Objective
Practical realization of PEMFCs is mainly hindered by the use of expensive Pt electrocatalysts (EC) coupled with their poor durability due to dissolution and agglomeration. While Europe paid significant efforts in improving the engineering aspects of PEMFCs, including hydrogen refuelling stations, development of alternative catalysts for Pt require further investments. Global attempts are focused on developing catalyst systems with less Pt or no Pt at all. In this regard, macromolecules with N4-chelate structure are considered as alternatives for Pt ECs especially for the ORR. Recently, non-precious carbon alloy catalysts (CAC) received considerable attention as the addition of nitrogen and metal atoms into the CNT matrix tend to improve their catalytic activity towards ORR. The induced activity of CNTs after such doping is mainly attributed to changes in electronic structure with an impurity band near the Fermi level. However, CAC performances are still inferior to that of Pt. One major drawback with reported CACs is that they do not control the size of metal dopants as the sintering tends to agglomerate them and leaves them in the CNT matrix as mere surface bound particles. Hence it is imperative to control the metal doping in the atomic scale as they can donate more electrons to the CNT matrix than nitrogen and could induce more catalytic activity. Thus in this proposal, we plan to prepare CACs with metal dopants controlled in the atomic scale to alter the electronic structure with improved durability as these metal atoms are now part of the CNT matrix. We plan to incorporate various metals into nitrogen based macromolecules such as aza-crown ethers and porphyrins which will be heat treated under reducing atmosphere to obtain CNT and Bucky ball like nanostructures with metal atoms at their centre. Such a study is of profound importance to EU considering the global efforts in finding alternative catalysts and could be the breakthrough it is currently looking for.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IIF
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Coordinator
B15 2TT Birmingham
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.