Professor Andy Xueliang Sun's Advanced Materials for Clean Energy Group Professor Andy Xueliang Sun's Advanced Materials for Clean Energy Group Western University Engineering Logo

Fuel Cells

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), which can efficiently convert chemical energy into electricity through electrochemical reactions, are considered promising alternative power sources for transportation and portable applications due to their high efficiency, low temperature operation, and zero emissions. However, high cost and insufficient durability are considerable challenges for widespread adoption of PEMFCs in practical applications. Current PEMFCs catalysts have been identified as major contributors to both the high cost and limited durability.
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In our group, we focus on designing novel nanostructured materials via atomic layer deposition (ALD) at atomic level to achieve highly active, low cost, and highly stable catalysts for accelerating the process of wide-spread fuel cell commercialization. We also study mechanisms of high performance catalytic systems which will provide us a new insight for industrial catalyst design.

Selected Publications:

Single-atom catalysts

    1. Zhang, L.; Si, R.; Liu, H.; Chen, N.; Adair, K.; Wang, Z.; Chen, J.; Song, Z.; Li, J.; Banis, M. N.; Li, R.; Sham, T.-K.; Liu, L.-M.; Botton, G. A.; Sun, X. Atomic Layer Deposited Pt-Ru Dual-Metal Dimers and Identifying the Active Sites of Dimer for High Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. Nat. Commun. 2019, 10.4936. (Highlighted by Energist)
    2. Z. Lu, B. Wang, Y. Hu W. Liu Y. Zhao, R. Yang, Z. Li, J. Luo, B. Chi, Z.Jiang M. Li, S. Mu, S. Liao, J. Zhang, X. Sun, Isolated Zn‐Co Atomic Pair for Highly Active and Durable Oxygen Reduction  Angew. Chem., Int. Ed.,2019. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201810175
    3. L. Zhang, K. Davisa and X. Sun, Pt-Based electrocatalysts with high atom utilization efficiency: from nanostructures to single atoms. Energy Environ. Sci., 2019. doi:org/10.1039/C8EE02939C
    4. S. Ye, F. Luo, Q. Zhang, P. Zhang, T. Xu, D. He, L. Guo, Y. Zhang, C. He, X. Ouyang, Q. Wang, M. Gu, J. Liu, X. Sun, Highly stable single Pt atomic sites anchored on aniline-stacked graphene for the hydrogen evolution reaction. Energy Environ. Sci., 2019, DOI: 10.1039/C8EE02888E.
    5. L. Zhang, M. N. Banis, X. Sun. Single-atom catalysts by the atomic layer deposition technique. National Science Review,  5 (2018) 628–630.
    6. N. Cheng, S. Stambula, D. Wang, M. Banis, J. Liu, A. Riese, B. Xiao, R. Li, T.-K. Sham, L. Liu, G. Botton and X. Sun, Platinum Single-atom and Cluster Catalysis of the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction. Nat. Commun., 7 (2016) 13638.


Stabilization of Pt nanocatalysts
  1. Z. Song, M. Banis, L. Zhang, B. Wang, Y. Zhao, J. Liang, M. Zheng, R. Li, X. Sun, Origin of achieving the enhanced activity and stability of Pt electrocatalysts with strong metal-support interactions via atomic layer deposition, Nano Energy, 53 (2018) 716-725.
  2. L. Zhang, Z. Zhao, M. Banis, L. Li, Y. Zhao, Z. Song, Z. Wang, T-K Sham, R. Li, M. Zheng, J. Gong, X. Sun, Selective Atomic Layer Deposition of RuOx Catalysts on Shape-Controlled Pd Nanocrystals with Significantly Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Activity. J. Mater. Chem. A, 6 (2018) 24397-24406.
  3. Z. Song, B. Wang, N. Cheng, L. Yang, D. Banham. R. Li, S. Ye, X. Sun.  Atomic Layer Deposited Tantalum Oxide to Anchor Pt/C for Highly Stable Catalyst in PEMFCs.   J. Mater. Chem. A (2017) 5, 9760-9767.
  4. Z. Song, W.Liu, N. Cheng, M. Banis, X. Li, Q. Sun, B. Xiao, Y. Liu, A. Lushington, R. Li, L. Liu, and X. Sun. Origin of the high oxygen reduction reaction of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped MOF-derived nanocarbon electrocatalysts. Materials Horizons (2017) 4, 900-907.
  5. N. Cheng, Y. Shao, J. Liu and X. Sun, Electrocatalysts by Atomic Layer Deposition for Fuel Cell Applications. Nano Energy 29 (2016) 220-242.
  6. Z. Song, N. Cheng, A. Lushington and X. Sun, Recent Progress on MOF-derived Nanomaterials as Advanced Electrocatalysts in Fuel Cells. Catalysts 6 (2016) 116.
  7. J. Wang, C. Liu, A. Lushington, N. Cheng, M. Banis, A. Riese and X. Sun, Pd on Carbon Nanotube-supported Ag for Formate Oxidation: the Effect of Ag on Anti-poisoning Performance. Electrochim. Acta 210 (2016) 285.
  8. N. Cheng, M. Banis, J. Liu, A. Riese, X. Li, R. Li S. Ye, S. Knights and X. Sun, Extremely stable platinum nanoparticles encapsulated in zirconia nanocages by area-selective atomic layer deposition for oxygen reduction reaction. Adv. Mater., 27 2 (2015) 277.
  9. N. Cheng, M. Banis, J. Liu, A. Riese, S. Mu, R. Li, T.-K. Sham and X. Sun, Atomic scale enhancement of metal-support interactions between Pt and ZrC for highly stable electrocatalysts. Energy Environ. Sci. 8 (2015) 1450.
  10. N. Cheng, J. Liu, M. Banis, D. Geng, R. Li, S. Ye, S. Knights, X. Sun. High Stability and Activity of Pt Electrocatalyst on Atomic Layer Deposited Metal Oxide/Nitrogen-doped Graphene Hybrid Support. Int. J Hydrogen Energy 39 (2014) 15967-15974
  11. M. Banis, S. Sun, X. Meng, Y. Zhang, Z. Wang, R. Li, M. Cai, T.-K. Sham, X. Sun, TiSi2Ox Coated N-doped Carbon Nanotubes for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells. J. Phys. Chem. C 117 (2013) 15457-15467.
  12. G. Zhang, S. Sun, M. Cai, Y. Zhang, R. Li, X. Sun, Porous Dendritic Platinum Nanotubes with Extremely High Activity and Stability for Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Scientific Reports 3 (2013) 1526.
  13. S. Sun, G. Zhang, D. Geng, Y. Chen, R. Li, M. Cai, X. Sun, A New Highly Durable Pt Nanocatalyst for PEM Fuel Cells: the Multiarmed Star-like Nanowire Single Crystal. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 50 (2011) 422-426. (VIP Paper & Cover Page, Highlighted by "Nature Nanotechnology")
  14. D. Geng, Y. Chen, Y. Chen, Y. Li, R. Li, X. Sun, S. Ye, S. Knights,High Oxygen-Reduction Activity and Durability of Nitrogen-doped Graphene. Energy Environ. Sci. 4 (2011) 760-764.  (Highlighted by "Materials Today", ten most downloaded articles in Feb. 2011)