Degradation study of substituted Iron phthalocyanine molecular electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction

Transition metal–heteroatoms–carbon (TM–H–C) material is one the most promising alternative non-precious metal catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Among various TM–H–C catalysts, the Fe–N–C electrocatalysts using Iron (II) phthalocyanine molecules as precursor have been developed for years due to their excellent electrochemical activity. However, Fe–N–C electrocatalysts are limited by the degradation during ORR, which is their most critical bottleneck. To study the degradation mechanism, spectroscopic characterization is required to obtain chemical compositional information, including structural change and intermediate formation. Moreover, the in-situ characterization techniques also play a critical role in the degradation mechanism research, to provide us with insights of the evolution of molecular catalysts during reaction. In this study, we employ in-situ electrochemical Raman spectroscopy to study the degradation of Iron (II) phthalocyanine molecular catalysts during ORR. Iron (II) phthalocyanine (FePc) molecular materials are ideal to study Fe-N-C electrocatalysts since they share the same structure of catalytic active sites. Besides, we also investigate into the substituent’s dependence on FePc stability and activity, to obtain more insights of how to further improve the electrocatalyst design.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Materials Science & Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Tian, Yue

Contributors dc:contributor

• Zhang, Yingjie

• Raman Spectroscopy
• Electrocatalysts
• Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Yue Tian

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124720

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124720