A team of �鶹ӳ����ý researchers is exploring the use of the metal to develop a novel method to rid drinking water of harmful algal blooms, or HABs, which occur when colonies of algae grow out of control and produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, birds and other living creatures.

Their project is supported through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program, which recently awarded $1.2 million to 16 collegiate teams across the United States.

�鶹ӳ����ý received $75,000 for their two-year project that aims to develop a gold-decorated nickel metal-organic framework (MOF) that removes microcystins — toxins produced by harmful algae blooms — from the water. MOFs are porous clusters of metal polymers that are used in many practical applications.

The �鶹ӳ����ý student team includes environmental engineering doctoral student Samuel Adjei-Nimoh, materials science and engineering doctoral student Nimanyu Joshi, and environmental engineering undergraduate students Jennifer Hughes and Julia Going. The principal investigator of the grant is Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering Woo Hyoung Lee, and the co-principal investigator is Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Yang Yang.

“MOFs have been used as a catalyst for many research areas such as hydrogen storage, carbon capture, electrocatalysis, biological imaging and sensing, semiconductors and drug delivery systems,” Lee says. “In this project, we’re using the gold-decorated nickel MOF as a photocatalyst to remove water pollutants.”

The gold will be coated in an MOF, which will help it react to the sunlight. That reaction, known as photocatalysis, will result in the oxidation of the microcystins, removing them from the water.

Microcystins are the most common cyanotoxins linked to harmful algal blooms in freshwater environments, notably in regions such as Florida with abundant lakes. They’re known to cause liver damage, kidney failure, gastroenteritis and allergic reactions in humans. With the �鶹ӳ����ý team’s novel solution, water treatment facilities can produce cleaner, safer drinking water.

“Clean drinking water isn’t just a necessity, it’s a fundamental right, especially for Floridians who rely on our abundant lakes and waterways,” Lee says. “By leveraging the innovative nanotechnology for water treatment,  we’re not only removing toxins but also safeguarding the health and well-being of our communities, ensuring a brighter, healthier future for all.”

This is Lee’s second consecutive year receiving the P3 award. In 2023, his team was selected for their work on a biosensor that could detect microcystins early in their formation for faster eradication.

This is the 20th anniversary of the P3 program. Projects funded this year will tackle critical issues such as removing PFAS from water, combating harmful algal blooms, and materials recovery and reuse, says Chris Frey, assistant administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development, in a release.

“I commend these hardworking and creative students and look forward to seeing the results of their innovative projects that are addressing some of our thorniest sustainability and environmental challenges,” Frey says.

About the Researchers

Lee is an associate professor in the �鶹ӳ����ý Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering. He received his bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Chonnam National University in 1996, his master’s degree in environmental engineering from Korea University in 2001 and his doctoral degree in environmental engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 2009. Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý, he was an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education postdoctoral research fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Ohio.

Yang holds joint appointments in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, which is part of the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation Cluster. Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. He received his doctoral degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in China.

Ethanol fuel cells offer cleaner emissions than fossil fuels and no charging times compared to electric vehicle batteries.

In recent studies published in the journals and Joule, �鶹ӳ����ý Associate Professor Yang Yang and his team developed new catalysts to make direct ethanol fuel cells last longer and boost their power density to a record level.

Biomass-derived ethanol has been widely used in many industries, including as a liquid biofuel. However, the ethanol must go through a conversion process to become usable fuel and can only be indirectly converted to energy by blending with gasoline to achieve an acceptable conversion efficiency.

Direct ethanol fuel cells, unlike the traditional ways to use ethanol, allow for ethanol to be directly poured in and used for fuel that can be directly converted into electricity at high efficiency. The alcohol-based power source could be used to power vehicles and create nearly noise-less electric power generators, which could benefit both defense and residential usage.

The greater power density of the direct ethanol fuel cells developed in Yang’s lab means more power can be delivered using less space, which is key for practical applications like in vehicles where compact and low-weight power sources lead to more efficient travel.

“Our research enables direct ethanol fuel cells to compete with hydrogen-fuel cells and batteries in various sustainable energy fields, which have not yet been achieved before our invention,” Yang says. “Ethanol is a clean and safe biofuel in the liquid phase, which is much easier and safer for storage and transport than pure hydrogen. Compared to the technology to extract hydrogen from ethanol and then convert hydrogen to electricity, our technology can directly convert ethanol into electricity, so it is an overall positive energy balance and negative emission technology.”

About the Studies

Nature Communications

In this work, the researchers developed a new materials design principle based on the synergistic interface effect in which the combination of different materials leads to enhanced performance beyond the individual components.

For the design, the researchers used active palladium nanoparticles semi-embedded into graphitic shells, which were covered on the surface of cobalt nanoparticles, forming a unique palladium and cobalt nitrogen-graphite carbon structure.

When tested as both a positive electrode (cathode) and negative electrode (anode) catalyst, the structure delivered increased power density and stable operation for more than 1,000 hours, far exceeding current, commercial palladium carbon and other state-of-the-art catalysts, Yang says.

Joule

In this study, the researchers achieved a power density of almost 0.8 watts per square centimeter using a new high-entropy alloy catalyst they designed, setting a new performance record.

The catalyst can be used for both the cathode and anode to overcome challenges with sluggish reactions and high energy needs.

“The results really break the record by enhancing the fuel cell performance by a few folds compared to commercial catalysts,” Yang says.

Next Steps

Yang says the research team is working to further improve the power density of the direct ethanol fuel cells by optimizing the composition of the catalysts and is also exploring ways to commercialize the technology.

Researcher Credentials

Yang holds joint appointments in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center and the , which is part of the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Cluster. He also holds a secondary joint-appointment in �鶹ӳ����ý’s  and . Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. He received his doctorate in materials science from Tsinghua University in China.

Ammonia, a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, is an essential ingredient in many fertilizers for food production. However, its primary method of production, the Haber-Bosch method, is energy and fuel-intensive, consuming 3% to 5% of the world’s natural gas output and accounting for more than 1% of global pollution output.

Using the metal ruthenium as a catalyst, researchers identified the most efficient way to produce ammonia through a more sustainable production method — electrochemically. This production method can be more sustainable when electricity from renewable sources, such as solar or wind, is used to power the electrochemical synthesis, the researchers say.

The findings were published recently in ACS Energy Letters.

While there are many research efforts on electrochemical ammonia production, the underlying mechanisms have yet to be better understood, the researchers say.

However, this new research helps provide a clearer picture of the reaction mechanism, says study co-author Xiaofeng Feng, a professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s

“The results of this in-depth work can provide important guidance to researchers on how to design more efficient catalysts towards sustainable ammonia production,” Feng says.

How They Did the Work

Ruthenium’s optimal binding strength with reaction intermediates makes it one of the most active catalysts for the nitrogen reduction reaction, which produces ammonia by combining nitrogen with hydrogen from water molecules.

Using atomic layer deposition, the researchers were able to have very precise control of the synthesized nanomaterials at the atomic scale, allowing the testing of ruthenium nanoparticles ranging from two to eight nanometers.

Researchers discovered that while layering ruthenium atoms into a catalytic structure, a special arrangement of ruthenium surface atoms — named the D₅ step site — was the most active site for the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction.

Unlike other sites, the D₅ step site possesses the “perfect balance,” favoring the formation of the N₂H intermediate and not getting poisoned, or rendered unable to allow new molecules to adsorb and react, by the NH₂ intermediate, the researchers say.

Ruthenium nanoparticles of around four nanometers in size were thus found to have the best catalytic performance for the nitrogen reduction reaction. Activity peaked at four nanometers and then dropped by five-fold as the particle size was doubled, demonstrating the critical effect of ruthenium particle size on the catalysis.

The researchers’ previous work to improve the efficiency of the electrochemical production of ammonia helped the current study by providing the mechanistic understanding and research methodology.

Collaborative Research

The new research is a collaboration between three research teams.

Feng and his students characterized the ruthenium samples and investigated them as catalysts for the electrochemical production of ammonia. Study co-author Parag Banerjee, a professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s , and his students focused on the precise synthesis of ruthenium metal nanoparticles in Banerjee’s lab.

Additionally, Virginia Tech professor Hongliang Xin and his student performed computational studies to model and identify the atomic structure that is responsible for the highest catalytic performance.

The researchers plan to collaborate further to develop more complex, efficient materials using atomic layer deposition for sustainable ammonia production, Feng says.

They also will implement the catalyst materials in advanced electrolyzer devices to improve the yield rate and efficiency of electrically powered ammonia production.

Researcher Credentials

Feng received his doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 2013 and joined �鶹ӳ����ý in 2016 as an assistant professor in the Department of Physics. The research in his lab is supported by an U.S. National Science Foundation CAREER Award grant.

Banerjee received his doctorate in materials science and engineering from the University of Maryland in 2011 and joined �鶹ӳ����ý in 2018.

The work in Banerjee’s lab was partially supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and EMD Performance Materials.Banerjee and Feng are both members of the Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformations (REACT) Cluster, which facilitated the collaboration and supports more future opportunities.

Catalytic converters, which were widely introduced in American vehicles in the 1970s, use precious metals as catalysts to help scrub deadly and harmful chemicals from combustion engine exhaust. As the price of precious metals has continued to rise, so has the number of catalytic converter thefts.

In recent studies appearing in and the Journal of the American Chemical Society, �鶹ӳ����ý researchers showed that they could, respectively, use atomic platinum to control pollutants and , which is crucial to removing harmful chemicals when a vehicle first starts.

Fine-tuning Platinum Atom Location

In the Nature Communications study, �鶹ӳ����ý research teams led by Fudong Liu, assistant professor in the , and Talat Rahman, distinguished Pegasus Professor in the , successfully constructed platinum single atoms with different atomic coordination environments at specific locations on ceria. Ceria is a metal oxide that helps improve catalytic reaction performance.

Liu and Rahman are also affiliated with the Catalysis Cluster for Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformations (REACT).

The platinum atoms exhibited strikingly distinct behaviors in catalytic reactions, such as carbon monoxide oxidation and ammonia oxidation in a diesel engine exhaust aftertreatment system, the researchers say.

The oxidation converts deadly carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, and harmful ammonia to nitrogen and water molecules.

Their results suggest that the catalytic performance of single atom catalysts in targeted reactions can be maximized by optimizing their local coordination structures through simple and industrial-scalable strategies, Liu says.

“By combining electronic structure calculations with state-of-the-art experiments, the Liu and Rahman teams have made a breakthrough that can significantly benefit the heterogenous catalysis community in designing highly efficient single atom catalysts for both environmental and energy related needs,” Liu says.

“We have successfully developed a facile strategy to selectively fine-tune the local coordination environment of platinum single atoms to achieve satisfactory catalytic performance in different target reactions, which will push the understanding of single-atom catalysis a significant step forward,” he says.

Rahman says their collaborative work demonstrates how theory and experiments working in tandem can unveil microscopic mechanisms responsible for enhancing catalytic activity and selectivity.

Efficient Carbon Monoxide Oxidation Catalyst

In the Journal of the American Chemical Society study, Liu and collaborators from Virginia Tech and Beijing University of Technology significantly improved the carbon monoxide purification efficiency of a platinum-ceria-alumina catalyst by 3.5 to 70 times compared to the regularly used platinum catalysts.

They did this through the precise control of coordination structures of platinum at the atomic level on an industrial-available ceria-alumina support.

“The local structure of the active site within a catalyst determines its catalytic performance,” Liu says. “However, the precise control of the local coordination structure of active sites and the elucidation of intrinsic structure-performance relationships are of great challenges in the heterogeneous catalysis field.”

“We’ve worked to control the local coordination structure of metal sites at an atomic level, develop a highly efficient catalyst in environmental purification related reactions and reveal the structure-performance relationship of the newly fabricated catalysts for guiding the future catalyst design,” he says.

Using a surface defect enrichment strategy, Liu and his team reported the successful fabrication of platinum atomic single-layer and platinum single-atom structures with precisely controlled local coordination environment on ceria-alumina supports.

Using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, one of the key coauthors, Yue Lu from Beijing University of Technology, directly observed that the platinum atomic single-layer and platinum single-atom structures showing 100% metal exposure were embedded into ceria lattice or adsorbed on ceria surface.

The embedded platinum atomic single-layer site showed the highest efficiency in carbon monoxide purification, which was 3.5 times of that on the adsorbed platinum atomic single-layer and 10 to 70 times of that on platinum single-atom sites.

In collaboration with Hongliang Xin’s research group at Virginia Tech, from both experimental and theoretical aspects, the team concluded that the unique embedded platinum atomic single-layer structure could promote the activation of interfacial oxygen species and thus benefit the carbon monoxide oxidation at low temperatures.

The work is highly important because it will help the environmental catalysis community better design more active metal catalysts with 100% metal utilization efficiency for targeted environmental applications, Liu says.

“We showed how to control and utilize the structures of metal single-atom, atomic single-layer and cluster sites in emission control related reactions, and how to understand their structure-performance relationship using both experimental and theoretical simulation approaches,” Liu says. “This will pave the way for future environmental catalyst design at the atomic level and achieve high efficiency in practical applications.”

Authors and Acknowledgements for the Nature Communications Study

Study co-authors were vitiating doctoral student Wei Tan, postdoctoral scholar Shaohua Xie, research scientist Duy Le’12PhD and doctoral student  Dave Austin ’22MA from �鶹ӳ����ý; Weijian Diao from Villanova University; Meiyu Wang, Fei Gao and Lin Dong from Nanjing University; Ke-Bin Low from BASF Corporation; Sampyo Hong from Brewton-Parker College; and Lu Ma and Steven Ehrlich from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The study was supported with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation grant and Startup Fund (Liu) from �鶹ӳ����ý. Xie was partially supported by �鶹ӳ����ý’s Preeminent Postdoctoral program.

Licensing Opportunities

The low-temperature catalyst invention is available for . Contact Raju Nagaiah at �鶹ӳ����ý’s Office of Technology Transfer for more information.

Authors and Acknowledgements for the Journal of the American Chemical Society Study

Study co-authors were Shaohua Xie and Kailong Ye from �鶹ӳ����ý; Liping Liu from Virginia Tech; Chunying Wang, Yaobin Li and Yan Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Sufeng Cao and Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos from Tufts University; Weijian Diao from Villanova University; Jiguang Deng from Beijing University of Technology; Wei Tan, a visiting doctoral student at �鶹ӳ����ý from Nanjing University; and Lu Ma and Steven Ehrlich from the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The work was supported by the Startup Fund (Liu) from �鶹ӳ����ý and �鶹ӳ����ý’s Preeminent Postdoctoral program (Xie).

Researcher Credentials

Liu is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering, part of �鶹ӳ����ý’s , and a core faculty in the Catalysis Cluster for Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformations (REACT) at �鶹ӳ����ý. Prior to his appointment at �鶹ӳ����ý, he worked at BASF Corporation as a senior chemist developing new concepts and catalyst technologies for vehicle emission control. Now, his research interests are mainly focused on heterogeneous catalysis for pollution control, greenhouse gas reduction/ultilization and clean energy source conversion. These topics include single atom catalysis, nanomaterial synthesis and catalysis, automotive emission control, CO₂ and CH₄ utilization, H₂ production, etc. Liu has published 121 peer reviewed papers with more than 9,200 citations and H-index of 48 (Google Scholar), four book chapters and applied 41 patents in environmental catalysis field.

Rahman is a trustee chair professor and Pegasus Professor in the Department of Physics, part of �鶹ӳ����ý’s , and leads the faculty cluster in Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformations (REACT) at �鶹ӳ����ý. She joined �鶹ӳ����ý as chair of physics in 2006, prior to which she was a university distinguished professor at Kansas State University. Her research interests are in computational design of functional nanomaterials through microscopic understanding of their physical and chemical properties. At �鶹ӳ����ý, she has led the effort to transform undergraduate instructions by infusing active learning environments. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; the American Physical Society; AVS: Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces and Processing; and Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). She is also the recipient of several professional awards including the Research Incentive and Excellence awards from �鶹ӳ����ý, Visiting Miller Professorship from University of California-Berkeley, Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize, Higuchi Research award from the University of Kansas, and the Distinguished Graduate Faculty award, Kansas State University. She has published more than 320 refereed papers, mentored over three dozen doctoral students, and engaged in promoting scientific collaborations in developing countries. Her work has been cited over 10,700 times. She has also been involved in efforts to promote the participation of women and minorities, particularly through the Bridge program of American Physical Society.

The technology, an aqueous battery, replaces the volatile and highly flammable organic solvents found in electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries with saltwater to create a battery that is safer, faster charging, just as powerful and won’t short circuit during flooding.

The work is detailed in a new study in .

“During Hurricane Ian, a lot of electric cars caught fire after they were soaked in floodwater,” says Yang Yang, an associate professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center who led the research. “That is because the saltwater corrodes the battery and causes a short circuit, which ignites the flammable solvents and other components. Our battery uses saltwater as an electrolyte, eliminating the highly volatile solvents.”

Also key to the battery’s design is its novel, nano-engineering that allows the battery to overcome limitations of previous aqueous batteries, such as slow charging times and poor stability.

The �鶹ӳ����ý-designed battery is fast charging, reaching full charge in three minutes, compared to the hours it takes lithium-ion batteries.

Yang is an expert in developing materials for renewable energy devices such as batteries with improved safety.

Saltwater Electrical Vehicle Fires

The issue of electric vehicle fires after saltwater flooding surfaced during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Isaias in 2020.

As a result, the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have issued special guidance for responding to electric vehicle fires caused by saltwater flooding.

The fires require copious amounts of water to douse, with the International Association of Fire Chiefs recommending firefighters secure a continuous and sustainable water supply of 3,000 to 8,000 gallons.

At least 12 electric vehicle fires were reported in Collier and Lee counties in Florida after Hurricane Ian, where many cars were submerged at least partially in saltwater, according to the US. Fire Administration.

Designing the Battery

Previous aqueous battery designs have suffered from low energy output, instability, the growth of harmful metallic structures called dendrites on the negative electrode and corrosion.

By using saltwater as the battery’s liquid electrolyte, the �鶹ӳ����ý researchers were able to use naturally occurring metal ions found in the saltwater, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, to create a dual-cation battery that stores more energy. This implementation allowed them to overcome the sluggishness of previous single-cation aqueous battery designs.

To solve problems with instability, dendrite growth and corrosion, the researchers engineered a forest-like 3D zinc-copper anode containing a thin zinc-oxide protective layer on top.

The novel, nano-engineered surface, which looks like a birds-eye-view of a forest, allows the researchers to precisely control electrochemical reactions, thereby increasing the battery’s stability and quick charging ability.

Furthermore, the zinc-oxide layer prevented dendritic growth of zinc, which was confirmed using optical microscopy.

“These batteries using the novel materials developed in my lab will remain safe even if they are used improperly or are flooded in saltwater,” Yang says. “Our work can help improve electric vehicle technology and continue to advance it as reliable and safe form of travel.”

Licensing and Acknowledgements

The patent-pending technology is available for through �鶹ӳ����ý’s Office of Technology Transfer.

The research was supported with funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation and American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund.

Yang holds joint appointments in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, which is part of the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Cluster. He also holds a secondary joint-appointment in �鶹ӳ����ý’s Department of Chemistry and The Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research and Education. Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. He received his doctorate in materials science from Tsinghua University in China.

Study title: Three-dimensional Zn-based Alloys for Dendrite-free Aqueous Zn Battery in Dual-cation Electrolytes

The power source —an ethanol fuel cell — is a renewable energy alternative to fossil fuels and uses less fuel and produces less emissions compared to a combustion engine.

This is because ethanol is used as a fuel to generate electricity rather than heat generated by combustion as in an engine. As a bonus, the approach requires no recharging time like is needed for battery-based electric vehicles, meaning consumers will have more options for alternatives to fossil fuels.

The fuel cell would be replenished similar to refilling a gas tank in a car, but instead of gasoline, ethanol would be used. Ethanol can be generated through fermentation of biomass such as corn and other plants.

The new technology is described in this month’s edition of the journal .

“Our research enables direct ethanol fuel cells to become a new player to compete with hydrogen-fuel cells and batteries in various sustainable energy fields,” says Yang Yang, an associate professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s and study co-author.

The development of ethanol fuel cells has been hindered in the past by sluggish internal reactions that hamper their performance, he says.

�鶹ӳ����ý researchers are overcoming this problem by adding the element fluorine to the palladium-nitrogen-carbon catalysts that spur electrical production in the fuel cell.

“Our lab has continued to work on fluorine-doped materials for energy and sustainability,” Yang says. “We spent more than two years on this project, we never stop because we believe this invention will change the world.”

Yang says the fluorine works to increase the effectiveness of the ethanol fuel cell by enhancing catalytic activity and decreasing corrosion.

The researchers found their designed catalyst achieves a maximum power density of 0.57 watts per centimeter square and more than 5,900 hours of operation in direct energy ethanol fuel cells. This has several times more power and operation time than previously developed ethanol fuel cells.

Yang says the technology is ready for commercialization now, and the research team is working on reducing the raw materials used and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the developed catalysts.

Study co-authors at �鶹ӳ����ý were Jinfa Chang, a postdoctoral researcher with �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center; Guanzhi Wang and Wei Zhang, doctoral students with the NanoScience Technology Center and �鶹ӳ����ý’s ; and Nina Orlovskaya, an associate professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s

Yang holds joint appointments in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, which is part of the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Cluster. He also holds a secondary joint-appointment in �鶹ӳ����ý’s . Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. He received his doctorate in materials science from Tsinghua University in China.

Researchers at the �鶹ӳ����ý have designed for the first time a nanoscale material that can efficiently split seawater into oxygen and a clean energy fuel — hydrogen. The process of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen is known as electrolysis and effectively doing it has been a challenge until now.

The stable, and long-lasting nanoscale material to catalyze the reaction, which the �鶹ӳ����ý team developed, is explained this month in the journal Advanced Materials.

“This development will open a new window for efficiently producing clean hydrogen fuel from seawater,” says Yang Yang, an associate professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s and study co-author.

Hydrogen could be converted into electricity to use in fuel cell technology that generates water as product and makes an overall sustainable energy cycle, Yang says.

How It Works

The researchers developed a thin-film material with nanostructures on the surface made of nickel selenide with added, or “doped,” iron and phosphor. This combination offers the high performance and stability that are needed for industrial-scale electrolysis but that has been difficult to achieve because of issues, such as competing reactions, within the system that threaten efficiency.

The new material balances the competing reactions in a way that is low-cost and high-performance, Yang says.

Using their design, the researchers achieved high efficiency and long-term stability for more than 200 hours.

“The seawater electrolysis performance achieved by the dual-doped film far surpasses those of the most recently reported, state-of-the-art electrolysis catalysts and meets the demanding requirements needed for practical application in the industries,” Yang says.

The researcher says the team will work to continue to improve the electrical efficiency of the materials they’ve developed. They are also looking for opportunities and funding to accelerate and help commercialize the work.

More About The Team

Co-authors included Jinfa Chang, a postdoctoral scholar, and Guanzhi Wang, a doctoral student in materials science engineering, both with �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center; and Ruslan Kuliiev ’20MS, a graduate of �鶹ӳ����ý’s master’s in aerospace engineering program, and Nina Orlovskaya, an associate professor with �鶹ӳ����ý’s , and Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation Cluster.

Yang holds joint appointments in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center and the , which is part of the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Cluster. He also holds a secondary joint-appointment in �鶹ӳ����ý’s . Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. He received his doctorate in materials science from Tsinghua University in China.

In a study published recently in the journal , �鶹ӳ����ý assistant professor Yang Yang and co-authors demonstrated the ability of the new design to be both durable and high performing.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it’s important to work toward developing batteries with environmentally friendly and nonflammable components, as Americans throw billions of batteries into the trash every year.

These batteries contain toxic metals and solvents that can leak from buried batteries and contaminate soil and groundwater.

The new seawater battery �鶹ӳ����ý helped develop is a step in the environmentally friendly direction as it replaces the toxic solvent that current lithium-ion batteries contain with benign seawater.

Current lithium-ion battery solvents are also flammable, making the batteries a fire hazard if they are damaged or overheat. They can also cause fires in landfills when improperly disposed there.

Researchers have tried to overcome the problem of a toxic and flammable solvent by using water-based zinc batteries, but this has been limited by problems with internal zinc growth on the anode, which hinders battery lifespan and durability.

The new design fixes this issue by using a zinc-manganese nano-alloy to form the battery’s anode, which is an internal metal structure that generates electrons that travel to a similar structure, the cathode, inside the battery, thus creating a current and power.

Anodes and cathodes are known as electrodes because of their ability to conduct electricity.

“We developed a durable and robust 3D electrode that can be used for seawater batteries under extreme conditions,” Yang says. “We’ve worked on aqueous batteries and the use of seawater resources for many years, so we have expertise in the field and know where it should go.”

Yang is an expert in battery improvement and alternative fuel cell technologies.

He says they used seawater as the battery electrolyte, or chemical medium that allows the electrical charge to flow between anode and cathode, because of its abundance and for its potential use in deep-sea energy storage applications.

For example, seawater batteries could be used to power undersea vehicles. And for the alloy they developed, it could be used in both water and non-water-based batteries, Yang says.

In the study, the researchers tested the design and found that the alloy-coated anode remained stable without degrading throughout 1,000 hours of charge and discharge cycling under a high current density of 80 milliampere per square centimeter.

The alloy’s stability was confirmed with synchrotron X-ray characterizations that tracked atomic and chemical changes of the anode in different stages of operation.

The researchers are also currently investigating the use of other metal alloys in addition to zinc-manganese.

Study co-authors were Huajun Tian, Zhao Li, David Fox, Lei Zhai and Akihiro Kushima with �鶹ӳ����ý; Guangxia Feng and Xiaonan Shan with the University of Houston; Zhenzhong Yang and Yingge Du with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Maoyu Wang and Zhenxing Feng with Oregon State University; and Hua Zhou with Argonne National Laboratory.

The research was funded primarily by the National Science Foundation.

Yang holds joint appointments in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center and the , which is part of the university’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. He is a member of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Cluster. Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. He received his doctorate in materials science from Tsinghua University in China.

Assistant Professor Yang Yang is doing this by making the batteries more efficient, with some of his latest work focusing on keeping an internal metal structure, the anode, from falling apart over time by applying a thin, film-like coating of copper and tin. The new technique is detailed in a recent study in the journal Advanced Materials.

An anode generates electrons that travel to a similar structure, the cathode, inside the battery, thus creating a current and power.

“Our work has shown that the rate of degradation of the anode can be reduced by more than 1,000 percent by using a copper-tin film compared to a tin film that is often used,” said Yang, who is with �鶹ӳ����ý’s .

Yang is an expert in battery improvement including making them safer and able to withstand extreme temperatures.

The technique is unique because of its use of the copper-tin alloy and is an important improvement in stabilizing rechargeable battery performance, Yang says. It is also scalable for use in the smallest smartphone battery to larger batteries that power electric cars and trucks.

“We are motivated by our most recent research progress in alloyed materials for various applications,” he says. “Each alloy is unique in composition, structure and property.”

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation through its Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems’ Electrochemical Systems program and through �鶹ӳ����ý’s startup funding and preeminent postdoctoral programs.

Study co-authors included Guanzhi Wang, a doctoral student in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center, , and the paper’s first author; Megan Aubin, a doctoral student in �鶹ӳ����ý’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Abhishek Mehta, a graduate of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering doctoral program; Huajun Tian and Jinfa Chang, postdoctoral scholars in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center; Akihiro Kushima, an assistant professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center; and Yongho Sohn; a professor in �鶹ӳ����ý’s Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center.

Yang holds joint appointments in �鶹ӳ����ý’s NanoScience Technology Center and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, which is part of the university’s . He is a member of �鶹ӳ����ý’s Renewable Energy and Chemical Transformation (REACT) Cluster. Before joining �鶹ӳ����ý in 2015, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany. He received his doctorate in materials science from Tsinghua University in China.

FSEC is a �鶹ӳ����ý research institute that brings together researchers in alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel and fuel cells, energy-efficient buildings and solar energy.

At �鶹ӳ����ý, a number of sustainable energy initiatives are taking place. They include a recent national competition aimed at having buildings reduce their energy use, in which �鶹ӳ����ý earned high marks for reducing energy consumption by 31 percent in Parking Garage C. The Environmental Protection Agency sponsors the contest every year.

Construction is continuing on �鶹ӳ����ý’s new $10.2 million natural gas plant. The new plant will run on a 30-foot-long Mitsubishi engine powered by natural gas, and �鶹ӳ����ý will save about $2.5 million a year in fuel costs. Energy produced by the natural gas will reduce �鶹ӳ����ý’s environmental impact by 30 percent.