Angel, Gyen Ming Anthony;
(2023)
The Application of Ionic Solutions of Graphene for the Synthesis of a Novel Platinum-Graphene Catalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction for Hydrogen Fuel Cells.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Hydrogen fuel cells are a promising energy conversion technology, and a key part of the future green hydrogen economy required as part of the transition from fossil fuels to a more sustainable future. Fuel cells efficiently convert chemical energy to electricity without producing carbon dioxide emissions, making them candidates for the decarbonisation of a variety of applications including transport, heating, and power generation. The cost and durability of platinum fuel cell catalysts remain a barrier to the widespread commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cells. Although optimising these properties has been the focus of decades of research, cost and performance targets set out by the US Department of Energy have not changed for many years and have yet to be met. In this thesis, a novel, scalable method for the synthesis of a platinum nanoparticle catalyst supported by high-quality graphene is presented. The catalyst has been characterised with a range of techniques and its activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction has been measured using half-cell techniques. Its durability was assessed using accelerated stress tests following adapted US DoE protocols, the results of which showed that the novel graphene-supported catalyst far out-performed a state-of-the-art commercial platinum catalyst. The method was then improved upon to facilitate the scale up of the quantity of catalyst produced, and the resultant material was characterised and assessed as part of a membrane electrode assembly within a full hydrogen fuel cell. Beyond fuel cell catalysts, this work demonstrates the first practical application of ionic solutions of two-dimensional materials, first reported by Cullen et al., (Nature Chemistry, 2016). As such, it lays the foundation for the use of ionic solutions of two-dimensional materials for a wide range of applications that require high-quality nanomaterials decorated with nanoparticles.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | The Application of Ionic Solutions of Graphene for the Synthesis of a Novel Platinum-Graphene Catalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction for Hydrogen Fuel Cells |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2022. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/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 UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10165721 |
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