Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Oxide and Nitride Systems

The goal of this research project was to explore various cathodic catalysts that may exhibit an enhancement or equivalent properties compared to that of a platinum catalyst, which is the industry standard as a cathodic catalyst in alkali solutions. This research endeavor could lead to an inexpensive alternative for electrochemical reactions requiring an electrocatalyst. These materials were synthesized via hydrothermal process and then characterized with SEM and XRD methods. In order to perform the electrochemistry experiments oxygen reduction reactions were conducted via cyclic and rotary disk electrode voltammetry. Materials that were examined in this project were various crystalline structures of mesoporous tungsten oxide (WO3). WO3 exhibited an onset potential of approximately -275mV. For the oxide and nitride systems, cobalt was used in the presence of reduced graphene oxide. Cobalt oxide systems exhibited fair effectiveness as a electrocatalyst (onset potential of -300mV), but cobalt nitride demonstrated superior capabilities as a electrocatalyst having an onset potential of -250mV. The data gathered was then compared to both literature and experimental values of a platinum cathodic catalyst to gauge on whether these systems could be used as comparable electrocatalysts.