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

CBET-0748016Wilhite这是一项职业资助，用于资助旨在重新设计渗透选择性催化膜的研究和教育活动。智慧价值：随着世界对能源需求的增长、对污染的担忧以及对能源多样性的需求，人们正在寻找一种通用的、零排放燃料的解决方案。氢气已经成为一种很有前途的能源替代品。这项研究旨在改进从绿色碳源中提取氢气的方法。PI将结合建模和实验工作，旨在开发一种多层催化膜反应器，该反应器可用作单一设备，以重整乙醇、丁醇或甘油；选择性氧化一氧化碳；并提供用于燃料电池的氢气。这一建议旨在通过将(I)复合或多层催化和渗透选择膜的概念与(Ii)通过施加热(传导)、浓度(扩散)和压力(对流)梯度对反应和分离进行外部操纵的概念相结合来改进渗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、环境和工业关键任务，即实现能够从绿色碳氢化合物来源提取氢气的具有成本效益和能源效率的重整器。更广泛的影响：这项研究寻求建立一种新的设计范式，以实现具有成本效益的催化膜，用于选择性化学反应和/或气体分离。这种反应堆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本发现将为产生新的教学工具和教学实验提供基础，丰富本科生和研究生教育。PIS还将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项外展活动，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学生对科学和技术职业的兴趣。

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.