CAREER: Composite Catalytic Micromembranes. Tailoring Reaction and Transport at the Microscale for Efficient Hydrogen Extraction from Green Hydrocarbons

cbet -0748016 wilhite这是一项CAREER拨款，用于资助旨在重新设计透选择性催化膜的研究和教育活动。知识价值：随着世界能源需求的不断增长，对污染的担忧和对更大能源多样性的需求，寻求一种通用的无排放燃料的解决方案。氢已经成为一种很有前途的替代能源。这项研究旨在改进从绿色碳源中提取氢的方法。PIs将结合建模和实验的努力，旨在开发一个多层催化膜反应器，它可以作为一个单一的设备来改造乙醇，丁醇，或甘油；选择性氧化一氧化碳；并输送用于燃料电池的氢。本提案旨在通过结合(i)复合或多层催化和透选择膜的概念，以及（ii）通过施加热（导电）、浓度（扩散）和压力（对流）梯度对反应和分离进行外部操纵，来改进透选择催化膜的设计。由此产生的复合催化膜将直接应用于社会、环境和工业的关键任务，实现具有成本效益和能源效率的重整器，能够从绿色碳氢化合物来源中提取氢。更广泛的影响：该研究旨在建立一种新的设计范式，以实现具有成本效益的选择性化学反应和/或气体分离催化膜。这种反应器设计的新概念促进了国内农产品的清洁、可再生能源生产。由此产生的科学发展和基础发现将为产生新的教学工具和教学实验提供基础，丰富本科和研究生教育。通过康涅狄格大学工程学院、康涅狄格全球燃料电池中心和康涅狄格生物燃料联盟提供的多种推广活动，这些项目还将利用这些教育材料提高公众对绿色能源技术的认识，并培养K-12学生对科技事业的兴趣。

CBET-0748016WilhiteThis is a CAREER grant to fund research and educational activities aimed at re-designing permselective catalytic membranes.Intellectual Merit: With the world's growing energy demands, pollution concerns and the need for greater energy diversity, a solution is sought for a universal, emission-free fuel. Hydrogen has emerged as a promising energy alternative. This research seeks to improve the extraction of hydrogen from green carbon sources. The PIs will combine modeling and experimental efforts aimed at developing a multi-layered catalytic membrane reactor, which can be used as a single device to reform ethanol, butanol, or glycerol; selectively oxidize carbon monoxide; and deliver hydrogen for use in fuel cells. This proposal aims to improve the design of permselective catalytic membranes by combining concepts of (i) composite or multi-layer catalytic and permselective membranes, with (ii) external manipulation of reaction and separation via applied thermal (conductive), concentration (diffusive) and pressure (convective) gradients. The resulting composite-catalytic membranes will be directly applied to the socially, environmentally and industrially critical task of realizing cost-effective and energy efficient reformers capable of extracting hydrogen from green hydrocarbon sources. Broader Impact: The research seeks to establish a new design paradigm for realizing cost-effective catalytic membranes for selective chemical reactions and/or gas separations. This new concept in reactor design advances clean, renewable energy production from domestic agricultural products. The resulting scientific developments and fundamental discoveries will provide a basis for generating new pedagogical tools and teaching experiments enriching both undergraduate and graduate education. The PIs will also use these educational materials to increase public awareness of green energy technologies and to foster interest in science and technology careers amongst K-12 students through multiple outreach activities provided by the University of Connecticut School of Engineering, Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center and Connecticut Biofuels Consortium.