Plasma-catalytic processing for electrocatalysis

Project overview

This project is led by the Academician (Foreign Member) of the European Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Europe, Humboldt Prize winner (2021-2026), and international pioneer and leader in Plasma Nanoscience Professor Kostya (Ken) Ostrikov and involves world-leading Professors across several fields of research, thus offering unsurpassed opportunity for PhD research and career development.
The project is at the forefront of plasma nanotechnology, surface and materials science, and electrocatalysis and aims to develop plasma-assisted on-surface nano-assembly of ultra-small, ideally single-atomic-site, catalysts for electrochemical hydrogen production and other applications. Our solution is based on minimising the use of atomic matter by the precise dosing and conversion of precursors into metallic clusters directly on the electrode surface, followed by ultra-fast cluster dispersion and stabilization of the resulting subnano-clusters and single atoms on defect-engineered surfaces, using high-throughput, energy-efficient customised plasma-assisted processes.

Outcomes

  • New plasma processes and study of plasma-surface interactions
  • Insights into on-surface assembly supported by microanalysis
  • Advanced catalysts properties by design

Chief Investigators