Development of nanostructured catalyst for direct ethanol and/or glycerol photo-assisted fuel cell

• Grant number: 23/04729-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Germano Tremiliosi Filho
• Grantee: Tahir Muhmood
• 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 photoelectrocatalytic processes for chemical and electrical energy interconversioon-n and synthesis of relevant reaction product molecules, in a solar driven photo-assisted 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 photoelectrocatalysis of ethanol and glycerol oxidation will be investigated on nanostructured semiconductor (TiO2 nanotubes, Nb2O5, etc) decorated with catalytic nanoparticles as Pt, Pd, etc, in neutral, lightly acidic 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 chromatography's, etc. The investigations will include correlation between the photoelectrocatalytic 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 photo-assisted fuel cell (DAPAFC) using photoelectrocatalysts investigated in the previous stages. (AU)