Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The explosion in global population over the last century has resulted in the tremendous expansion of various industries and enabling infrastructures that are vital for sustaining its development. This has culminated in serious challenges, including energy shortages, strained water resources, environmental pollution, and climate change. The dire consequences of rapid climate change have recently been stressed in the Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The establishment of a hydrogen economy has great potential as one of the most comprehensive strategies for transitioning from fossil fuels toward a new, clean, and sustainable energy paradigm. In addition, the need for improved water treatment technologies has become extremely pressing, as the effects of population growth and climate change place increasing demands on global water resources. Currently there is inadequate access to water for sanitation and waste disposal for 2.4 billion people worldwide and a lack of safe drinking water for 663 million people. Moreover, improved wastewater technologies are required by industries, such as Canada&rsquo;s pulp &amp; paper and mining industries, as environmental regulations become progressively more stringent. <br /> <br /> The proposed advanced synchronized scanning photoelectrochemical microscopy (SPECM) system is a powerful tool for acquiring spatial resolution information on nanostructured electrode/electrolyte interfaces and photoelectrochemical systems. It represents a unique addition to the research capabilities of Canada. This instrumentation is urgently needed to support the applicant&rsquo;s NSERC Discovery research program, which has the aim of: (i) designing functional nanomaterials for efficient hydrogen production, as well as for safe, efficient, and stable hydrogen storage to facilitate the development of a hydrogen economy; and (ii) developing advanced clean technologies based on novel nanostructured electrocatalysts and photocatalysts for wastewater remediation and water purification. The requested SPECM can effectively image and screen the localized catalytic activities of single nano-/micro-particles, which will provide critical insights into the inherent relationship between the compositions, dimensions, and morphologies of nanomaterials and their corresponding electrochemical and photoelectrochemical catalytic properties. The SPECM system will provide unique and advanced techniques for conducting fundamental studies of the kinetics of electrochemical and photoelectrochemical water splitting, as well as the kinetics of hydrogen spillover. It is also essential to student training and to further collaborations regionally, nationally, and internationally. The requested SPECM system will be used extensively by the applicant, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students, and research scientists. <br />