Tailor Local Chemical Environment at Platinum Surface for Hydrogen Electrochemistry

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Prof. Yu Huang of the University of California, Los Angeles, will conduct systematic studies to understand and develop high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen chemistry. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) are central to the hydrogen cycle and the hydrogen economy. This project aims to investigate how the local chemical environment modifies the local reactant supply and fundamentally alters the reaction pathway and kinetics. The knowledge gained from the project will aid the development of more efficient and longer-lasting catalysts for green hydrogen production or more economical hydrogen fuel cells. It will broadly benefit clean energy technologies, including renewable fuels, batteries, and fuel cells. The project will also offer valuable educational and training opportunities for next generation of workforce in renewable energy, with efforts to recruit female students and those from underrepresented groups. This project will systematically tailor the local chemical environment on the Pt surface via transition metal decorations and explore their role in modifying hydrogen chemistry kinetics. The specific tasks include: developing general strategies to modify Pt catalysts with a series of transition metal (Pt-TM) or transition metal oxide species (Pt-TMOx); conducting detailed compositional and structural analysis to identify local chemical and bonding structures; performing systematic electrochemical studies to quantitatively compare HER/HOR kinetics of Pt catalysts with different TM/TMOx decorations; conducting in-situ characterizations to probe local chemical structures, surface adsorbates, and the near-surface environment for Pt catalysts with different TM/TMOx decorations, and establishing their correlation with HER/HOR activity; through existing collaborations, conducting theory calculations to understand the interplay among surface decorations, local chemical environment, and HER/HOR kinetics, and developing the underlying framework for designing future catalysts with vastly improved activity and durability. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.