Energy from renewable sources with intermittent supplies like wind and solar could be stored in chemical bonds and reused. Development of efficient molecular electrocatalysts is essential for the storage and utilization of the energy from chemical fuels. Ni-based electrocatalysts with pendant amines functioning as proton relays have been developed for multi-electron multi-proton processes such as hydrogen oxidation. The addition of an external base is required for the electrocatalytic oxidation of hydrogen. A new catalyst of this class � [Ni(P2CyN2CH2CH2OMe)2](BF4)2 � with a methoxy group appended to the pendant amine, has been synthesized and characterized. The catalytic activity of this molecule towards hydrogen oxidation, along with the detailed mechanistic insights from experimental and computational results, further enhances our understanding of this multi-electron multi-proton process. This research was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science.

Development of Ni-based electrocatalysts for hydrogen oxidation

244th National Meeting (2012)

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