Supports
Robust materials to host highly-dispersed electrocatalysts.CABES is designing, and studying the effects of, new conductive support materials that enable high-surface area electrocatalysts to function properly.
Ultra-high surface area catalysts need specialized supports to enable their full potential.
In acidic fuel cells, most catalytsts are supported on high surface area carbon materials. These materials provide a stable, physical foundation for the optimized electrocatalysts. Additionally, they must provide porosity to allow reactant and product flows to and from the catalyst sites, and be highly electronically conductive under both oxidizing (cathode) and reducing (anode) conditions.
The CABES Supports Thrust Team will interact directly with the Electrocatalysis Thrust Team to design, synthesize, and characterize novel support materials optimized for alkaline operating conditions. In addition to the functions described above, CABES seeks to exploit synergistic metal-support interactions (SMSI) whenever possible. To this end, in addition to carbon-based materials, CABES is also targeting oxide and nitride based conductive support materials.