Development of nanostructured anodic and cathodic catalysts based on noble and non-noble metals for application in direct alkaline-acid glycerol fuel cells

• Grant number: 24/03999-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: February 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Mauro Coelho dos Santos
• Grantee: Dara Silva Santos
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Ministério da Educação (Brasil). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/15252-4 - Nanostructured electrocatalysts for application in direct alkaline-acid fuel cells of glycerol, AP.BIOEN.R

Abstract

The increase in environmental disasters due to the spread of some impacts is one of humanity's main concerns. Fuel cells are energy alternatives that attract much attention, but developing highly efficient and selective catalysts is one of their significant limitations. Given this problem, this project aims to develop nanostructured catalysts to be applied as anodes and cathodes of direct alkaline-acid glycerol fuel cells. Catalysts based on Pd, Nb (niobium oxides), and Au are good materials for electro-oxidation and electro-reduction reactions. As a proposal never reported in the literature, this project proposes to develop nanooctahedra (of Nb (niobium oxides)) decorated with Pd and Au nanoparticles) and nanocubes (of Pd and Au decorated with Fe (iron oxides) nanoparticles) to study the electro-oxidation of glycerol in an alkaline environment, and nanorods (Ce (cerium oxides) decorated with Au nanoparticles) for studying the electro-reduction of hydrogen peroxide in an acidic medium, materials never studied before for these purposes. Adopting different metallic combinations and morphologies aims to improve the catalytic properties and surface selectivity of materials, which directly influence the energy efficiency of the fuel cell. It is noteworthy that the proposal to study these materials for application in a direct alkaline-acid glycerol cell is something unprecedented in Brazil and in the world, thus opening the possibility for investigating the efficiency of other materials in this device, as well as allowing a major advance in the scientific field of fuel cells.