Rafael Gomes Morais concluded his master’s degree in chemical engineering in 2017 at FEUP. He then integrated the UniRCell team as a project researcher until 2020 focusing on the preparation, characterization and electrochemical application towards the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions of carbon-based materials. In 2021, he started a PhD grant by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) to study noble-metal free carbon-based materials for energy conversion and in 2022 integrated the BiCat4Energy research team. During 2022 he spent 3 months studying at the Technische Universität Darmstadt as an Erasmus+ student under the supervision of Professor Bastian Etzold, concluding his PhD in 2023. Since September 2023 he has been working as a Junior Researcher in the development and optimization of carbon materials as highly electroactive catalysts to be used in the future of renewable energy research.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Biomass-based materials
Carbon materials
Oxygen reduction and evolution reactions
Energy applications
Electrochemical applications

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

R.G. Morais, N. Rey-Raap, J.L. Figueiredo, M.F.R. Pereira. Optimization of cobalt on CNT towards the oxygen evolution reaction and its synergy with iron (II) phthalocyanine as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst. Catalysis Today, 2023 Morais R.G., Rey-Raap N., Figueiredo J.L., Pereira M.F.R.. Fe, Co, N-doped carbon nanotubes as bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts. Applied Surface Science, 572, 151459, 2022 R.G. Morais, N. Rey-Raap, J.L. Figueiredo, M.F.R. Pereira. Highly electroactive N–Fe hydrothermal carbons and carbon nanotubes for the oxygen reduction reaction. Journal of Energy Chemistry, 50, 260-270, 2020 R.G. Morais, N. Rey-Raap, R.S. Costa, C. Pereira, A. Guedes, J.L. Figueiredo, M.F.R. Pereira. Hydrothermal Carbon/Carbon Nanotube Composites as Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction. Journal of Composites Science, 4, 20-34, 2020 R.G. Morais, N. Rey-Raap, J.L. Figueiredo, M.F.R. Pereira. Glucose-derived carbon materials with tailored properties as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology, 10, 1089-1102, 2019

SELECTED PROJECTS

BiCat4Energy - Carbon-based noble metal-free bifunctional electrocatalyst for renewable energy production: Improving the Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell. Reference: PTDC/EQU-EQU/1707/2020. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I&DT - Projectos de I&DT em Todos os Domínios Científicos. Starting Date: 2021/03/01. Duration: 36 months. UnirCell - Unitised regenerative fuel cell for efficient renewable energy supply: from materials to device. Reference: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016422. Funded by: FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, PAC - P2020|COMPETE -Programa de Ações Conjuntas. Starting Date: 2017/01/01. Duration: 48 months.
Rafael Morais
Investigador Doutorado
rgm@fe.up.pt