kg-1) as compared to others commercialized technologies. This fact has become attractive the study concerning the mechanisms and the determination of rate constants of elementary steps occurring during the discharge and charge processes in these batteries. So these studies are important to choose electrocatalysts that increase the energy density and power of lithium-air batteries.The main goal of this project is prepare gold nanoparticles dispersed in carbon matrix, which aims the increase of catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction in aprotic electrolytes. The kinetic and mechanistic process will be investigated from cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.