Nanostructured electrocatalysts for ORR

• Projects
  

•  EDELKAT - A toolbox for optimized electrocatalysts                         
   

BMBF NanoMatFutur project (Jan. 2014 - Dez. 2019)

In this project we develop novel nanostructured electrocatalysts, in which the catalytically active components (e.g. platinum or noble metal nanoparticles) are stabilized against electrochemical sintering.

In this context, we particularly focus our efforts on yolk@shell structures.

We thereby developp novel atom efficient and one-pot synthetic routes towards yolk@shell nanostructures and investigate their applicability in electrocatalysis and in particular in fuel cell relevant  reactions.

Selected Publications:

Eßbach, C.; Senkovska, I.; Unmüssig, T.; Fischer, A.; Kaskel, S.
"Selective Alcohol Electrooxidation by ZIF-8 Functionalized Pt/Carbon Catalyst".
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, asap, acsami.9b06122.

Guiet, A.; Unmüssig, T.; Göbel, C.; Vainio, U.; Wollgarten, M., Driess, M.; Schlaad, H.; Polte, J.; Fischer, A.*, "Yolk@Shell Nanocores with Bimetallic Nanocores -  Synthesis and Electrocatalytic applications"
ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8 (41), pp 28019–28029.

Guiet, A.; Göbel, K; Klingan, K.; Lublow, M.; Reier, T.; Vainio, U.; Kraehnert, R.; Schlaad, H.; Strasser, P.: Zaharieva, I.; Dau, H.; Driess, M.; Polte, J. and Fischer, A.*
“Hydrophobic Nanoreactor Soft-Templating: A Supramolecular Approach to Yolk@Shell Materials,”
Adv. Funct. Mater., vol. 25, no. 39, pp. 6228–6240, 2015.

•  BMBF HT-Linked project (Jan. 2015 - July 2020)                       

In this project we develop novel Pt/C electrocatalysts for HT-PEM fuel cells based on 3D porous nitrogen doped carbon supports with improved long-term stability.

Selected Publications:

Melke, J.*; Schuster, R.; Möbus, S.; Jurzinsky, T.; Elsässer, P.; Heilemann, A.; Fischer, A*. Electrochemical Stability of Silica-Templated Polyaniline-Derived Mesoporous N-Doped Carbons for the Design of Pt-Based Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysts, Carbon 2019, 146, pp. 44–59.

•      BMBF DEKADE project (Jan. 2017 - June 2020)                       

In this project we develop novel 3D porous Pt/C electrocatalysts for LT-PEM fuel cell cathodes based on sugar derived, sustainable porous carbon support materials.

Selected Publications:

Martin, J.; Melke, J.; Njel, C.; Schökel, A.; Büttner, J.; Fischer, A.*
Electrochemical Stability of Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on N ‐Doped Hydrothermal Carbon Aerogels as Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction. ChemElectroChem 2021, 8 (24), 4835–4847. 

•      BMBF CORAL-HD project (March 2021 - Feb. 2024)                       

New catalyst materials for heavy-duty applications (CORAL-HD)

New catalyst materials for heavy-duty applications are key for future heavy-duty fuel cell applications. In the project „CORAL-HD“, IAAC and FMF scientists of the University of Freiburg develop a new generation of mesoporous carbon supports and thereon based catalysts for more durable membrane electrode assemblies together with other research institutes in Freiburg and the industrial partner Hereaus.

 The electrification of commercial vehicles by means of fuel cells will play a central role in reducing emissions in the transport sector in the near future. Fuel cells for commercial vehicles require comparatively long lifetimes (30 000h), which makes new material development for fuel cell electrodes necessary. The aim of CORAL-HD is therefore to develop long-term stable electrodes for heavy-duty applications in cooperation between 4 institutes in Freiburg. Electrodes with an initial performance of 1.2 W/cm² at 0.65 V (0.4 mgPt/cm²) and a power loss below 10% after a simulated 30 000 h commercial vehicle load profile are projected. First, stable mesoporous carbon supports with tailored properties (including surface modification by atomic layer deposition (ALD)) will be developed for this purpose at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the University of Freiburg (IAAC/FMF), and second, stable highly active platinum catalysts will be fabricated by particle atomic layer deposition (pALD) at the Institute of Microsystems Engineering of the University of Freiburg (IMTEK/FMF). The materials will be transferred into high-performance fuel cell CCMs (catalyst coated membranes) by Hahn-Schickard and intensively characterized at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems. In Coral-HD, it is planned to investigate and prepare the scale up of those materials with the industrial partner Heraeus. This will be done firstly by using low-cost starting materials and exclusively scalable processes, and secondly, the scaling will be actively prepared. Ideally, CORAL-HD materials can thus be offered commercially from 2025 (possibly earlier). This provides a good time frame for using CORAL-HD materials to electrify commercial vehicles with fuel cells in the following decade.