UC Berkeley

A third of anthropomorphic greenhouse gas emissions originate from the energy and transportation sectors. Since these emissions contribute to increased pollution and climate change, the development of new energy sources with decreased environmental impact is critical. The use of hydrogen as a fuel is an attractive way to increase energy security and reduce carbon emissions, and hence there is considerable interest in the efficient production and use of hydrogen. The production of hydrogen without the generation of CO2 can be done by the electrolysis of water, and the hydrogen thus generated can be used to provide electrical power via its consumption in a fuel cell. However, both processes suffer from the inefficiency of the electrodes used for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), or water oxidation reaction, and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This project has focused on developing a deeper understanding of the factors limiting the catalytic performance of both the oxygen reduction (Part I) and oxygen evolution reactions (Part II).