Coupling the Electrocatalytic Activity with Structural Characterizations obtained by X-ray-based techniques by using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy

• Grant number: 23/14901-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: June 19, 2024
• End date: June 18, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Pablo Sebastián Fernández
• Grantee: Rafael Alcides Vicente
• Supervisor: Patrick Robert Unwin
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Warwick, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/02678-0 - Fundamental studies in the field of electrochemistry at the level of single nanoparticles using synchrotron-based techniques, BP.DR

Abstract

Nanomaterials are a significant category of electrode materials utilized in electrocatalysis. Consequently, comprehending the mechanisms of reactions catalyzed by nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial for the advancement of numerous important electrocatalytic systems. The observed electrocatalytic response of an electrode composed of many NPs stems from the collective signals generated by its countless constituent particles. Given that the electrochemical performance is also dependent on the composition and morphology of the NPs, and since an electrode in real applications comprises particles with diverse compositions and morphologies, establishing a correlation between these parameters using conventional techniques proves challenging.The candidate's project in Brazil involves studying single nanoparticles (SN) using synchrotron-based X-ray techniques, i.e., to study how the electronic and structural properties of the SN change with the electrochemical potential. To link this powerful and unique characterization information to electrocatalytic activity, we are using Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy and Raman microscopy, which are extremely valuable techniques, but have resolutions at least one order of magnitude lower than X-ray-based techniques. Therefore, we propose here to measure the activity of SN by using Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy (SECM), which will permit us to get electrochemical data with spatial resolution similar to that of nanoprobe X-ray beamlines.In this BEPE project, we propose to study the electro-oxidation of glycerol and ethanol on electrocatalysts analyzed in Brazil's project (such as Pt and Pd NPs and multi-metallic Pt/transition metal materials) of different shapes and sizes. Then, the same samples will be analyzed by spatially resolved X-ray-based techniques.