2D MXenes: synthesis and application towards green hydrogen production

• Grant number: 23/11787-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: João Batista Souza Junior
• Grantee: Iara de Lacerda Pataca
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The global environmental crisis is the result of centuries of using fossil fuels as the basis of the energy matrix. Seeking to solve this problem, the transition for renewable energies such as: wind, solar, hydro etc., has become a trend in the public and private sectors, mainly due to tax incentives from developed countries. Considered by many to be one of the protagonists of this transition, green routes of hydrogen production have been the focus of the scientific community, with the process of artificial photosynthesis (water splitting), for the production of H2 and O2 gas, as a leaderin the number of publications. Seeking to make this production route profitable on a large scale, the use of platinum catalysts in the cathode considerably increases the process efficiency, presenting superior results when compared to othercatalysts. However, the high cost of platinum makes its use unfeasible, giving start to a search for alternative catalysts. The main objective of this project is to synthesize and characterize several MXenes, a class of 2D materials on the rise due to their great stability, versatility and optoelectronic properties, and use them as a catalytic support for different elements (including platinum), which will be dispersed in the form ofsingle-atoms (SACs) on its surface. This new catalyst will be applied in systemsof water electrolysis, such as PECS (Photoelectrochemical Cell), totest its catalytic efficiency in the system. Different characterization techniques will be applied to the samples produced, including HRTEM images in the electron microscope Titan Themis by Thermo Scientific, which allows direct viewing of SACs. (AU)