Engineering Commons^™

Rate-Determining Step And Active Sites Probing For Platinum-Group-Metal Free Cathode Catalyst In Fuel Cell, Yechuan Chen

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

With the increasing demand on renewable energy, the fuel cell has attracted more and more interests because of its large power density and controllable size. However, the insufficiency of element abundance and unstable expensive price of conventional platinum-based electrocatalysts used in anode and cathode makes it essential to find their substitutes. As one of the most promising candidates to be used in cathode for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) catalysts have been widely investigated and get commercialized recently, but still lacks comprehensive understanding on the kinetic mechanism.

This dissertation has been divided into three parts with a discussion on …

Graphite And Graphene-Oxide Based Pgm-Free Model Catalysts For The Oxygen Reduction Reaction, Joseph Henry Dumont

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

The world currently relies heavily on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. Fossil fuels are non-renewable, that is, they draw on finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve. One alternative source of energy are fuel cells, electrochemical devices that convert chemical energy to cleanly and efficiently produce electricity. They can be used in a wide range of applications, including transportation, stationary, portable and emergency power sources. Their development has been slowed by the high cost of PGM electrocatalysts needed at both electrodes as well as sluggish …

Activity Of Pgm-Free Electrocatalysts For Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Ph And Co-Catalysis Effects, Mario Santiago Rojas Carbonell 8148369

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Fuel cells offer a source to the current and always increasing demand for electric power. But as any new technology, there are challenges that need to be addressed to render it feasible for the market place. One of this challenges is finding the appropriate materials to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) that occurs in the cathode. Oxygen is used as an oxidant in a significant portion of the fuel cells due to its readily availability and high reduction potential. Now, one the bottlenecks that stops the large-scale adoption is the expensive and rare metals that have been used as …