Development of nanostructured catalyst for fundamental studies of ethanol and glycerol oxidation reactions

• Grant number: 23/04297-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Germano Tremiliosi Filho
• Grantee: Tuani Carla Gentil
• 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

This research project aims studies of electrocatalytic processes for chemical and electrical energy interconversion and synthesis of relevant reaction product molecules, in a direct alcohol fuel cell device. The main focus is associated to the study of reactions involved in fuel cells feed with alcohols, especially ethanol and glycerol. Fundamental aspects of the electrocatalysis of ethanol and glycerol oxidation will be investigated on nanostructured metallic particles of Pt, Au, Rh, Pd, etc, in neutral, acidic and/or alkaline media. These studies, will involve quantitative determination of the reaction intermediates and products by in situ FTIR spectroscopy, on-line differential electrochemistry mass spectrometry, liquid and ionic chromatographies, etc. The investigations will include correlation between the electrocatalytic activity, chemical stabilitiy of the electrocatalyst and the structure of the nanoparticles. Finally, operational electrochemical investigations will be made on operating systems in a directed alcohol fuel cell using electrocatalysts investigated in the previous stages.