Kinetic instabilities in electrocatalysis: mechanism and spatio-temporal dynamics

• Grant number: 09/16449-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: April 01, 2010
• End date: March 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Physical-Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Hamilton Brandão Varela de Albuquerque
• Grantee: Cristiane Pontes de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 09/07629-6 - Electrocatalysis IV: fundamental and applied aspects of electrocatalytic processes, bio-electrocatalysis and kinetic instabilities, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

The emergence of spatial structures in chemical systems results of the interplay between the system's dynamics and the spatial coupling among different locations. As far as the solid/liquid interface is concerned, electrocatalytic reactions such as the oxidation of small organic molecules (C1 and C2), are especially susceptible to undergo kinetic instabilities and are of great interest. This is because studying those far from equilibrium reactions is an interesting alternative, since different reaction steps are simultaneously accessed under certain conditions. The present project deals with the systematic investigation of the complex kinetics associated to adsorption and oxidation processes of small organic molecules such as formic acid, methanol, and ethanol on polycrystalline platinum surfaces. The study will be carried out mainly under oscillatory conditions, by means of conventional electrochemical techniques and the nature of reaction intermediates will be investigated with in situ (surface enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and quartz crystal nanobalance) and on line (differential electrochemical mass spectrometry) techniques.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SANTOS, ADRIANO L.; NAGAO, RAPHAEL; OLIVEIRA, CRISTIANE P.; DE LIMA, ROBERTO B.; VARELA, HAMILTON. The role of HBF4 in electro-catalysis: Arsenic contamination and anion adsorption. JOURNAL OF ELECTROANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, v. 660, n. 1, p. 147-152, SEP 1 2011. (07/06037-2, 09/07629-6, 09/16449-1, 09/00153-6)

OLIVEIRA, CRISTIANE P.; LUSSARI, NATALIA V.; SITTA, ELTON; VARELA, HAMILTON. Oscillatory electro-oxidation of glycerol on platinum. Electrochimica Acta, v. 85, p. 674-679, DEC 15 2012. (11/07226-9, 09/07629-6, 09/16449-1)