My doctoral research focuses on the development of carbon-free, nanostructured platinum electrocatalysts for electrochemical energy conversion applications, particularly proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The central goal of this work is to achieve precise, low-loading, and reproducible platinum deposition on metallic substrates while maintaining high catalytic activity and long-term stability.
I investigate a self-terminating electrochemical deposition strategy to deposit sub-monolayer to few-monolayer platinum films on noble and reactive metal substrates such as gold and silver. A key challenge addressed in this work is controlling platinum growth on reactive backbones without inducing substrate dissolution, surface pitting, or loss of structural integrity—issues commonly encountered in conventional chloride-based deposition baths.
By systematically studying deposition parameters including bath pH, supporting electrolyte, deposition potential, and pulse duration, I established conditions that enable uniform platinum deposition with excellent repeatability. Platinum loading and growth behavior are quantified using ICP-OES, while catalyst morphology and structure are examined using electron microscopy. Electrochemical performance and durability are evaluated through ex-situ accelerated stress tests, revealing stable catalytic activity with minimal degradation over extended cycling.
An important aspect of my research is scaling up the deposition process from small-area model electrodes to larger, device-relevant areas using a custom-designed electrochemical flow cell, demonstrating the scalability of the self-terminating deposition approach. This work aims to reduce precious metal usage while enhancing catalyst utilization and durability, contributing to the development of cost-effective and scalable electrocatalysts for sustainable energy technologies.