Bare transition metal nitride nanomaterials synthesized by laser ablation as electrocatalysts of oxygen reactions – NITRECAT

Oxygen (O2) is a key molecule in hydrogen technology devices for energy production. The investigation of its interaction with the electrode surface can help one to better understand several reactions at the electrode-electrolyte interface. In electrocatalysis, oxygen is obtained by water splitting and it is essential for fuel cell operation. Therefore, the oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution (OER) reactions are mostly studied due to the main role of fuel cell and water electrolyzer in the energy conversion and storage systems, respectively. To radically improve efficiency of these two reactions a new class of electrocatalysts based on transition metal nitrides has recently been introduced, but the synthesis of nanomaterials suitable for these applications is difficult using conventional chemical or plasma routes. The project aims at the design and synthesis, by laser ablative methods, of bare (ligand-free) nanoparticles of transition metal nitrides (TiN, ZrN, HfN) and the characterization of their electrochemical interface related to oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions. It is expected that such nanostructured electrodes will much outperform the currently existing counterparts.