Connecting the surface chemistry of nanoscale hydrogen evolution catalysts before and after surface ligand stripping to catalyst performance.
EMSL Project ID
49212
Abstract
Our research aims to increase sustainable options for hydrogen evolution by fabricating catalysts in a lower-cost, easily scaled colloidal manner and moving away from Pt-based catalysts. We seek to develop a method for connecting the changes that occur on the surface of colloidal nanocrystal catalysts after the protective ligands are removed using a mild chemical etchant and the subsequent effect on the hydrogen evolution activity of each catalyst. We also aim to correlate the proportion of 1T polymorph in the transition metal dichalcogenide samples with the catalytic activity. If we can connect the performance of a catalyst to its morphology and/or surface composition, we will be able to design an optimum catalyst for HER that also balances material availability and stability, and potentially apply this chemical stripping procedure to other types of catalysts or reactions. We need to use the XPS/UPS system to see the changes at the surface of each material; other techniques are not surface sensitive enough. Secondly, the ability to strip ligands under an inert atmosphere is critical to potential oxidation as a variable in our analysis. UPS analysis is simply the best way to quantify how much of the 1T or 2H polymorphs exist in a catalyst sample; other techniques like XRD are not sensitive to the subtle changes between the two polymorphs. We are requesting rapid access as this is a small proof-of-principle test to see if we can coherently connect surface composition and states to catalytic activity.
Project Details
Project type
Limited Scope
Start Date
2016-03-28
End Date
2016-05-28
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)