Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Recent Progress Of Bifunctional Electrocatalysts For Oxygen Electrodes In Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cells, Tian-Long Zheng, Ming-Yu Ou, Song Xu, Xin-Biao Mao, Shi-Yi Wang, Qing-Gang He

Journal of Electrochemistry

Unitized regenerative fuel cells (URFCs), which oxidize hydrogen to water to generate electrical power under thefuel cells (FCs) mode and electrolyze water to hydrogen under the water electrolysis (WE) mode for recycling, areknown as clean and sustainable energy conversion devices. In contrast to the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) andhydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the hydrogen electrode side, the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on the oxygen electrode side requires highly efficient bifunctional oxygencatalysts. Conventional precious metal oxygen catalysts combine Pt and IrO₂ with excellent ORR and OER activities toachieve bifunctional electrocatalysis performance, but …

Band Alignments Of Metal/Oxides-Water Interfaces Using Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics, Yong-Bin Zhuang, Jun Cheng

Journal of Electrochemistry

Band alignments of electrode-water interfaces are of crucial importance for understanding electrochemical interfaces. In the scenario of electrocatalysis, applied potentials are equivalent to the Fermi levels of metals in the electrochemical cells; in the scenario of photo(electro)catalysis, semiconducting oxides under illumination have chemical reactivities toward redox reactions if the redox potentials of the reactions straddle the conduction band minimums (CBMs) or valence band maximums (VBMs) of the oxides. Computational band alignments allow us to obtain the Fermi level of metals, as well as the CBM and VBM of semiconducting oxides with respect to reference electrodes. In this tutorial, we describe …

From Waste To Energy: The Electrochemical Reduction Of Co2 Using Recycled Nanostructured Catalysts, Ibrahim Badawy

Theses and Dissertations

The reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂RR) using electrochemistry is a promising solution for the burgeoning global energy crisis. The overall vision of its implementation relies on renewable energy sources to power the reaction creating carbon neutral products and effectively closing the carbon cycle. Research in this field has come a long way since its inception in the mid-1900s. However, there remain significant hurdles and important considerations to overcome in order to reach full commercialization. Most electrocatalysts tested for CO₂RR have been designed solely for maximum performance while ignoring the environmental consequences if such a material were …

The Effect Of Heat Treatment And Chemical Treatment On Natural Fibre To The Durability Of Wood Plastic Composites – A Review, Nuratiqah Asyiqin Mohd Nasharudin, Nur Fatihah Sulaiman, Nurul Aziemah Mohammad, Wan Nor Raihan Wan Jaafar, Falah Abu Dr., Siti Norasmah Surip

Journal of Materials Exploration and Findings

The application of WPC is not only limited to indoor applications but has been extended to exterior applications where properties of WPC could compromise during service life. WPC was derived from wood fiber of various sizes to reinforce polymers. Wood fiber has the advantage of a cheaper price, being abundantly available, and ease of processing, however, the critical factor is its hydrophilic nature, where moisture absorption is likely to occur. Thus, treatments for reducing the hydrophilicity of wood fibers are applied. By treatment of wood fiber, the surface impurities were removed, leaving the roughened surface of fibers, thus providing a …

P-Doped Ru-Pt Alloy Catalyst Toward High Performance Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Rong-Qin Huang, Wei-Ping Liao, Meng-Xuan Yan, Shi Liu, Yuan-Ming Li, Xiong-Wu Kang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrocatalytic water splitting represents grand promise for hydrogen fuel in modern energy equipment, and the design and fabrication of higher performance catalysts are at the central. Herein, we report the sequential phosphorus (P)-doping into ruthenium (Ru) nanoparticles (Ru-P/C) by thermal annealing of Ru nanoparticles in phosphine (PH₃) atmosphere and deposition of extremely low concentration of platinum (Pt) to obtain P-doped Ru-Pt alloy catalyst supported on carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which is denoted as (Ru-P)#Pt/C. The data by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy show that the Ru nanoparticles existed in the form of hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase with …

Deep Euteceic Solvents-Assisted Synthesis Of Novel Network Nanostructures For Accelerating Formic Acid Electrooxidation, Jun-Ming Zhang, Xiao-Jie Zhang, Yao Chen, Ying-Jian Fan, You-Jun Fan, Jian-Feng Jia

Journal of Electrochemistry

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been reported as a type of solvent for the controllable synthesis of metal nanostructures. Interestingly, flower-like palladium (Pd) nanoparticles composed of staggered nanosheets and nanospheres are spontaneously transformed into three-dimensional (3D) network nanostructures in choline chloride-urea DESs using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. Systematic studies have been carried out to explore the formation mechanism, in which DESs itself acts as a solvent and soft template for the formation of 3D flower-like network nanostructures (FNNs). The amounts of hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide and sodium hydroxide also play a crucial role in the anisotropic growth and …

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 …}

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Molecular Elucidation Of Reaction Mechanisms In Aluminum & Lithium Metal Batteries By Solid-State Nmr Spectroscopy And Electrochemical Methods, Leo W. Gordon

Dissertations and Theses

As society wrestles with the ever-growing climate consequences of burning fossil fuels, the increased demand for electric vehicles and renewable power generation mandates safe, sustainable, earth-abundant, low cost, and energy dense batteries. Different use cases will necessitate different types of batteries; for example, stationary storage systems prioritize minimal expense, whereas mobile applications like electric vehicles emphasize high energy densities. Aluminum and lithium metal batteries hold great promise for next-generation energy storage due to their large specific capacities (2980 mA h g^-1, and 3860 mA h g^-1, respectively). In particular, aluminum metal is low cost, has high …

Transport And Plugging Performance Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Microgel Used For Conformance Control In Mature Oilfields With Super-Permeable Channels, Adel Alotibi, T. Song, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preformed particle gels (PPG) have been widely applied in oilfields to control excessive water production. However, PPG has limited success in treating opening features because the particles can be flushed readily during post-water flooding. We have developed a novel micro-sized Re-crosslinkable PPG (micro-RPPG) to solve the problem. The microgel can re-crosslink to form a bulk gel, avoiding being washed out easily. This paper evaluates the novel microgels' transport and plugging performance through super-permeable channels. Micro-RPPG was synthesized and evaluated for this study. Its storage moduli after fully swelling are approximately 82 Pa. The microgel characterization, self-healing process, transportation behavior, and …

Mechanical And Adhesive Properties Of Supramolecular, Mussel-Inspired Hydrogels, Daniel Darby

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The exceptional mechanical and adhesive properties of mussel byssal threads come from supramolecular interactions of ligands found in the proteins comprising them. Ligands can form hydrophobic interactions, π-π stacking interactions, and hydrogen bonds, but the strongest supramolecular interaction they demonstrate is metal-ligand coordination. Specifically, Histidine (His-) and nitrodopamine (nDOPA) ligands coordinate to metals in a bidentate fashion and take on tris-, bis-, and mono- modalities (3, 2, or 1 ligand per ion, respectively). The distribution of these modalities is controlled by equilibrium thermodynamics. These same ligands can be used as crosslinks in supramolecular hydrogel networks. Supramolecular hydrogel networks are dissipative, …

Molecular Understanding Of Zwitterions And Quantum Computing For Sustainability, Manh Tien Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The sustainable development of society needs sustainable energy solutions and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. One key subject in this area is the development of safe and efficient ion-based batteries. Moreover, CO₂ capture is a crucial pathway in mitigating emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels. Ongoing efforts are to improve both technologies' safety and efficiency. This thesis presents our efforts to conduct computational research on understanding advanced zwitterionic electrolytes and CO₂ capture. Chapters 2-4 illustrate the computational research to understand ionic solvation in zwitterionic electrolytes. Solid-state electrolytes are essential for safer batteries. While solid polymer electrolytes …