(A) study on the design of one-dimensional nanomaterial based catalyst system for high-performance energy conversion and storage

Abstract

With the increasing demand and interest in large-capacity energy storage and eco-friendly energy materials, energy technologies such as metal-air cells, fuel cells, and water electrolyzers are continuously developing. However, low energy efficiency and short lifespan characteristics due to high overpotential are considered as major problems. Electrochemical catalyst technology to increase such efficiency is a very important factor, and among them, oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are the key reactions, and it is necessary to apply a catalyst having high catalytic properties and good sustainability. In this dissertation, as a method to develop a catalyst with improved performance, a one-dimensional (1D) nanostructure is applied to the catalyst design, and its electrochemical properties are evaluated to confirm the catalytic effect. Besides, finally, by introducing a one-dimensional carbon nanofiber-based membrane that can play the role of a current collector while having catalytic properties, we propose an electrode material development technology using a catalyst-current collector, and intended to be applied to an energy storage system (zinc-air battery) and assess the feasibility in the practical energy storage system.