Development and characterization of electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Fuel Cells

Abstract

Electrochemistry has a vital role in creating sustainable energy solutions with the conversion of chemical into electrical energy in galvanic cells. Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are among the most promising electrochemical devices due to their low operating temperature and high power density. Their application in the conversion of chemical energy stored in hydrogen and oxygen directly to electric energy makes them promising devices to a broad range of applications; from automotive propulsion, to combined heat and power, to portable electric devices. Current technologies use high amounts of critical materials all based on platinum group catalysts for both anodic (Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction) and cathodic (Oxygen Reduction Reaction) reactions. Cost is the greatest impediment to successful commercialization, thus research has focused on minimizing the catalyst loading or even replace these catalysts with non-platinum group catalysts. Among the investigated non-platinum group (non-pgm) candidates, Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon (Me: Fe, Co, Mn, Ni etc.-N-C) catalysts are the most promising.

In this seminar, a comprehensive liguid (Rotation Disk Electrode) and solid state (PEM Fuel Cell) electrochemical study of degradation mechanisms towards Oxygen Reduction Reaction and the structure-activity correlations of low-platinum loading and non-pgm catalysts, will be presented.

Speakers Short CV

Dr. Ioanna Martinaiou has graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Patras University (2014) and obtained her PhD upon “Degradation studies of Me-N-C catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Fuel Cells” from the Graduate School of Energy Science and Engineering, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany (2018). She earned a Bridging Grant scholarship for early postodoctoral  researchers from the same university (2019). In 2020 she returned to Greece and received funding as a postdoctoral researcher at NCSR Demokritos from “Supporting researchers with an emphasis on young researchers-cycle B” (NSRF 2014–2020). Currently she is a collaborating researcher at FORTH/ICEHT in the Laboratory of advanced materials & electrochemical energy conversion devices. Her expertise is upon electrocatalysis, development, synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials especially carbon-based catalysts for energy related applications. She has participated in national and international conferences and she is the author of 15 peer-reviewed scientific publications in high impact journals (Applied Catalysis B, Angewandte Chemie, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Journal of Power Sources etc.)