Understanding structure-activity relationships in disordered (oxy)hydroxide electrocatalysts

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $533,612 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Hydrogen is a promising low- to zero-carbon resource and could pave the way to a clean energy economy across multiple sectors, including chemical manufacturing, agriculture, and transportation. Electrocatalysis is at the forefront of technologies that could help realize a hydrogen economy at scale. Earth-abundant, low-cost electrocatalysts that help chemically split water into hydrogen and oxygen are a promising platform for hydrogen generation. A major challenge is that electrocatalysts often undergo complex transformations during their operation, and these transformations are poorly understood. This project addresses this knowledge gap by combining experimental and computational techniques to probe these atomic level changes and understand how local structural changes impact electrocatalytic activity. The project will provide a rich ecosystem for training students in state-of-the-art computational and experimental techniques. The research results will be integrated into mentorship of undergraduate researchers and educational outreach programming incorporating computational and experimental aspects of research in electrochemistry. Disordered electrocatalysts have been shown to outperform crystalline ones. In many systems, electrochemical cycling leads to the formation of (oxy)hydroxide phases on the surface, which serve as the active electrocatalytic layer. While transition metal (oxy)hydroxides are among the most active and prominent alkaline oxygen evolution reaction (

Key facts

NSF award ID
2516042
Awardee
University of Texas at Austin (TX)
SAM.gov UEI
V6AFQPN18437
PI
Wennie Wang
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
Estimated total
$533,612
Funds obligated
$533,612
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
08/15/2025 → 07/31/2028