Project description
New stable catalysts make hydrogen production more practical
Hydrogen is a clean energy source that can be produced by splitting water, but this process requires efficient and durable catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction. Current materials, such as perovskites and spinels, are effective but lack long-term stability. The ERC-funded ScrambledOxs project will help tackle this by creating advanced catalysts with a layered core-shell structure. These layers combine a highly active core with protective shells to enhance chemical stability. These structures will be turned into free-standing membranes and nanoflakes, making them suitable for real-world applications. ScrambledOxs will help bridge the gap between experimental designs and practical use.
Objective
Major efforts in recent years to develop catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) have shown that perovskites and spinels have significant catalytic activity, making them a promising materials class for water-splitting for hydrogen production. However, so far these complex oxides have displayed limited stability, which prevents realizing their potential. This activity-stability dilemma is compounded by the fact that most progress on ‘rational catalyst design and property engineering’ so far has focused on model-catalysts, whereas we lack effective strategies to transfer optimized electrocatalysts into realistic electrode assemblies.
In ScrambledOxs I propose to overcome these major challenges through a novel approach based on free-standing, core-shell heterostructure catalysts produced by atomically engineered oxide epitaxy. This core-shell heterostructure concept, which I will implement as epitaxial trilayers, will enable me to engineer (with atomic control) a catalytically active core-layer sandwiched between stabilizing shell-layers that enhance the chemical stability, to thereby address the activity-stability dilemma. Crucially, using recently established delamination techniques, which I will further develop in this project, I aim to ‘peel off’ optimized trilayers into freestanding oxide membranes. This will provide two crucial capabilities. First, I will be able conduct detailed operando characterization of the electrochemical processes to enable a knowledge-driven catalyst design. Second, I will be able to fabricate (scramble) the freestanding oxides into atomically defined, core-shell-like nanoflakes that I will integrate into carbon-based inks, to thereby demonstrate transfer of the optimized electrocatalysts from model-system into real electrode environment.
In this way, ScrambledOxs will overcome the classical activity-stability dilemma of single phase OER catalysts and bridge the gap between model-catalyst research and applied catalysts research.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
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.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
52428 JULICH
Germany
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.