Thin-Film Deposition and Electrochemical Characterization of Bimetallic Molecular Complexes of Nicke

01/12/2016 to 30/11/2017

Electrocatalysis plays a pivotal role in the fuel-to-power conversion in a so-called fuel cell. The use of hydrogen (H2) gas in this context is of particular interest since the only exhaust product from power production is environmentally benign water. It however necessitates sustainable H2 production from a carbon free resource, e.g. through the reduction of water. For fuel cells to be a significant, wide-spread alternative to e.g. combustion engines that use fossil fuels, it is of profound importance to find chemical reactions in which H2 is efficiently oxidized to protons (H+) and vice versa. As an alternative for commonly employed precious platinum metal, the more earth-abundant transition-metal nickel (Ni) is a promising candidate material that shows appreciable binding affinities to H2 and H+, and electron transfer rates which can sustain efficient interconversion of H+ and H2. In this context, bimetallic complexes of Ni are a highly promising and relatively novel class of materials that can potentially enhance the beneficial properties of the mono-atomic Ni analogs.