Development and characterization of functional materials for Electrochemical Energy Generation Coupled with Oxidation of Contaminants in Organic Effluents

• Grant number: 25/23669-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Program to Stimulate Scientific Vocations
• Start date: January 26, 2026
• End date: March 17, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Edson Antonio Ticianelli
• Grantee: Lays Mendes da Costa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Growing concern about environmental impacts and the search for sustainable energy alternatives have generated intense attention for the development of technologies capable of combining environmental remediation with clean energy generation. In this scenario, electrochemistry emerges as a promising tool, enabling the efficient degradation of organic pollutants while enabling the production of green hydrogen. Therefore, advancements in the design of new functional materials with enhanced electrocatalytic properties become essential to optimize these processes, promoting integrated and environmentally responsible solutions.The performance of electrochemical oxidation is associated with the nature of the electrocatalytic material used, which plays a central role in defining the system's efficiency parameters. The electrocatalyst directly influences the process selectivity-promoting the preferential oxidation of the substrate of interest-as well as the system's efficiency, which involves both contaminant degradation kinetics and energy recovery. Therefore, evaluating promising electrocatalytic materials not only optimizes the pollutant removal rate but also represents a necessary condition for ensuring the economic and environmental viability of these processes. This project aims to electrochemically evaluate the oxidation mechanisms on the surface of different electrodes and the micropollutant degradation efficiency, seeking to demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneously producing green hydrogen during the electrochemical oxidation process. Several parameters will be analyzed, such as the influence of the electrolyte used, the pH of the medium, and the applied current density, in order to understand their impact on the performance of the electrochemical system. Therefore, to analyze and understand the experimental results, physical and chemical characterizations will be performed, highlighting morphological, structural, and vibrational analyses by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FEG-SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy, respectively, which will provide relevant information on the chemical composition and atomic interactions. Furthermore, electrochemical tests will be performed to evaluate the catalytic and electrochemical properties of the material deposited on the substrate. These analyses will allow the correlation of the physical, chemical, and structural properties of the materials with their electrocatalytic performance, providing a clearer understanding of the phenomena involved. (AU)