(Invited) Metal Oxide Nanocoating As Electrocatalyst Support, and More

Abstract

With a standard electrochemical oxidation potential at 0.207 V, carbon is prone to being oxidized in PEM fuel cells. This has been observed over the years and addressed by using system controls in fuel cell vehicles. While adding a control system can resolve the problem, it also adds more weight and cost to fuel cell vehicles. Electrochemical corrosion of carbon can be a serious problem in many other kinetically accelerated processes, for example, rechargeable batteries and pseudocapacitors. Certain metal oxides have been studied as possible replacements for carbon. In this talk, I will present our studies on preparing high surface area metal oxides in the form of nanocoatings. In particular, a newly developed technique to make titania and niobia nanocoatings on different carbons, including carbon black and carbon nanotubes, will be presented. To make the oxides electrically conductive, carbon activation and elemental doping were shown to be effective. Furthermore, electronic interactions of metal catalyst nanoparticles and metal oxides will be discussed in terms of promotion of electrocatalytic activity.