| AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Complex Oxides: Fundamental Properties and Applications Focus Topic | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session OX+EM+HC+MI+NS+SS+TF-TuA |
| Session: | Complex Oxides: Catalysis, Dielectric Properties and Memory Applications |
| Presenter: | Yingge Du, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Predictive synthesis of highly active and cost-effective catalysts and electrocatalysts for energy conversion and storage is critical for leveraging intermittently available energy sources. Transition metal oxides with perovskite (ABO3) and perovskite-related structures (e.g., Brownmillerite and Ruddlesden-Popper) have been identified as robust catalysts with high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and/or oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities that rival the performance of noble metals and their compounds. The study of perovskites as epitaxial thin films enables measurement of their intrinsic catalytic activity, deconvolved from the effects of surface roughness and polycrystalline defects (e.g., grain boundaries and edges between facets). In addition, epitaxial growth facilitates accurate control over the composition, crystallographic orientation, and strain in thin films.
In this talk, our recent efforts in the design of epitaxial complex oxides for catalysis and electrocatalysis will be highlighted. Using LaNiO3, a bi-functional electrocatalyst, as an example, I will show how isovalent substitution, alliovalent substitution, and interfacial strain can be used to tune the structural, electronic, and optical properties of the resultant films, and how these observed changes correlate with their (electro)catalytic performance. The use of complex oxide thin films as support or anti-corrosion layers during catalytic reactions will also be discussed.