G1: Experimental investigations on doping of carbon materials and influence of functional groups on electrocatalytic activity in cathodic oxygen reduction

In order to make hydrogen efficiently usable as an energy carrier, it is essential to develop highly effective and cost-effective catalyst materials that catalyze the electrode reactions in fuel cells and water splitting, in particular the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in energy production from hydrogen. The project aims to systematically investigate heteroatom-doped carbon materials for use as electrocatalysts. The focus is primarily on a deeper understanding of the relationships between the structure of the functionalized carbon materials (specific surfaces, pore size distribution, type, quantity, and position of the functional groups introduced by doping) and the resulting electrocatalytic activity in ORR. The project benefits from the joint expertise in inorganic materials chemistry and physical electrochemistry, as well as operando spectroscopy, in order to arrive at a targeted material design of optimized catalyst materials through structure elucidation in situ.

Doctoral Student: Lairana Lima Duarte

First (Main) Supervisor: Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Stefan Kaskel

Second Supervisor: Dr. rer. nat Julia Grothe