NER: Synthesis and Modeling of Novel Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Nanoporous Membranes for Fuel Cell Applications

UtahNER大学ilya zharov：用于燃料电池的新型有机-无机纳米多孔混合膜的合成和建模全球许多研究兴趣都集中在各种应用的燃料电池电源的开发上，特别强调运输。将质子从阳极传导到阴极的质子导电膜是燃料电池的关键部件。为了高效运行，膜需要具有高质子导电性，低电子导电性，良好的机械性能以及热稳定性和电化学稳定性。事实证明，寻找这样的材料是有问题的。该项目旨在通过实验和模型研究的结合来克服当前燃料电池膜的局限性，为一类新的膜材料提供概念证明：混合有机/无机纳米孔蛋白石膜，其中合成蛋白石通过二氧化硅纳米球在溶液中自组装形成包含有序纳米孔阵列的无机基质。质子传导是通过携带酸性官能团的有机分子修饰纳米孔表面来实现的。所提出的新型膜的优点包括：(1)从溶液中自组装；(2)尺寸可控的高有序纳米孔阵列；(3)允许多种表面化学反应的潜力。膜的无机基质提供了机械稳定性，表面结合的有机分子提供了高质子传导。除了实验合成和测试这种膜的特性外，还将对纳米孔内的分子结构和形态进行多尺度建模研究。一名研究生和几名本科生将参与研究，并计划开展公众宣传活动。

CBET - 0708368Ilya ZharovUniversity of UtahNER: Synthesis and Modeling of Novel Hybrid Organic-InorganicNanoporous Membranes for Fuel Cell ApplicationMuch research interest globally is centered on the development of fuel cell power sources for a variety of applications with special emphasis on transportation. The proton-conducting membrane that separates fuels while conducting protons from the anode to the cathode is a key component of fuel cells. For efficient operation, the membrane needs to have high proton conductivity, low electronic conductivity, good mechanical properties, and thermal and electrochemical stability. Finding such materials has proven to be problematic. This project seeks to overcome the limitations of current fuel-cell membranes by a combination of experimental and modeling studies to provide proof-of-concept for a new class of membrane materials: hybrid organic/inorganic nanoporous opal membranes, in which synthetic opals produced by self-assembly in solution from silica nanospheres form an inorganic matrix containing ordered arrays of nanopores. Proton conduction is achieved through nanopore surface modification with organic molecules carrying acidic functional groups. Advantages of proposed novel membranes include: (1) self-assembly from solution; (2) highly ordered arrays of nanopores with controlled sizes; and (3) potential to allow a large variety of surface chemistries. The inorganic matrix of the membranes provides mechanical stability, and high proton conduction is provided by the surface-bound organic molecules. In addition to experiments to synthesize and test the characteristics of such membranes, multiscale modeling study of molecular structure and morphology inside the nanopores will be conducted. A graduate student and several undergraduates will be involved in the research, and public outreach activities are planned.