| Abstract [eng] |
Nowadays everyday life is hard to imagine without phones, computers, cars, and other technologies that require the use of electricity, the energy sector becomes a vital area. The main fuel for energy production is still fossil fuel, but burning it releases gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion, and pollutants that harm the environment (e.g., acid rain) and life (e.g., fume). This also significantly impacts climate change. Therefore, the European Union (EU) and other countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are investing in the development of new technologies that will allow for more sustainable and cyclical energy production, thus preserving the environment while meeting societal needs. One such method of energy production is fuel cells, which are more efficient than internal combustion engines and more environmentally friendly. Fuel cells (FCs) are already being used in transportation, electronics, space, etc., but their wider application is limited by their cost, as the main components of FCs are electrodes (anode and cathode), which are made using precious metals. Currently, significant attention is being paid to the development of catalysts that would reduce the cost of FCs. For this purpose, research is being conducted and catalysts are being developed that either do not contain precious metals or contain significantly less of them. Various chemical, electrochemical, microwave, and other methods are used to synthesize materials in an attempt to obtain catalyst compositions with high electrocatalytic activity that can be used as anode or cathode materials in FCs. This dissertation focuses on the formation of new solid foam catalysts that can be used as anode materials in direct formic acid/formate fuel cells. To ensure high catalyst efficiency, Ni solid foams with a 3D structure and a large surface area were modified with a small amount of platinum. The electrocatalytic activity of the prepared catalysts was evaluated for formic acid (acidic) and formate (alkaline) oxidation reactions. |
