(3u) Advanced Electro-Catalysts for Energy and Biomass Refinery

Advanced Electro-Catalysts for Energy
and Biomass Refinery

Zhiyong Zhang, Chemical Engineering, Michigan
Technological University, MI

Nanostructured
transitional metals have attracted enormous attention for
catalysis applications, due to their fascinating electronic properties and unique
geographic structures. However, it remains a challenging task to construct nanostructured
metallic materials serving as efficient electro-catalysts for chemical - electrical energy conversion and biomass refinery, because of
the technical difficulty in precisely controlling their size, shape and composition. My Ph. D research work focuses on developing a solution phase synthesis route to preparing advanced electro-catalysts, including 0-dimentional (0-D) Pt,[1, 2] Pd,[2, 3] Au,[4, 5] Ag, Cu, Ni, Pd_xNi_y
nanoparticles (NPs),[3] 1-dimentional Pt_xFe_y nanowires (NWs),[6] and 2-dimentional Pd_xFe_y
nanoleaves (NLs),[7]
and investigate their electro-catalytic functions. By tailoring their size, structure and composition, Pt_xFe_y-NWs and Pd_xFe_y-NLs
have demonstrated high catalytic activities and durabilities
towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in both acid and alkaline electrolytes;[6, 7] Pd_xNi_y-NPs
have exhibited high activity towards ethanol electro-oxidation,[3] and Pt-NPs and Au-NPs have displayed distinct selectivity towards in electro-catalytic refinery of glycerol - a cheap by-product from biodiesel production, into valuable
chemicals, including glyceric acid, tartronic acid, mesoxalic acid,
and glycolic acid, etc.[1, 5]

References:

[1] Z.
Zhang, L. Xin, W. Li, Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol on Pt/C in anion-exchange
membrane fuel cell: Cogeneration of electricity and valuable chemicals, Applied
Catalysis B: Environmental, 119¨C120 (2012) 40-48.

[2] O.
Winjobi, Z.Y. Zhang, C.H. Liang, W.Z. Li, Carbon nanotube supported
platinum-palladium nanoparticles for formic acid oxidation, Electrochimica
Acta, 55 (2010) 4217-4221.

[3] Z.
Zhang, L. Xin, K. Sun, W. Li, Pd¨CNi electrocatalysts for efficient ethanol
oxidation reaction in alkaline electrolyte, International Journal of Hydrogen
Energy, 36 (2011) 12686-12697.

[4] Z.
Zhang, L. Xin, W. Li, Supported gold nanoparticles as anode catalyst for
anion-exchange membrane-direct glycerol fuel cell (AEM-DGFC), International
Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37 (2012) 9393-9401.

[5] L. Xin,
Z. Zhang, Z. Wang, W. Li, Simultaneous Generation of Mesoxalic Acid and
Electricity from Glycerol on Au Anode Catalyst in Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel
Cells, ChemCatChem, (2012). doi: cctc.201200017

[6] Z.
Zhang, M. Li, Z. Wu, W. Li, Ultra-thin PtFe-nanowires as durable
electrocatalysts for fuel cells, Nanotechnology, 22 (2011), 015602.

[7] Z.
Zhang, K. L. More, K.
Sun, Z. Wu, W. Li, Preparation and Characterization of PdFe Nanoleaves as
Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Chemistry of Materials, 23
(2011) 1570¨C1577