A paper tentatively titled Electrolyte Ionomer Enrichment Effects of E-PCPs on Pt Nanorod Array Electrodes for PEM Fuel Cells is under preparation.
During the fellowship, the transfer of knowledge and training are of clarity and quality between Dr. Yao on E-PCPs and the host Dr Du's group on fuel cells and their industrial requirements. Dr. Yao participated in attending 4 academic activities, 1 seminar, and many training activities provided by the University of Birmingham (UoB), helping to organize the 3rd ABCP annual conference, research meetings and workshops in cooperation with Dr Du, and supervision of undergraduate, master and PhD students, providing extensive networking of international academics and industrialists. Dr Yao has established a solid relationship with the partners from UoB and the other EU region on a daily basis and various activities concerned academic and industrial merits.
The Fellowship opens multifarious career possibilities for Dr. Yao, promoting his academic reputation and future career prospects. It is very helpful to pave an academic career pathway aiming to become a fully independent group leader. Therefore, Dr. Yao successfully got the PI and full professor position in Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is now a group leader and running a new lab named semiconductive soft porous interface. Dr. Yao will aim to build collaboration between the academic and industrial units in Europe and in China.
The success of EconCell work enhances innovation capacity of component and construction of direct catalyst electrodes and catalyst layer structures, and its potential promotion in EU will contribute to scientific and technological advances in PEMFC, nanomaterial science and coordination chemistry. The output will also greatly widen PEMFC application, reduce carbon emission and fossil energy consumption, making FC more attractive for potential exploiters and users of this clean technology.
Present work carried out contributes towards positive controlling of climate change and European policy objectives and strategies and have an impact on policy making. The results and understanding of catalyst layer structure and performances will power the application market, like in sustainable power generators and vehicles, and also the fuel producing technologies. A further understanding of electrode structures will also benefit the design and development of other electrochemical devices, e.g. batteries, super capacitors and sensors. The achievement of hybridization approach could also benefit for developing new nanostructures for industrial catalysis, catalysts for bio-fuel and bio-sensors, etc.
