Kinetic instabilities in the electro-oxidation of isopropanol on Pt and Pt-Ru

• Grant number: 21/13564-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: July 01, 2022
• End date: May 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Hamilton Brandão Varela de Albuquerque
• Grantee: Gianluca Ragassi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/22183-6 - Electrocatalysis VI: fundamental and applied aspects of emerging and classical problems in electrochemical energy conversion, AP.TEM

Abstract

Due to the necessity of reducing CO2 emissions, the development of new methods of energy storage and generation became essencial. In this scenario, the use of small organic molecules in the interconversion between chemical and electric energy has attracted great interest. Among these molecules, isopropanol has attracted special atention. Due to the -OH group position in secondary alcohols, the molecule undergoes a different adsorption from those usually studied, such as methanol, resulting in a lower value of overpotencial in its electro-oxidation and having ketone as major product, without production of CO2. There are reports of the ocurrence of potencial oscilations in the electro-oxidation of isopropanol, but the implications remain underexplored. Thus, this project proposes, through electrochemical methods, to carry out a detailed study of the kinetic instabilities responsable for these oscilations. Therefore, the reaction will be studied on Pt and Pt-Ru catalysts, and the effect of temperature and pH will be investigated. Thus, it is expected to obtain quantitative data that contribute with the developing of new energy storage and generation devices. (AU)