Chalcogenide Materials for Energy Conversion ― Pathways to Oxygen and Hydrogen Reactions

This book addresses electrocatalysis based on chalcogenides, particularly in the nanoscale domain. Special attention is paid to the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The book provides an introduction to materials synthesis; the basic principles of electrocatalysis; related precious metal versus non-precious metal catalytic center chalcogenides as well as supports; and the role of such supports in stabilizing the catalytic centers. In short: pursuing a bottom-up approach, it covers the properties of this class of electrocatalysts and examines their applications in low-temperature fuel systems such as microfluidic fuel cells for portable devices. Accordingly, it is ideally suited for all professionals and researchers interested in electrochemistry, renewable energy and electrocatalysis, and non-precious metal centers for chemical energy conversion.

Dr. Nicolas Alonso-Vante is professor of chemistry, doing research at the IC2MP laboratory at the University of Poitiers. Dr. Alonso-Vante holds a Docteur Troisieme Cycle, in electrochemistry, and a Doctorat d’Etat in Physical Science from the University of Strasbourg, France, and a Master in Physical-Chemistry from the Research Center for Advanced Studies in Mexico City. Prior to join the University of Poitiers in 1997, Prof. Alonso-Vante worked as a senior scientist at the Hahn-Meitner-Institut-Berlin (now Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin) in Germany, doing research in photoelectrochemical system for 13 years. He has developed materials in the nanodivided scale based on transition metal and chalcogenides in metallic and semiconducting form in Germany and France for over more than three decades. Using facile chemical routes, he has pioneered the use of non-platinum and non-precious metal catalysts center chalcogenides in order to understand the complex process of the oxygen reduction reaction process, an important technological reaction in low temperature fuel cells. Other interests of such materials in combination with light harvesting are devoted to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and photocatalysis. Prof. Alonso-Vante’s other main research interests are (Photo) electrochemistry and (Photo) electrocatalysis of novel materials using various ex-situ and in-situ techniques, fuel generation, interfacial characterization and surface analytical techniques. He is the author of over 200 publications, book chapters, editor of a two-volume e-book on electrochemistry in Spanish and holds 2 US, 2 German, and 2 French patents. He has received the awards of the National Polytechnic Institute-Mexico as a R&D distinguished graduate, and of the Mexican Council of Technology SNI-III recognition as a Mexican researcher working outside Mexico, and has been awarded the NM Emanuel Medal from the Russian Academy of Science. He is also a member of the International Society of Electrochemistry, the Electrochemical Society, the Bunsengesellschaft fur Physikalische Chemie, and of the International Academy of Electrochemical Energy Science (IAOEES) and member of the Editorial board of Fuel Cells Journal.