Bio

Marwa Atwa is a postdoctoral scholar at Nanoscale Prototyping Laboratory (NPL), focusing on developing durable electrodes for hydrogen fuel cells. She got her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Calgary in 2021 under the supervision of Professor Viola Birss, where she mastered different skills in both material science and electrochemistry fields. During her Ph.D. studies, she developed and tested highly active cathodes for hydrogen fuel cells based on novel nanoporous carbon films made from uniform and bimodal porous structures. Before joining the University of Calgary, Marwa received her M. Sc. And B. Sc. degrees in Chemistry from Suez Canal University, where her research focused on protecting low-carbon steel from corrosion in an acidic medium by applying various nanoengineered metal and alloys coatings using electroplating technique.

Stanford Advisors

Contact

  • Academic
    marwaatw@stanford.edu
    University - Scholar Department: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Position: Postdoctoral Scholar

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 3030

All Publications

  • Scalable nanoporous carbon films allow line-of-sight 3D atomic layer deposition of Pt: towards a new generation catalyst layer for PEM fuel cells. Materials horizons Atwa, M., Li, X., Wang, Z., Dull, S., Xu, S., Tong, X., Tang, R., Nishihara, H., Prinz, F., Birss, V. 2021; 8 (9): 2451-2462

    Abstract

    Although nanoporous carbons are ubiquitous materials that are used in many clean energy and environmental applications, most are in powder form, thus requiring binders to hold particles together. This results in uncontrolled and complex pathways between particles, potentially exacerbating mass transport issues. To overcome these problems, we have developed an unprecedented binderless, self-supported, nanoporous carbon scaffold (NCS) with tunable and monodisperse pores (5-100+ nm), high surface area (ca. 200-575 m2 g-1), and 3-dimensional scalability (1-150+ cm2, 1-1000 μm thickness). Here, it is shown that NCS85 membranes (85 nm pores) are particularly promising as a host for the homogeneous and efficient 3-D atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Pt nanoparticles, due to the facile penetration of gas phase Pt precursor throughout the homogeneous, low tortuosity internal structure. Furthermore, the high density of surface defects of the as-synthesized NCS promotes uniform Pt nucleation with minimal agglomeration. These advantageous features are key to the rapid oxygen reduction kinetics observed under polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell MEA testing conditions. Cells constructed with an optimal ALD Pt loading of 30 cycles are shown to exhibit a specific activity of ≥0.4 mA cm-2Pt which is exemplary when compared to two commercial catalyst layers with comparable Pt mass loadings and tested under the same conditions. Furthermore, a maximum power density of 1230 mW cm-2 (IR-corrected) is obtained, with the limiting current densities approaching a very respectable 3 A cm-2.

    View details for DOI 10.1039/d1mh00268f

    View details for PubMedID 34846397

  • Scalable nanoporous carbon films allow line-of-sight 3D atomic layer deposition of Pt: towards a new generation catalyst layer for PEM fuel cells MATERIALS HORIZONS Atwa, M., Li, X., Wang, Z., Dull, S., Xu, S., Tong, X., Tang, R., Nishihara, H., Prinz, F., Birss, V. 2021

    View details for DOI 10.1039/d1mh00268f

    View details for Web of Science ID 000686591100001