Project description
High-capacity electrocatalysts scaling clean fuel production
Scaling up the electrochemical technology needed to turn waste emissions into green fuels remains the primary obstacle to its commercial production. While laboratory electrocatalysts perform well in idealised, low-power tests, they frequently fail when transferred to high-capacity, commercial electrolysers. The ERC-funded OPERATE project will help tackle this by analysing complex chemical reactions under realistic, high-current industrial conditions. To this end, researchers will design advanced X-ray spectroscopy techniques to peek inside the hidden triple-phase boundaries where gas, liquid and solid catalysts interact. Using ultrathin nanoporous membranes to keep the liquids and gases separate, the team will reveal exactly how atomic structures drive hydrogen and CO2 conversion, enabling the rapid design of cheap, mass-producible catalysts.
Objective
Electrochemical conversion is central to the net-zero transition, enabling hydrogen production from renewable energy and water, and the transformation of waste CO2 into valuable fuels and chemicals. However, these multi-step reactions take place at triple-phase boundaries which are challenging to experimentally access, limiting our understanding and thus ability to rationally design improved electrocatalysts. OPERATE will deliver new capabilities to observe the chemical state, intermediate species and underlying reaction mechanisms at these triple-phase boundaries under realistic reaction conditions, to inform the development of earth-abundant electrocatalysts for sustainable chemical production. Operando X-ray spectroscopy approaches will be developed to observe solid-liquid and solid-gas boundaries under high current-density and mass-transport regimes, using nano porous membranes to separate liquid and gas phases. Combinatorial screening of multicomponent nanoparticles, combined with high throughput electrochemical testing will enable mapping of the electrochemical and compositional parameter space such that operando characterisation can obtain the most detailed mechanistic insights. Control of composition, phase and size of multicomponent nanoparticles will tune the extent to which lattice oxygen participates in the oxygen evolution reaction, and the presence of synergistic sites to guide CO2 reduction towards desired products. In contrast to previous approaches, electrolyser-relevant current densities and mass-transport regimes will be used throughout the catalyst screening process to ensure translation to scaled-up devices, which will be confirmed using advanced operando studies with newly developed zero-gap electrolyser formats. OPERATE will thereby accelerate the development of electrocatalysts for gas-evolving and gas-consuming reactions, by revealing and understanding the underlying reaction mechanisms to inform rational catalyst design.
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.
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
You need to log in or register to use this function
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.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
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
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
OX1 2JD Oxford
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.