Corrosion Mechanism and Control of Electrode Materials for Advanced Electrochemical System

先进电化学系统电极材料腐蚀机理及控制

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05494
• 负责人: Luo, Jingli
• 金额: $ 4.74万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=709258
• 关键词: Corrosion; Mechanism; Control; Electrode; Materials

Advances in technology and industrial processes have greatly increased the production efficiencies and improved the quality of life in human society. However, the continuous consumption of fossil fuels as our main energy source is causing the record level emission of CO2 which is the major portion of the notorious greenhouse gases (GHG), resulting in the adverse impacts on our environment. In response to the negative effects of GHG on global climate, e.g., global warming, the search for renewable and clean energy sources, such as solar, wind and hydro power, and associated technologies has intensified. Solar power gains the popularity due to its easy availability not limited by geographical locations, and the technology for solar power utilization has drawn worldwide research interests in recent years. The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is an advanced energy system that generates electricity via illumination of visible light onto photo sensitive material and forms electric circuit by incorporating an electrochemical cell. Although DSSC is one of the prominent third generation solar cells, it has not reached the stage of large scale applications. Traditionally, the electrode made of platinum is used in DSSC system, but their high prices make scaling-up of such system not economically feasible. To reduce the cost, some non-noble materials are considered. Two of the major problems are the performance instability and the degradation of electrocatalytic activities, all caused by the corrosion of low-cost cathode. It is a big challenge to develop new technique to transform these materials for functional improvements to replace the noble metals. The proposed research project aims to meet that challenge and will focus on selecting candidate materials, uncovering their corrosion mechanisms, developing corrosion control strategy and associated techniques to achieve the effectiveness equivalent to that of the noble metals in a more economic way. This project will also investigate how the electrocatalytic activity related factors such as crystal orientation, surface structure, etc., affect corrosion processes and kinetics. Surface reactivity and corrosion events will be in situ monitored. The feasibility of applying a protective/conductive coating on the cathode and the related physical/chemical compatibilities will be explored. The outputs of the research proposal will include a scalable DSSC system with a low cost cathode, the comprehensive knowledge of corrosion mechanisms that will fill the knowledge gap in this area, and the guidelines for corrosion control in similar systems in terms of materials selection, new electrode materials design and various surface modification techniques. This research project will contribute to achieving the ultimate goal of renewable and clean energy utilization, protecting our environment and enhancing Canadian competitiveness in the global market.

技术和工业流程的进步极大地提高了生产效率并改善了人类社会的生活质量。然而，作为我们主要能源的化石燃料的持续消耗导致二氧化碳排放量创历史新高，二氧化碳是臭名昭著的温室气体（GHG）的主要组成部分，对我们的环境造成了不利影响。为了应对温室气体对全球气候的负面影响，例如全球变暖，人们加强了对太阳能、风能和水力发电等可再生和清洁能源以及相关技术的探索。太阳能因其易于获取且不受地理位置限制而受到欢迎，近年来太阳能利用技术引起了全世界的研究兴趣。染料敏化太阳能电池（DSSC）是一种先进的能源系统，通过可见光照射光敏材料来发电，并通过结合电化学电池形成电路。尽管DSSC是著名的第三代太阳能电池之一，但它尚未达到大规模应用的阶段。传统上，DSSC 系统使用铂制成的电极，但其高昂的价格使得这种系统的放大在经济上不可行。为了降低成本，考虑使用一些非贵重材料。其中两个主要问题是性能不稳定和电催化活性下降，这些都是由低成本阴极的腐蚀引起的。开发新技术来改造这些材料以改进功能以取代贵金属是一个巨大的挑战。拟议的研究项目旨在应对这一挑战，并将重点放在选择候选材料、揭示其腐蚀机制、开发腐蚀控制策略和相关技术，以更经济的方式实现与贵金属相当的有效性。 该项目还将研究晶体取向、表面结构等电催化活性相关因素如何影响腐蚀过程和动力学。表面反应性和腐蚀事件将被现场监测。将探讨在阴极上应用保护/导电涂层的可行性以及相关的物理/化学兼容性。 该研究提案的成果将包括具有低成本阴极的可扩展 DSSC 系统、将填补该领域知识空白的腐蚀机制的全面知识，以及类似系统在材料选择、新材料方面的腐蚀控制指南。电极材料设计和各种表面改性技术。该研究项目将有助于实现可再生和清洁能源利用的最终目标，保护我们的环境并增强加拿大在全球市场的竞争力。