Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Schematic Structure of a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel cell

Fuel cells are devices that convert chemical energy of a fuel such as hydrogen into electrical energy. This technology is very attractive for replacing fossil fuel-based cars and electrifying the transport sector, therefore reducing the huge amounts of carbon emissions from vehicles every year. Unfortunately, the efficiency of today’s fuel cells is largely limited by the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode side. Using atomistic methods such as density functional theory, our group is in forefront of getting fundamental insight into the nature of active sites and designing/developing efficient materials for ORR. To design future generation of ORR catalysts we follow two different directions:

Hybrid Materials, Novel Chemistry