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Nanostructured materials for energy storage: applications in oxygen electrocatalysis and zinc-air batteries

Argurio, Riccardo; (2022) Nanostructured materials for energy storage: applications in oxygen electrocatalysis and zinc-air batteries. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Nanostructured materials and their applications in zinc-air batteries are considered one of the pivotal points in new energy storage nowadays. The limitation in the rare earth metals such as Pt/C and Ir/C has forced to shift to more economic alternatives such as porous carbon materials and transition metal oxides/sulphides. A cost-effective analysis of each material in the synthesis of electrocatalysts is crucially important in order to determine the best compromise between cost and excellent electrochemical performance. Nowadays, the main electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction has been Pt/C, but its high cost makes it undesirable for industrial applications. Hence, the strategy in replacing Pt/C with nitrogen doped carbons (N-C) and composites consisting of N-C and transition metal oxides/chalcogenides is an effective high performance and economic alternative. This thesis explains the principles of electrochemistry and electrochemical reactions such as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The study of electrocatalysts is thoroughly explained with all the synthesised materials in this work including: manganese oxide nanoparticles on nitrogen doped mesoporous carbon for ORR; heteroatom (N, P, S) doping in reduced graphene oxide and the electrochemical activity towards ORR; cobalt sulphide nanoparticles on nitrogen doped reduced graphene oxide as bifunctional electrocatalyst for zinc-air batteries.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Qualification: Ph.D
Title: Nanostructured materials for energy storage: applications in oxygen electrocatalysis and zinc-air batteries
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author's request.
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Chemistry
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10146557
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