„Amfifilowe organiczne materiały elektroniczne do katalitycznego wytwarzania nadtlenku wodoru”

„Amphiphilic organic electronic materials for sustainable catalytic generation of hydrogen peroxide”

Grant NCN OPUS 17 2019/33/B/ST5/01212

Kierownik Grantu: dr Eric D. Głowacki

Abstract: Hydrogen peroxide can be regarded as a high-energy carbon-free fuel. Unlocking the peroxide energy cycle hinges on the development of appropriate catalysts for efficiently generating peroxide from electricity, and the reverse process of converting peroxide back into electrical energy. The objective is to create a sustainable and scalable solution to peroxide energy conversion catalysts based on organic semiconducting polymers. We aim to synthesize polymers optimized to be efficient cathodic and photocathodic catalysts for the reduction of oxygen selectively to peroxide. Up to now, this reaction has been limited by the low solubility of oxygen in water, which we plan to address by as allowing ingress of water – thus creating a three-dimensional interface where water, oxygen, and electrons meet. In the case of photocathodes, polymers will be tailored to have efficient light absorption. Amphiphilicity will be achieved by tuning of side chains, most prominently glycol containing groups, while desired electronic structure will be tailored through a combination of donor-acceptor blocks into the polymer. The second part of the project involves electrochemical characterization of the catalytic performance: cathodes, photocathodes, and finally cathodic catalysts for the reduction of peroxide to water for use in hydrogen peroxide fuel cells. The impact of our work will be to pave the way for next generation high performance catalysts in this young field, and more broadly, to advance knowledge on the use of organic electronic materials as intrinsic catalytic materials.