Electrochemistry and Energy Conversion

The “electrochemistry and energy conversion” team naturally focuses on (i) the development of catalytic materials inherent to energy storage and production, as well as (ii) the use of said energy to produce value-added molecules, ranging from hydrogen to glucose derivatives. Particular emphasis is placed on (iii) understanding the reaction mechanisms, structure and electrode interfacial properties involved in these different systems, via electrochemical methods often coupled with various spectroscopic approaches. These main lines of research are revisited in Figure 1, and summarized below: The H₂ electrochemical cycle encompasses all the electrochemical systems dedicated to the production or use of hydrogen studied by the ECE team. The focus here is on all systems operating below 200°C, with particular interest in proton exchange membrane fuel cells operating at high temperatures (160 - 180°C), alkaline electrolyzers and hydrogen alternatives. The team's activities focus on developing new catalytic materials and scaling them up for industrial applications, as well as developing new tools for visualizing reaction interfaces during operation - i.e., operando, experimentally or theoretically. The synthesis of value-added products by electrochemical means focuses on the electrochemical transformation of abundant and/or polluting molecules (e.g., N₂, CO₂, glucose, etc.) into molecules of societal interest, and on understanding the mechanisms associated with these transformations. Finally, the 'batteries, supercapacitors and electrochemical capacitors' axis focuses on the fabrication of carbonaceous or composite materials with high specific capacity and robust performance in energy storage applications. This includes their evaluation by physico-chemical and electrochemical methods to analyse their morphology and assess their potential. As part of the development of these new materials and methods, the ECE team maintains strong links with the rest of ICPEES, in particular with the NCI, ECED and COMBO teams. It is also firmly established in local, national and European microsomes, through numerous collaborations and projects.

• A. Medrano-Banda, J. Guehl, G. Kéranguéven, A. G. Oshchepkov, E. R. Savinova, A. Bonnefont, ‘Dual-path glucose electrooxidation reaction on Ni(OH)2/NiOOH catalysts in alkaline media’, Electrochim. Acta, 476 (2024), 143692.
• B. Rotonnelli, B. Lassalle-Kaiser, A. Bonnefont, S. Renaudineau, D. Garnier, A. Proust, F. Bournel, J-J. Gallet, T. Asset, E. R. Savinova, ‘Instability of Cobalt-Substituted Polyoxometalates during the Oxygen Evolution Reaction: An Operando X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study’ J. Phys. Chem. C, 128 (2024) 7968 – 7976.
• T. Karakoç, H. Ba, L. Truong Phuoc, D. Bégin, C. Pham-Huu, S. N. Pronkin, ‘Ultramicroporous N-Doped Activated Carbon Materials for High Performance Supercapacitors’, Batteries, 9 (2023), 436.
• E. A. Vorms, V. Papaefthymiou, T. Faverge, A. Bonnefont, M. Chatenet, E. R. Savinova, A. G. Oshchepkov, ‘Mechanism of the hydrazine hydrate electrooxidation reaction on metallic Ni electrodes in alkaline media as revealed by electrochemical methods, online DEMS and ex situ XPS’, Electrochim. Acta, 507 (2024), 145056.
• K. Fraser, K. Dosaev, E. R. Savinova, S. Holdcroft, T. Asset, ‘Assessing Electrocatalyst‐Ionomer Interactions: HOR/HER Activity of Pt/C Catalyst Layers incorporating Poly(imidazolium)s’, ChemCatChem, 16 (2024), e202301304.