能源與奈米材料實驗室
Energy and Nanomaterials Laboratory
National Central University Institute of Materials Science and Engineering
Research Directions
Research Directions
Research Topic I:
Hydrogen Energy - Modification and Development of High efficiency Catalysts for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Anodes and Cathodes.
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are electrochemical devices that directly convert chemical energy from hydrogen and air to electrical energy. They are clean and efficient power sources that can be widely applied in vehicles, mobile devices, and consumer electronics (3C products). However, fuel cells' commercialization is often hindered by limitations in catalyst reaction kinetics and the high cost of catalyst materials.
In light of these challenges, our laboratory focuses on research related to fuel cells, including the preparation, modification, and development of binary, ternary, and non-platinum nanomaterial catalysts for both the cathode and anode. We investigate the relationship between their surface composition and activity, aiming to develop high-performance catalysts for fuel cells and accelerate the commercialization of this technology.
Research Topic II:
Surface Properties and Segregation Studies of Nano-Alloy Nanocrystals.
Nano materials possess high surface area and surface energy, with approximately 50% of surface atoms in a 2 nm nanocrystal. Alloy nanocrystals often exhibit surface segregation and compositional heterogeneity state. The surface composition is greatly influenced by the fabrication process and various thermodynamic factors. Therefore, knowing nanomaterials' surface properties allows us to have better control over their applications.
In our laboratory, we employ chemical methods to synthesize alloy nanocrystals containing precious metals and transition metals. We systematically study the relationship between their surface composition, processing, properties, and catalytic activity. Through the use of instrumental analysis, we observe phenomena such as composition diffusion, alloying, dealloying, and segregation. Our goal is to conduct in-depth research on the surface composition and thermal properties of alloy nanocrystals, providing theoretical insights for the application of nanomaterials.
Research Topic III:
Electrochemical Water Splitting for Hydrogen Production.
Hydrogen is one of the ideal clean energy sources and is expected to alleviate the limited storage capacity of fossil fuels and the pollution of combustion products. Therefore, electrocatalytic water decomposition to produce hydrogen (HER) is an important way to reduce environmental pollution and realize renewable clean energy. The development of efficient and stable hydrogen production catalysts has important scientific value and practical significance. Pt, as a traditional HER catalyst, faces the problems of high price, low storage capacity and poor reaction stability.
Pd has been receiving much research attention as a promising HER catalyst to replace Pt. The HER performance of Pd-based catalysts can be effectively improved by adding a second metal (M) to form a Pd-based alloy (Pd-M); or by injecting H into the Pd lattice to form a hydride (PdHx). Therefore, our laboratory studies the relationship between the structure and performance of various hydrogen-generating catalysts.
Research Topic IV:
Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide.
By electrochemically converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into value-added fuels and chemicals using renewable energy sources, we can mitigate the increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels. Therefore, our laboratory focuses on the synthesis of various materials to enhance the selectivity of CO2 reduction products while minimizing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and improving Faradaic efficiency (FE).