Nanostructured electrodes: Atomically precise synthesis of metal nanoparticles for electrocatalysis. – (Lucy Gloag / LPCNO / Seminar). – 11/09/2025, 14H

Séminaire LPCNO

Lucy Gloag Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra

GP seminar room, INSA, Build. 27, Room 2.20 (2nd floor left)

Summary
Developing improved, low-cost electrode materials is essential to produce cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable hydrogen fuel for energy conversion and storage technologies. While much research has focused on catalysts, support materials, which are critical for managing reactant, product, and electron flow, have been largely overlooked. This talk presents chemical syntheses for nanoscale metal structures that can achieve up to 1000 times greater efficiency than current support materials. By growing metal cores and branches in a stepwise manner, these interconnected structures achieve tailored configurations optimised for energy storage. They feature high surface area, excellent conductivity, and chemically tunable surfaces, making them ideal electrocatalyst supports. The talk also explores strategies for enhancing catalytic surfaces: (i) shaping nanoparticles to expose specific facets and improve stability, (ii) decorating them with a second metal to form strained, active islands, and (iii) dispersing metals to create single-atom catalysts resistant to CO poisoning. These advances enable precise structural control for enhanced electrocatalytic performance.