EAGER: High-Efficiency and Cost-Effective Electrocatalysts for the Direct Conversion of Methane to Methanol at Ambient Conditions

EAGER：用于在环境条件下将甲烷直接转化为甲醇的高效且经济高效的电催化剂

• 批准号: 1747603
• 负责人: Xiao-Dong Zhou
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-10-01 至 2020-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1747603&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Efficiency; Cost; Effective; Electrocatalysts

Shale gas deposits contain enormous quantities of natural gas. Transporting low density natural gas from remote shale deposit locations to its point of use is often uneconomical, so this "stranded gas" may be flared or burned for energy recovery on site, circumventing the need for transport. Increasing the accessibility of this domestic energy supply would decrease fuel prices, increase energy security, and reduce the environmental footprint of this resource. One strategy is to extract the larger fuel molecules from natural gas, and compress them into an easily transportable dense liquid. The majority of natural gas is methane, though, which requires high energy to compress into liquid form. Thus, a promising alternative strategy is the chemical conversion of gaseous methane into liquid methanol. However, this chemical conversion is extremely difficult using known methods, and the remote location of the shale deposits relative to chemical manufacturing facilities increases the challenge. This research project seeks to develop novel electrochemical catalysts that will more efficiently, effectively, and economically convert stranded gaseous methane into liquid methanol. Such methods are compatible with small-scale, modular, manufacturing units that are deployable to remote locations. This research project rationalizes the use of surface orientation and adatom decoration of electrocatalysts to promote electrocatalytic oxidation of methane to methanol. The use of high-index facets of metallic catalysts and the role of mobile oxygen interstitials on oxide supports is being explored. The potential for higher-index planes to lower the activation barrier for methane adsorption and partial oxidation is being examined using Ni (310) and Ni (760). In-situ Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy coupled with impedance spectroscopy is being used to probe the role of surface facets, nonstoichiometry, and adsorption sites in the activated chemisorption and transformation of methane to adsorbed hydrogen and adsorbed methyl. Given the recalcitrance of methane as a chemical reactant, successful demonstration of this process would increase the economic feasibility of using stranded methane and reduce the environmental impact of a vast domestic energy supply. The research project also involves training both graduate and undergraduate students.

页岩气蕴藏着大量的天然气。 将低密度天然气从遥远的页岩存款位置运输到其使用点通常是不经济的，因此这种“滞留气体”可以被燃烧或燃烧以用于现场能量回收，从而避免运输的需要。 增加这种国内能源供应的可及性将降低燃料价格，提高能源安全，并减少这种资源的环境足迹。 一种策略是从天然气中提取较大的燃料分子，并将其压缩成易于运输的稠密液体。 然而，大多数天然气是甲烷，它需要高能量才能压缩成液体形式。因此，一种有前途的替代策略是将气态甲烷化学转化为液态甲醇。然而，使用已知的方法进行这种化学转化是极其困难的，并且页岩矿床相对于化学制造设施的远程位置增加了挑战。 该研究项目旨在开发新型电化学催化剂，以更高效，更有效，更经济地将滞留的气态甲烷转化为液态甲醇。 这种方法与可部署到远程位置的小规模、模块化、制造单元兼容。本研究计画将利用电触媒之表面取向及吸附原子修饰来促进甲烷电催化氧化制甲醇。金属催化剂的高指数面的使用和氧化物载体上的移动的氧化合物的作用正在探索中。使用Ni（310）和Ni（760）研究了高指数平面降低甲烷吸附和部分氧化活化势垒的潜力。原位傅里叶变换红外光谱加上阻抗谱被用来探测的作用的表面刻面，非化学计量，和吸附位点的活化化学吸附和转化甲烷吸附的氢和吸附的甲基。考虑到甲烷作为化学反应物的不稳定性，这一过程的成功示范将增加使用滞留甲烷的经济可行性，并减少大量国内能源供应对环境的影响。 该研究项目还涉及培训研究生和本科生。

项目成果

Electro-conversion of methane to alcohols on “capsule-like” binary metal oxide catalysts

• DOI: 10.1016/j.apcatb.2020.119572
• 发表时间: 2021-03
• 期刊: Applied Catalysis B-environmental
• 影响因子: 22.1
• 作者: Nengneng Xu;Cameron A. Coco;Yudong Wang;Tianshun Su;Yu Wang;Luwei Peng;Yanxing Zhang;Yuyu Liu-Yuyu

High-performing rechargeable/flexible zinc-air batteries by coordinated hierarchical Bi-metallic electrocatalyst and heterostructure anion exchange membrane

• DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.104021
• 发表时间: 2019-11
• 期刊: Nano Energy
• 影响因子: 17.6
• 作者: Nengneng Xu;Yanxing Zhang;Min Wang;Xiujun Fan;Tao Zhang;Luwei Peng;Xiao-Dong Zhou;Jinli Qiao