Session: Electrochemistry and Electrocatalysis:

An urgent transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is necessary, but there is currently an issue of storing intermittent renewable energy. Hydrogen is a carbon-free energy carrier and an excellent candidate for the storage of renewable energy. We have shown that polymer-supported [2Fe-2S] clusters ([2Fe-2S] metallopolymers) containing protonated amine sidechains electrocatalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction in pH neutral TRIS buffer solution at a rate comparable to a standard platinum electrode. The size of polymers covalently connected to a [2Fe-2S] cluster is now investigated as the polymer chain length affects both the rate and the overpotential of electrocatalysis. Smaller metallopolymers, in regard to their polymer chain length, molecular weight, and hydrodynamic radius, have a faster rate and a more positive overpotential when compare to their larger counterparts. Continuous electrolysis experiments over several hours at a constant current density of 10mA/cm² demonstrated that the metallopolymer system achieved a comparable operating potential to a standard platinum electrode under the same conditions. We will discuss our most recent efforts on electrocatalytic performance of the metallopolymers with different polymer chain lengths to optimize these systems for more efficient hydrogen evolution catalysis.

Metin Karayilan

Case Western Reserve University College of Arts and Sciences

Appearances