Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Fe Nanoparticles Encapsulated In N-Doped Porous Carbon For Efficient Oxygen Reduction In Alkaline Media, Chun-Yan Li, Rui Zhang, Xiao-Jie Ba, Xiao-Le Jiang, Yao-Yue Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Rational design and synthesis of non-precious-metal catalyst plays an important role in improving the activity and stability for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) but remains a major challenge. In this work, we used a facile approach to synthesize iron nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials (Fe@N-C) from functionalized metal-organic frameworks (MOFs, MET-6). Embedding Fe nanoparticles into the carbon skeleton increases the graphitization degree and the proportion of graphitic N as well as promotes the formation of mesopores in the catalyst. The Fe@N-C-30 catalyst showed the excellent ORR activity in alkaline solutions (E₀ = 0.97 V vs. RHE, E_{1/2 …}

Microwave Regeneration And Thermal And Oxidative Stability Of Imidazolium Cyanopyrrolide Ionic Liquid For Direct Air Capture Of Carbon Dioxide, Yun-Yang Lee, Eda Cagli, Aidan Klemm, Ruth Dikki

Faculty Scholarship

Understanding the oxidative and thermal degradation of CO2 sorbents is essential for assessing long-term sorbent stability in direct air capture (DAC). The potential degradation pathway of imidazolium cyanopyrrolide, an ionic liquid (IL) functionalized for superior CO2 capacity and selectivity, is evaluated under accelerated degradation conditions to elucidate the secondary reactions that can occur during repetitive absorption-desorption thermal-swing cycles. The combined analysis from various spectroscopic, chromatographic, and thermal gravimetric measurements indicated that radical and SN2 mechanisms in degradation are encouraged by the nucleophilicity of the anion. Thickening of the liquid and gas evolution are accompanied by 50 % reduction in CO2 …

Enhancing Compatibility And Mechanical Properties Of Natural Rubber Composites, Krisma Yessi Sianturi, Adam Febriyanto Nugraha, Belle Kristaura, Mochamad Chalid

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Pure natural rubber (NR) exhibits low mechanical properties, necessitating the incorporation of additives like vulcanizing agents and fillers. Carbon black and silica, conventional fillers, are relatively expensive and not environmentally friendly. This study explores using Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (OPEFB) fiber as an affordable, abundant, and biodegradable alternative filler for NR. However, compatibility issues arise between the nonpolar NR and the polar OPEFB fiber. A latex-starch hybrid coupling agent (CA (NR-St)) was added to the composite formulation to address this. NR, OPEFB fiber, and the coupling agent were mixed using an open roll mill with a 10 phr OPEFB …

Battery Design, Construction, And Characterization For Small Motor Use Focusing On Anodic Zinc For Electron Flow, Amber Veach

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the construction, characterization, and application of anodic zinc batteries for powering a small electric motor for the ChemE Car competition. Two zinc galvanic cell batteries were studied: zinc-carbon and zinc-air batteries. Prototype batteries were constructed and tested for voltage, amperage, and power production. In the zinc-carbon trials, a 3:1 mixture of manganese dioxide and graphite was determined to be the best cathode for power production. The size which allowed for sufficient power while maintaining the smallest footprint on the car was a zinc can six cm tall and two cm in diameter. Analysis of paper zinc-air battery …

Repeated Low-Level Blast Exposure Alters Urinary And Serum Metabolites, Austin Sigler, Jiandong Wu, Annalise Pfaff, Olajide Adetunji, Paul Ki-Souk Nam, Donald James, Casey Burton, Honglan Shi

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Repeated exposure to low-level blast overpressures can produce biological changes and clinical sequelae that resemble mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). While recent efforts have revealed several protein biomarkers for axonal injury during repetitive blast exposure, this study aims to explore potential small molecule biomarkers of brain injury during repeated blast exposure. This study evaluated a panel of ten small molecule metabolites involved in neurotransmission, oxidative stress, and energy metabolism in the urine and serum of military personnel (n = 27) conducting breacher training with repeated exposure to low-level blasts. The metabolites were analyzed using HPLC—tandem mass spectrometry, and the Wilcoxon …

Dual Crosslinked Poly(Acrylamide-Co-N-Vinylpyrrolidone) Microspheres With Re-Crosslinking Ability For Fossil Energy Recovery, Jingyang Pu, Baojun Bai, Jiaming Geng, Na Zhang, Thomas Schuman

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microspheres have been proposed to be applied in controlling wastewater production for mature oilfields and migrating leakage for gas and nuclear waste storage. However, it remains challenging for stacked microspheres to maintain strong blocking ability in micron-sized small pores or fractures. in this study, a novel microsphere was developed with comprehensive properties including high deformability and long re-crosslinking time upon tunable swelling ratio for the applications. a dual covalent and physical crosslinking strategy was used to develop novel microspheres reinforced by a hydrogen bond (H-bond, between pyrrole ring and amide group) and coordination bond (between chromium acetate (CrAc) and carboxyl …

Dual Crosslinked Poly(Acrylamide-Co-N-Vinylpyrrolidone) Microspheres With Re-Crosslinking Ability For Fossil Energy Recovery, Jingyang Pu, Baojun Bai, Jiaming Geng, Na Zhang, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Microspheres have been proposed to be applied in controlling wastewater production for mature oilfields and migrating leakage for gas and nuclear waste storage. However, it remains challenging for stacked microspheres to maintain strong blocking ability in micron-sized small pores or fractures. In this study, a novel microsphere was developed with comprehensive properties including high deformability and long re-crosslinking time upon tunable swelling ratio for the applications. A dual covalent and physical crosslinking strategy was used to develop novel microspheres reinforced by a hydrogen bond (H-bond, between pyrrole ring and amide group) and coordination bond (between chromium acetate (CrAc) and carboxyl …

Separation Of Organic Acids Through Direct Catalysis From Sugars, Katelyn Robinson

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Society relies on plastic products, whether they are single use or durable. A downside of plastic is that the most common type is a product of oil and oil is not only a limited resource but also a climate-damaging resource. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a bio-based, biodegradable plastic. However, the process of converting biomass to polylactic acid polymer has the largest environmental impact of the PLA production process, so alternative methods of conversion are needed (Moretti et al., 2021). The polylactic acid polymer can be made with lactic acid, which can be converted from glucose.

The Study Of Corrosion On Additive-Manufactured Metals., Braydan Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the corrosion mechanisms between wrought and additive-manufactured (3D-printed) copper and stainless steel. The experimental procedure consisted of measuring the open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, Tafel analysis, surface topology, and scanning electron microscopy for each metal within salt water, tap water, sulfuric acid, and synthetic body fluid (excluding copper in synthetic body fluid).

Overall, printed stainless steel was more corrosion-resistant than wrought stainless steel in tap water and synthetic body fluid based on OCP, LSV, and surface topology results. Additionally, printed copper was more corrosion-resistant than wrought …

Dpd Guided Insight On The Formation Process Of Polyethersulfone Membranes By Nonsolvent Induced Phase Separation And The Effects Of Additives, Eric Ledieu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD), a coarse grain simulation method, was applied to the membrane formation process of non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) to gain further insight on the mechanism of certain variables and how they affect the final morphology. NIPS involves two solutions, an organic polymer dissolved in an organic solvent colloquially called the dope and an aqueous coagulation bath, brought into contact with one another. The solvents then mix, causing the polymer to fall out of solution as an asymmetric membrane with a dense surface layer and a more open subsurface layer in response to the decreasing solubility. Polyethersulfone …

Corrosion Case Study On Automobile, Grace Ajayi, Xinran Pan, Geethu Sasikala, Marshall S. Yang

Chemistry Publications

No abstract provided.

Hydrothermal Liquefaction Of Saccharina Latissima For The Production Of Biofuel, Mayokun A. Oke

Mechanical Engineering Theses

We performed hydrothermal liquefaction of brown macroalga (Saccharina latissima) in the presence of homogenous and heterogenous catalysts such as KOH, Na₂CO₃, Pd/C, HZSM-5, Ce/HZSM-5, and Ni/SiO₂-Al₂O₃ in hot compressed water, to investigate their effects on product yield and composition in the biocrude. To investigate hydrocarbon production, we used methanol as co-solvent (methanol-to-water 1/4 vol.%) and as the only liquefaction solvent. We carried out the experiments in a batch reactor at 330^oC and 120-130 bar, and varying temperature, algae-to-water ratio, residence time, and pretreatment method. The biocrude yields …

Bimetallic Compound Catalysts With Multiple Active Centers For Accelerated Polysulfide Conversion In Li-S Batteries, Wu-Xing Hua, Jing-Yi Xia, Zhong-Hao Hu, Huan Li, Wei Lv, Quan-Hong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Practical applications of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are hindered mainly by the low sulfur utilization and severe capacity fading derived from the polysulfide shuttling. Catalysis is an effective remedy to those problems by promoting the conversion of polysulfides to reduce their accumulation in the electrolyte, which needs the catalyst to have efficient adsorption ability to soluble polysulfides and high activity for their conversion. In this work, we have proposed a bimetallic compound of NiCo₂S₄ anchored onto sulfur-doped graphene (NCS@SG) to fabricate a catalytic interlayer for Li-S batteries. Compared to CoS, the NiCo₂S₄ demonstrated much higher …

Advances And Challenges On Cathode Catalysts For Lithium-Oxygen Batteries, Bo Wen, Zhuo Zhu, Fu-Jun Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Aprotic lithium-oxygen batteries (LOBs) with high theoretical energy density have received considerable attention over the past years. However, the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at cathodes suffer from slow kinetics for large overvoltages in LOBs. Significant advances on catalysts have been achieved to accelerate cathode kinetics, but understanding on the formation/decomposition processes of Li₂O₂ is limited. Herein, this review highlights the fundamental understanding of the correlation between catalysts and formation/decomposition of Li₂O₂. Various types of cathode catalysts are discussed to reveal the mechanism of formation/decomposition of Li₂O₂, …

Recent Advances In Anode Materials Of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells, Geng Zou, Wei-Cheng Feng, Yue-Feng Song, Guo-Xiong Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) as an electrochemical energy conversion device has attracted increasing attention due to its large current density, high Faradaic efficiency and energy efficiency. Oxygen evolution reaction at the anode, a four-electron transfer process, is an important half-reaction for SOEC, which contributes to the main polarization resistance and consumes most electric energy during the electrolysis process. Hence, designing anode materials with high activity and stability is crucial for the performance improvement and practical application of SOEC. Recently, some advances have been made in the development of high-performance anode. In the current review, the mechanisms for CO_{2 …}

Preface To Special Issue On Electrocatalysis And Electrosynthesis, Fang-Yi Cheng, Shuang-Yin Wang, Tian-Hua Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

No abstract provided.

Anodic Electrocatalysis Of Glycerol Oxidation For Hybrid Alkali/Acid Electrolytic Hydrogen Generation, Xin Feng, Bo-Wen Liu, Ke-Xin Guo, Lin-Feng Fan, Gen-Xiang Wang, Su-Qin Ci, Zhen-Hai Wen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrolytic hydrogen production is heavily restricted by high-energy consumption majorly due to the relatively high potential of anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Development of OER-alternative reaction at the anode has been recently proposed as a promising pathway to address the associated issues. In this work, we report a hybrid acid/alkali dual-electrolyte electrolyzer by coupling acidic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) using commercial Pt/C cathode with alkaline Electrocatalytic glycerol oxidation (GOR) which is implemented by developing a nickel foam (NF) supporting Co₃O₄ nanosheets anode that shows low overpotential and high selectivity toward GOR for formate production. The hybrid acid/alkali …

Highly Dispersed Pt Nanoparticles Root In Single-Atom Fe Sites In Ldhs Toward Efficient Methanol Oxidation, Qing-Cheng Meng, Lin-Bo Jin, Meng-Ze Ma, Xue-Qing Gao, Ai-Bing Chen, Dao-Jin Zhou, Xiao-Ming Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Active and durable electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction are of critical importance to the commercial viability of direct methanol fuel cell, which has already attracted growing popularities. However, current methanol oxidation electrocatalysts fall far short of expectations and suffer from excessive use of noble metal, mediocre activity, and rapid decay. Here we report the Pt anchored on NiFe-LDHs surface hybrid for stable methanol oxidation in alkaline media. Based on the high intrinsic methanol oxidation activity of Pt nanoparticles, the substrates NiFe-LDHs further enhanced anti-poisoning ability and maintained unaffected stability after 200,000 s cycle test compared to commercial Pt/C catalyst. The …

Design And Applications Of Fmoc-Histidine And Aspartic Acid Tripeptides As Proton Conductive Materials, Shejla S. Pollozi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy has driven forward rapid improvements in polymer-electrolyte fuel cells and the use of ion-conducting polymers (ionomers) as proton exchange membranes and catalyst binders. While perfluorinated electrolytes have been commercially used as conductive membranes for nearly four decades, a new class of sustainable, conductive materials has emerged, inspired by the efficiency of charge transport processes in biological systems. These molecules, knows as peptide amphiphiles (PAs), have gained popularity as building blocks for the bottom-up fabrication of nanomaterials through supramolecular self-assembly. Supramolecular nanostructures, often in the form of hydrogels, are held together via non-covalent …

Coreflooding Evaluation Of Fiber-Assisted Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel Using An Open Fracture Model, Shuda Zhao, Ali Al Brahim, Junchen Liu, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gels (RPPGs) Have Been Used to Treat the Problem of Void Space Conduits (VSC) and repair the "Short-Circuited" Waterflood in Alaska's West Sak Field. Field Results Showed a 23% Increase in Success Rates over Typical Preformed Particle Gel (PPG) Treatments. in This Paper, We Evaluated Whether Adding Fiber into RPPGs Can Increase the RPPG Plugging Efficiency and Thus Further Improve the Success Rate. We Designed Open Fracture Models to Represent vs.C and Investigated the Effect of Swelling Ratio (SR), Fracture Size, and Fiber Concentration on Gel Injection Pressure, Water Breakthrough Pressure, and Permeability Reduction. Results Show that …

Preface To Special Issue: Electrocatalysis And Electrosynthesis, Fang-Yi Cheng, Shuang-Yin Wang, Tian-Hua Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

No abstract provided.

Recent Advances In Exploring Highly Active & Durable Pgm-Free Oxygen Reduction Catalysts, Yuan Li, Miao-Ying Chen, Bang-An Lu, Jia-Nan Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In order to reduce the considerable usage of expensive but scarce platinum at the cathode in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), it is necessary to pursue alternatives to platinum. The most promising platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are atomically dispersed, and nitrogen-coordinated metal site catalysts denoted as M-N-C (M = Fe, Co, or Mn, etc.). Over the last few decades, there have been great advances in these catalysts with high ORR activity and promising initial fuel cell performance approaching traditional Pt/C catalysts. However, the stability of these highly active Fe-N-C catalysts under practical fuel …

Electrochemical Oxidation Of Ethylene On Palladium Electrode, Wei-Xing Wu, Ying Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical oxidation of C₂H₄ is attracting increasing attention due to its vast potential market. The current electrochemical methods rely on the use of redox mediators, which may produce corrosive intermediates, while direct oxidation is still limited by its low activity and selectivity. Herein, we conducted electrochemical studies to obtain mechanistic insights into the benchmark Pd catalyst. The generated Pd(II) could be the active site for C₂H₄ oxidation. By designing the pulse sequence, we found the ratio of strongly and weakly adsorbed C₂H₄ on Pd to be 0.3:1. The result we …

Supperlattice-Like Structure: Ordered Mass Transfer Endowing High Quality Output Of Fuel Cell, Jian Wang, Wen-Hui Xuan, Qian He, Jing-Xia Jiang, Yuan-Yuan Zhou, Yao Nie, Qiang Liao, Min-Hua Shao, Wei Ding, Zi-Dong Wei

Journal of Electrochemistry

The current or voltage fluctuation in fuel cell operation is harmful to the fuel cell system and power application equipment. Here, we report a technique to eliminate such a fluctuation by the aid of new type of catalysts, superlattice-like mesoporous PtCo catalysts. The current fluctuation in fuel cells catalyzed by two invented catalysts are fixed at as low as 25 mA·cm⁻² with a power of 0.75 W·cm⁻² or 120 mA·cm⁻² with a power of 1.01 W·cm⁻², and no noticeable current decay was detected over 100 h. By contrast, a …

Lysine Crosslinked Polyacrylamide─A Novel Green Polymer Gel For Preferential Flow Control, Tao Song, Baojun Bai, Yugandhara Eriyagama, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Acrylamide-based polymer gels have been applied to control the preferential flow in the subsurface for decades. However, some commonly used crosslinkers, such as Cr (III) and phenol-formaldehyde, are highly toxic and are being phased out because of stringent environmental regulations. This work uses l-lysine as the green crosslinker to produce acrylamide-based polymer gels. This article systematically studied the effect of lysine and polymer concentration, salinity, pH, and temperature on gelation behavior and thermal stability. Besides, the gelation mechanism and crosslinking density were elucidated in this work. A high-permeability sandstone core was used to test the plugging efficiency of this novel …

Development Of Battery Materials To Function As Corrosion Protection On Car Body Plates, Tubagus Noor Rohmannudin, Sulistijono Sulistijono, Noval Adrinanda, Faridz Wira Dharma, Samuel Areliano

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Most car bodies made for mass production are made from steel or aluminum. Both are strong metals, but steel is cheaper than aluminum and is more commonly used in lower-end cars for a broader consumer range. The weakness of steel compared to aluminum is that it is susceptible to corrosion under certain conditions, and thus it may deteriorate over time without proper care. To prevent corrosion, modern cars are coated with paint to prevent direct contact with the environment. As a second line of protection, a car battery can be connected to the body to create an impressed current cathodic …

Potential Of Biduri Fiber (Calotropis Gigantea) As Material For Oil Spill Absorbent, Anne Sukmawati, Wulan Septiani

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

Biduri fiber (Calotropis gigantea) is a natural hollow fiber with hydrophobic and oleophilic properties potentially used as oil spilled sorbent from seawater. This study aims to determine the absorption capacity and efficiency of the Biduri fiber and membrane to fuel oil. Measurement of oil absorption to seawater was carried out at various fiber weights (0.5-1.5 g), fiber composition (50-95%), contact time (10-90 minutes), temperature (30 and 50°C), and compared with commercial products. The results showed that the fiber weight variation of 0.5-1.5 g has an average absorption efficiency of 96.67%, and the highest absorption was obtained in a weight of …

Influence Of Synthesis Conditions On The Physicochemical And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Non-Stoichiometric Ba2sr2la2ti4o12 Perovskites, Ofeliya Kostadinova, Iliyan Popov, Simeon M. Stankov, Hristo Kolev, Tamara Petkov

Karbala International Journal of Modern Science

Present work studies the influence of the pretreatment milling media (deionized water (BLTOS-H) and isopropanol (BLTOS-i)) on the surface characteristics, structure, chemical composition and catalytic activity of non-stoichiometric Ba2Sr2La2Ti4O12 perovskites. The IR spectroscopy and XRD analyses shows a difference in the structure and phase composition of the two materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy detects a Ba2+- and La3+-enriched and Sr2+-depleted surface. The BLTOS-i sample appears to exhibit higher specific surface area (SSA) and pore volume in comparison to BLTOS-H. The electrochemical tests showed that BLTOS-H sample have similar behavior to platinum at current densi-ties up to 10 mA cm-2, while BLTOS-i …

Comparative Static And Dynamic Analyses Of Solvents For Removal Of Asphaltene And Wax Deposits Above- And Below-Surface At An Iranian Carbonate Oil Field, Milad Norouzpour, Amin Azdarpour, Rafael M. Santos, Ali Esfandiarian, Moein Nabipour, Erfan Mohammadian, Abbas K. Manshad, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

During production from oil wells, the deposition of asphaltene and wax at surface facilities and porous media is one of the major operational challenges. The crude oil production rate is significantly reduced due to asphaltene deposition inside the reservoir. In addition, the deposition of these solids inside the surface facilities is costly to oil companies. In this study, the efficiency of different solvents in dissolving asphaltene and wax was investigated through static and dynamic tests. The analysis of solid deposits from the surface choke of one of the Iranian carbonate oil fields showed that they consisted of 41.3 wt % …

Outstanding Advantages, Current Drawbacks, And Significant Recent Developments In Mechanochemistry: A Perspective View, Silvina Pagola

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Although known since antiquity, mechanochemistry has remained dormant for centuries. Nowadays, mechanochemistry is a flourishing research field at the simultaneous stages of gathering data and (often astonishing) observations, and scientific argumentation toward their analysis, for which the combination of interdisciplinary expertise is necessary. Mechanochemistry’s implementation as a synthetic method is constantly increasing, although it remains far from being fully exploited, or understood on the basis of fundamental principles. This review starts by describing many remarkable advantages of mechanochemical reactions, simplifying and “greening” chemistry in solutions. This description is followed by an overview of the current main weaknesses to be addressed …