NSF Award
9960258
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project deals with the development of a combinatorial method for the discovery of novel electrocatalysts for ozone generation. Electrochemical ozone generators based on lead dioxide as anodic electrocatalyst have a major drawback in that the current efficiency for ozone production is only 10-15%. There is, therefore, clearly a need for new, novel anodic electrocatalysts that will lead to the development of a new generation of electrochemical ozone generators with ozone current<br/>efficiencies of up to 50%, and more preferably, up to 90%. However, synthesis and evaluation of potential anodic electrocatalyst materials by a conventional project, a combinatorial thin film libraries of various metal alloys will be generated on microporous titanium substrates by vacuum deposition techniques using physical shadow masks. The resulting libraries will be screened for ozone production electrochemically. Our<br/>innovative combinatorial screening process for ozone production will involve simple dye<br/>bleaching/formation process.<br/><br/>Commercial potential of a new generation of electrochemical ozone generators one-compound-at-a-time approach is a lengthy process. In this Phase I with high current efficiencies is enormous. Commercial applications of these new generation ozone generators will be for water treatment, food processing, waste treatment, medical sterilization, biofouling control, and paper and pulp bleaching.
