Single Atoms Supported on N-doped Carbon and Carbon Nitrides: Strategic Materials for Application in Energy Storage Systems

• Grant number: 24/02739-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: April 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Ivo Freitas Teixeira
• Grantee: Rayse Machado Ferreira
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/14741-6 - Graphitic carbon nitrides as platforms for single-atom photocatalysis: moving towards design principles for improved performance, AP.JP

Abstract

The purpose of this project is the development of simple and effective material synthesis methodologies for single atom-based materials (SAMs), supported on nitrogen-doped carbon and crystalline carbon nitride frameworks for applications in energy storage devices. Our approach combines two methods: the synthesis of N-doped carbon materials in the presence of alkali salts, inspired by crystalline carbon nitrides synthesis method, followed by the coordination of transition metals (e.g. Ni, Mn, Mg, Co) onto these N-doped carbon materials, by employing a cation exchange method. The same cation exchanged method will be employed to stabilize single-atoms in crystalline carbon nitrides. We will carefully characterize the obtained synthesized materials using various techniques, including elemental analysis, ICP-OES, XRD, TEM, FTIR, Raman, UV-Vis, fluorescence, STEM-HAADF, and EXAFS, to confirm the presence of isolated metal single atoms within the material structure. Electrochemical measurements, such as cyclic voltammetry, and advanced studies i.e., galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, will be carried out in order to investigate the electrochemical properties of these materials for application in supercapacitors. Furthermore, the group of materials based on carbon nitrides will also be exploited in energy storage devices via dark photocatalysis.