The Molecular Design of a Metal-Oxide Supported Iridium Monolayer for Water Oxidation Catalysis
| dc.contributor.advisor | Boettcher, Shannon | |
| dc.contributor.author | Stovall, Nathan | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-07-27T16:55:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2021-07-27T16:55:39Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021 | |
| dc.description | 1 page. | |
| dc.description.abstract | Anthropogenic climate change has driven interest in the research and development of clean energy alternatives. Great advancements in renewable energy production have been made, but their intermittent nature requires the development of a carbon-neutral energy storage device. Water electrolysis has been proposed as a solution to this dilemma, via the state-of-the-art proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzer. However, the acidic operating conditions of this device results in slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Iridium oxide has shown to be the only catalyst capable of withstanding these harsh conditions, but its low abundance and high costs limits its use. Thus, my research has focused on the synthesis and characterization of a novel sub-monolayer-thick iridium oxide catalyst on an inexpensive conductive support to decrease catalyst mass loading and improve the efficiency of OER in acid. Thus far, we have developed a novel synthetic method for binding a cheap commercially available iridium precursor (IrCODCl dimer) to the surfaces of inexpensive acid-stable metal oxide surfaces. The mechanism of this assembly was investigated with UV-vis, X-ray photoelectron, and NMR spectroscopies. This analytical investigation suggested this mechanism is surface limited allowing for precise control over the catalyst’s thickness. Electrochemical measurements have shown exceptionally high intrinsic activities at significantly reduces mass loadings. Mass loadings were determined via in-situ inductively coupled plasma induced mass spectroscopy. The optimization of this technology could allow for industrial-scale implementation of water electrolysis as a carbon-neutral energy storage technique. | en_US |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.orcid | 0000-0001-5808-5877 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1794/26474 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.publisher | University of Oregon | |
| dc.rights | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 | |
| dc.subject | oxygen evolution | en_US |
| dc.subject | electrochemistry | en_US |
| dc.subject | water splitting | en_US |
| dc.subject | water electrolysis | en_US |
| dc.subject | clean energy | en_US |
| dc.title | The Molecular Design of a Metal-Oxide Supported Iridium Monolayer for Water Oxidation Catalysis | |
| dc.type | Presentation |