L. Khotseng

University of the Western Cape, South Africa

Title: Development of electrocatalysts for Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

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Biography

Lindiwe Khotseng is the Associate Professor at the Chemistry Department, University of the Western Cape, South Africa since 2015. Prior to working at the Chemistry Department, she worked as the Managing Director of ESKOM Centre for Electrocatalytic Research at the South African Institute for Materials Research, University of the Western Cape, South Africa since 2006. Her research focus is on energy and nanomaterials. She has published in qualified international journals or specialized books and presented in international chemical meetings. She has graduated MSc and PhD students. She has obtained DTI Technology award as the Outstanding Black Researcher in her research field in 2013. She has served as the co-editor and Guest editor of Frontiers Chemistry journal and organized an international conference “1st Sustainable Bioenergy and Processes Conference”. She is a professional member of South African Chemical Institute (SACI), Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE).

Abstract

Carbon materials, carbon XC-72 are the mostly used supports in low temperature fuel cells. Due to several disadvantaged including corrosion, nanostructured carbon supports have been suggested as the better supports because on their outstanding physical and chemical properties together with high surface area and thermal and mechanical stabilities.  While these nanostructured carbon supports have improved the activity, durability and the stability of the fuel cell electrocatalysts there is still limitation caused by lower interactions between hydrophobis surfaces of carbon supports with the catalyst which leads to lower electrocatalytic activity and durability, hence modification of the supports is still required. Conducting polymers has been researched has been suggested as the excellent incorporation with carbon nanostructures to improve the dispersion and the utilization of the electrocatalysts to improve the electrocatalytic activity and the stability of the low temperature fuel cells. In this study polypyrrole (PPy), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and PPy coated rGO on PdCo nanoparticles synthesized using the modified polyol method were studied as anode electrocatalysts for Direct Methanol fuel cells. The electrocatalysts were characterized using electrochemical methods (CV, CA, EIS) which physichohemical methods were studied using XRD, HR-TEM and metal loading was determined using EDS. The study resulted in improved electrocatalytic activity, stability and methanol oxidation reaction on rGO coated on PPy.