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EDUCATION

M. Sc. Materials Science & Engineering, National university of Singapore

B. Sc. College of chemistry and molecular engineering, Peking University

RESEARCH INTEREST

Synthesis metal oxide supported noble metal nanoparticle composite as catalyst for direct ethanol fuel cell.

Direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are an appealing alternative to the direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) due to the higher theoretical energy density of ethanol, accessibility; renewability and lower toxicity of the fuel. There are several significant technical challenges in DEFC to be unravelled including insufficient activity, poor durability and reliability and so on. Platinum-based catalysts are most commonly used as anode catalyst for DEFCs. In general, the Pt-based catalysts are supported on porous conductive materials with a high specific surface area. The most popular support material is Vulcan XC-72 carbon black because of its excellent electric conductivity, high surface area and pore structure. However, in DEFC operation environment, carbon is known to be oxidized electrochemically in aqueous solution by the following reaction:

C + 2H₂O ® CO₂ + 4H⁺ + 4e^-             (0.207 V vs SHE, 25°C)

The carbon corrosion rate will be accelerated in the presence of Pt which will lead to agglomeration or growth of electrocatalyst particles and deteriorate the cell performance.Therefore, extensive efforts have been made to develop new catalyst support materials, including nanostructured carbon (such as carbon nanotubes, mesoporous carbon, carbon nanofibers and graphene etc.), oxides, and nitrides, etc. Metal oxides are good candidate since they have higher electrochemical stability than that of carbon black. Such feature is a prerequisite to produce the long-term durable catalyst. Unfortunately, most oxides are poor conductor which limited its use in electrochemical application. The conductivity of the metal oxide could be improved by attaching them with conductive materials or by doping proper element.

 My research interest is to synthesize metal-oxide-noble metal nanoparticle composite and use them as catalyst for DEFCs. In the composite, the metal oxide not only works as a support for noble metal nanoparticles, but also contributes to the electrocatalytic activity.  

Schematic illustration of the metal-oxide-noble metal nanoparticle composite