(532am) Design and Discovery of Encapsulated Electrocatalysts for the Electrooxidation of Small Organic Molecules

The electrochemical oxidation of small organic molecules is relevant to applications ranging from direct alcohol fuel cells to the sustainable production of chemicals from biomass feedstocks. Even with small organic molecules, electrocatalytic reaction networks can be very complex and involve a multitude of possible pathways, presenting challenges for achieving high activity and selectivity towards desired products. Most research efforts in this area have focused on electrocatalytic materials based on platinum (Pt), which is known to be catalytically active towards oxidation of a wide range of organic molecules but often suffers from low activity and/or selectivity. As part of the Center for Decarbonizing Chemical Manufacturing Using Sustainable Electrification (DC-MUSE), a collaborative entity comprised of research groups from various U.S. universities, we aim to develop active, stable, and selective electrocatalysts used within electrochemical unit operations with potential to decarbonize the chemical industry. Within our research group, we are developing a high throughput screening methodology using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) to efficiently screen for electrocatalytic materials with high current densities towards ethylene. However, developing electrocatalysts can be a lengthy process and can prevent the timely integration in the chemical industries. SECM, combined with electrodes with multimetallic composition gradients, will allow for local activity and selectivity to be quickly correlated with composition. We are also exploring the effect of thinly deposited SiO_x layers (< 10 nm) which have been previously shown to enhance current densities and prevent catalytic poisoning. SECM methodology was developed based on competition mode to assess the catalytic activity of 500 μm planar polycrystalline Pt and encapsulated SiO_x Pt samples and will be extended to multimetallic samples. The development of this methodology will allow us to implement a high-throughput screening method to optimize electrocatalyst activity and selectivity, electrifying the chemical industry and providing a greener way to produce electricity.