| title: | Electrocatalytic properties of nanostructured and chemically modified electrodes |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF5831 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
1.6. Physical, Analytical and Inorganic Chemistry |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | TU Faculty of Physics and Chemistry |
| head of project: | Kaido Tammeveski |
| duration: | 01.01.2004 - 31.12.2007 |
| description: | Two types of nanostructured electrodes will be investigated in this project; noble metal nanoparticles on carbon substrates and thin noble metal films on various support materials. The major objective of this research is to elucidate the size effect of nanostructured catalysts on their electrocatalytic properties. This research topic has been chosen in order to gain some fundamental knowledge about the electrocatalytic processes and there is a need to save the costly noble metals in practical systems (fuel cells). The catalytic reaction to be tested is the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) which is a structure-sensitive reaction on noble metal catalysts. The mechanism and kinetics of the ORR will be studied and the kinetic parameters of the ORR will be determined. The diazonium salt reduction method and the anodic oxidation of carboxylic acids will be used for the chemical modification of carbon electrodes. The diazonium salts of various quinones and the carboxylic acids of the quinones will be synthesized and the electrocatalytic properties of quinone-modified carbon electrodes will be studied. Glassy carbon, pyrolytic graphite and other carbon materials will be used as supports. In contrast with the most noble metal electrodes which catalyse the four-electron reduction of oxygen, the two-electron reduction proceeds on quinone-modified electrodes yielding hudrogen peroxide as the final product. The purpose of this part of research is to find such a quinone derivative which shows high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction, is chemically stable and suitable for application in the electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide. Electrochemical measurements will be performed using the rotating disk electrode and rotating ring-disk electrode techniques. The structure and morphology of nanostructured materials will be examined by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Arnold Rosental | University of Tartu | vanemteadur | |
| 2. | Ave Sarapuu | TÜ, Füüsikalise keemia instituut | doktorant | |
| 3. | Kaido Tammeveski | TU Faculty of Physics and Chemistry | Associate Professor | |