MAXNET Energy – Focusing Research in Chemical Energy Conversion on the Electrocatlytic Oxygen Evolution

Abstract

MAXNET Energy is an initiative of the Max Planck society in which eight Max Planck institutes and two external partner institutions form a research consortium aiming at a deeper understanding of the electrocatalytic conversion of small molecules. We give an overview of the activities within the MAXNET Energy research consortium. The main focus of research is the electrocatalytic water splitting reaction with an emphasis on the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Activities span a broad range from creation of novel catalysts by means of chemical or material synthesis, characterization and analysis applying innovative electrochemical techniques, atomistic simulations of state-of-the-art x-ray spectroscopy up to model-based systems analysis of coupled reaction and transport mechanisms. Synergy between the partners in the consortium is generated by two modes of cooperation – one in which instrumentation, techniques and expertise are shared, and one in which common standard materials and test protocols are used jointly for optimal comparability of results and to direct further development. We outline the special structure of the research consortium, give an overview of its members and their expertise and review recent scientific achievements in materials science as well as chemical and physical analysis and techniques. Due to the extreme conditions a catalyst has to endure in the OER, a central requirement for a good oxygen evolution catalyst is not only its activity, but even more so its high stability. Hence, besides detailed degradation studies, a central feature of MAXNET Energy is a standardized test setup/protocol for catalyst stability, which we propose in this contribution

Standardized Benchmarking of Water Splitting Catalysts in a Combined Electrochemical Flow Cell/Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) Setup

“…However, further investigations are necessary to answer these questions and are subject of a future work. In conclusion, this setup can be applied to a broad spectrum of catalyst materials in order to have a basis for comparison and improvement by means of standardized experiments and lends itself optimally for application in large research and development projects that require benchmarking of a broad variety of catalysts under conditions similar to electrolyzer setups …”

Influence of PtCu/C Catalysts Composition on Electrochemical Characteristics of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell and Properties of Proton Exchange Membrane

“…A rise in the functional characteristics of electrocatalysts is an important task of modern alternative power engineering. This task is realized based on the fundamental investigation of the interrelation between the composition and structure of catalysts with their activity and stability [6,7]. Investigations concerning the preparation of Pt catalysts with a reduced content of noble metal and high specific electrochemical characteristics have high topicality [8].…”