Multifunctional elecrocatalysts for clean energy conversion

One of the main challenges of todays society is the impending energy crisis. Green hydrogen is gaining importance worldwide as a sustainable energy carrier and feedstock for the chemical industry. Hydrogen, produced by electrolysis using renewable electricity, is essential for a successful energy transition and for meeting international climate targets. Another approach is to convert CO2 and water into sustainable fuels. Efficient generation of fossil-free hydrogen at low cost requires the development of new electrocatalysts, which are materials that use electric energy from renewable sources (e.g. from sunlight) to accelerate these reactions and enhance their efficiency in a sustainable way. The interdisciplinary project MultiCat (Multifunctional electrocatalysts for clean energy conversion), which combines four groups from Austria, Poland, and Slovenia, is dedicated to the development of next-generation electrocatalysts for efficient generation of hydrogen and other solar fuels from water and CO 2. We will synthesize transition metal phosphides (TMPs) and carbides (TMC) to replace the currently used, but expensive noble metal electrocatalysts. In addition, we will also introduce a new type of material, called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). These exciting materials consist of very small molecular metal-oxide cluster that are connected by organic molecules to make porous structures with currently the highest known surface areas. We expect that small reactant molecules, such as CO 2, can enter these small pores and react with the many metal-oxide clusters to induce the desired electrocatalytic reaction. It will be crucial to enhance the stability of these materials in water and to optimize their electronic conductivity by tuning the organic ligand interactions with the metal -oxide centers. Beside synthesizing these materials, the project aims to unravel the underlying reaction mechanisms and identify the individual processes that limit their speed and efficiency, in order to improve their performance as electrocatalyst. For this, we will use a broad range of theoretical and experimental techniques to study the chemical, catalytic and electronic nature of the materials during (in-situ) and after (ex-situ) the electrocatalytic reactions. The project uniquely combines complementary research skills of the four partners that will help advancing the fields of hydrogen technology and environmentally-friendly low- temperature electrochemical energy conversion.