Maureen Tang, PhD
, associate professor of
chemical and biological engineering
at Drexel University, will collaborate with University of California, San
Diego researchers on a National Science Foundation project to develop
innovative catalysts for hydrogen fuel production. The project, recently
funded through NSF's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability
and Equity (RAISE) program, seeks to create new ways to produce clean
hydrogen fuel more efficiently.
The project, titled "Dynamic Ferroelectric Support Interactions to
Transform Hydrogen Electrocatalysis," aims to create a new framework for
designing catalyst surfaces that could significantly advance clean hydrogen
production technology. The research will focus on developing thin catalyst
layers placed on ferroelectric supports that can exhibit different binding
energies for key reaction intermediates during water electrocatalysis.
What makes this approach groundbreaking is its dynamic nature. Traditional
catalysts operate in a steady state, but this project explores how
oscillating the polarization of the underlying ferroelectric material could
enable dynamic control of the catalyst surface's binding energy. This novel
approach has the potential to achieve hydrogen turnover rates that exceed
what's possible with conventional steady-state catalyst operations.
The project will employ a comprehensive research strategy that combines
computational design, surface science, and experimental validation. Tang's
team will work on validating the computational design and investigating the
polling and switching mechanisms of these dynamic catalysts. They will use
time-dependent microkinetic modeling integrated with density functional
theory and machine learning to predict surface energies and transition
state barriers.
This research is part of a larger collaboration with UC San Diego, with
Tang serving as co-Principal Investigator. The project period extends
through June 2027, during which time the team will work to develop design
guidelines for dynamically operating hydrogen catalysts. The work aligns
with RAISE's mission to advance sustainable infrastructure, potentially
contributing to the broader adoption of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier.