Abstract
Hydrogen is a promising energy vector, particularly for energy storage from intermittent energy sources such as solar or wind. The development of its production methods and its electrochemical conversion represents a major challenge in the context of energy transition in which we live nowadays. Fuel cells and electrolyzers using PEM technology (Proton Exchange Membrane) are mature electrochemical energy conversion systems, while reversible systems capable of performing both functions – unitized regenerative fuel cells – are still in the early stage of development. Their main technological bottleneck is the design of a bifunctional oxygen electrode. The catalytic materials used in these systems are mainly noble metals and it is necessary to reduce as much as possible their loading in the electrodes to decrease the system cost. Three complementary aspects have been developed during this thesis. On the one hand, iridium and ruthenium oxides have been prepared by hydrothermal treatment in order to catalyze the oxygen evolution under electrolyzer operation. On the other hand, platinum-based catalysts supported on non-carbonaceous materials, especially titanium nitride, have been synthesized by colloidal routes, in order to catalyze the oxygen reduction under fuel cell operation. The combination of these materials is the first step towards the design of a bifunctional oxygen electrode. The third topic focuses on the production of hydrogen and proposes an alternative to the oxidation of water. The electrochemical oxidation of organic compounds such as methanol or dimethoxymethane using platinum and ruthenium based catalysts allows producing clean hydrogen with a lower electrical energy consumption compared to the electrolysis of water.