Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ME4OER (Mechanism Engineering of the Oxygen Evolution Reaction)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-03-01 bis 2023-08-31
The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a limiting step on the way to generating molecular oxygen and green hydrogen in numerous processes, particularly in the context of the European Green Deal. It has gained considerable attention recently due to its importance to sustainable industrial processes and particularly renewable energy in metal refining, batteries and production of fuels by electrolysis of water into oxygen and hydrogen. The aim of the project is a better understanding of the earth-abundant materials that catalyze the OER. The desired insight is enabled by dynamic synchrotron operando spectroscopy to study the electronic properties of the metal sites during operation. These insights provide guidelines for materials design to engineer the reaction mechanisms of multiple steps in a reactions sequence rather than finding a better catalyst for one, a process that could enhance efficiency exponentially, and not only for the OER.
Method development and the first stage of materials selection has been concluded. The main results achieved so far are:
1) The publication Villalobos et al., Adv. Energy. Mater, doi: 10.1002/aenm.202101737 where we identify three requirements to turn corrosion into a beneficial process. This opens the door to engineer the corrosion mechanism to improve other catalysts and ultimately to find repair mechanisms as an attractive alternative to the design of robust but usually less active electrocatalysts. Further information may be found in the press release (https://www.helmholtz-berlin.de/pubbin/news_seite?nid=23123;sprache=en;seitenid=1)
2) The publication Villalobos et al., J. Phys. Energy, doi: 10.1088/2515-7655/ab9fe2 where we report the recovery of a Mn oxide without applied potential. This is important as the intermittence of renewable energy will lead to resting periods without potential in any device coupled to it. The work was selected as a highlight by the publisher.
1) The publication Villalobos et al., Adv. Energy. Mater, doi: 10.1002/aenm.202101737 where we identify three requirements to turn corrosion into a beneficial process. This opens the door to engineer the corrosion mechanism to improve other catalysts and ultimately to find repair mechanisms as an attractive alternative to the design of robust but usually less active electrocatalysts. Further information may be found in the press release (https://www.helmholtz-berlin.de/pubbin/news_seite?nid=23123;sprache=en;seitenid=1)
2) The publication Villalobos et al., J. Phys. Energy, doi: 10.1088/2515-7655/ab9fe2 where we report the recovery of a Mn oxide without applied potential. This is important as the intermittence of renewable energy will lead to resting periods without potential in any device coupled to it. The work was selected as a highlight by the publisher.
The publication Villalobos et al., Adv. Energy. Mater, doi: 10.1002/aenm.202101737 presents a breakthrough in understanding the rational design of more active electrocatalysts by materials restructuring. While the method of electrochemical restructuring is widespread, the requirements for turning corrosion into a beneficial process were previously unclear. With a better understanding of the corrosion processes in the work thus far, I expect fundamental insight into the catalytic mechanism of the oxygen evolution reaction on transition metal oxides and the demonstration of control over the catalytic mechanism in model systems until the end of the project.