Doctoral defence: Akmal Kosimov "Template-assisted Mechanosynthesis (TAMS) for the production of bifunctional transition metal-based catalysts"

On 29 August at 15:15, Akmal Kosimov will defend his thesis "Template-assisted Mechanosynthesis (TAMS) for the production of bifunctional transition metal-based catalysts".

Supervisor:
Associate Professor Nadežda Kongi, PhD, University of Tartu

Opponent:
Professor Elena Baranova, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Ottawa, Canada

Summary:
This PhD thesis explores the development of bifunctional transition metal-based catalysts using a novel synthesis method, Template-Assisted Mechanosynthesis (TAMS). The study aims to optimise these catalysts for zinc-air batteries, which have high energy density but struggle with low power density and limited stability due to slow oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. The research focuses on synthesising and characterising cobalt, iron, and nickel-based catalysts. Enhanced by rapid pyrolysis, TAMS balances ORR-active single-atom/nitrogen sites and OER-active nanoparticles, significantly boosting catalyst performance. The improved TAMS protocol yields catalysts with higher porosity and better electrochemical activity. TAMS-derived catalysts demonstrated superior bifunctional ORR/OER activity and a greater surface area, improving active site accessibility and catalytic efficiency. Materials outperformed commercial platinum group metal catalysts in power density and long-term stability in zinc-air batteries. The developed TAMS methodology is more sustainable and cost-effective, requiring less energy and time without generating toxic waste. This study advances the electrochemical energy storage field by providing a method for producing high-performance, sustainable catalysts for metal-air batteries.