Fundamental aspects of electro-catalytic reactions

Abstract
To make clean energy storage and conversion technologies, water electrolyzer, and CO2 electroreduction systems efficient and economically viable, electrocatalysts with significantly enhanced activity and selectivity for the desired products are required, However, to design such materials is important to understand at atomic scale the mechanism of the reactions. This lecture will focus on the fundamental aspects of two important electrocatalytic reactions; the carbon dioxide (CO2RR) reduction and water oxidation (OER).

In my group we have been investigating the CO2RR on Cu electrode in aqueous and organic solvents. Using combined online gas chromatography, our results showed the reaction is dependent on the electrode morphology and solvent composition. In situ FTIR measurements showed water content in the solid-liquid interface plays a role in the selectivity of the reaction. As for the anodic reaction, we investigated the mechanism of the oxygen evolution reaction on NiOOH electrocatalysts by using in situ Raman spectroscopy. Our results showed the catalytic activity of the reaction can be improved by the presence of iron impurities and the cation electrolyte interacts with the active intermediate of the reaction, where bigger cation leads to higher activity for the OER.