GOALI: Collaborative Research: Electrochemical CO2 Separation and Capture through Design of Carbonate-Selective Catalysts and Ionomers

该项目将探索能够捕获发电厂二氧化碳排放的电化学反应器技术。通过南卡罗来纳大学、宾夕法尼亚州立大学和Proton OnSite(康涅狄格州一家专门将电化学技术推向市场的小型企业)之间的研究合作，该项目将结合反应堆设计、催化和分离的元素，取得二氧化碳捕获工业规模商业化所需的关键科学和工程进展。该项目还将为年轻研究人员--包括高中生和大学生--提供机会，了解电化学、聚合物科学以及二氧化碳在学术、工业和全球背景下的应用。这项研究的研究和教育方面的结合将有助于确保我们国家作为清洁能源技术领先者的未来。该项目旨在通过以下方式推进基于阴离子交换膜(AEM)的二氧化碳分离反应器：1)实现先进的催化剂，以提高二氧化碳反应和分离的速度；2)设计可控制电池中化学路径的膜；3)在计算机模拟的辅助下进行高性能电池设计；以及4)建造商业-保真反应器，用于在现实环境下进行测试。这项研究结合了工程材料、催化剂和膜，以控制二氧化碳在通过AEM运输时的化学状态。这一点很重要，因为反应动力学决定了操作电压，质量传输和热力学的组合通过AEM中的阴离子平衡来控制功率需求-氢氧化物、碳酸氢根和碳酸盐阴离子都存在。碳酸氢根阴离子是分离二氧化碳的首选物种。在催化剂方面，将研究过渡金属氧化物催化剂的表面化学，以揭示直接电催化(BI)碳酸盐形成的反应机理。在聚合物方面，将合成新的碱性离聚体，以将聚合物的有效碱解离常数(PKB)控制在所需的水平，以在通过反应器的传输过程中保持电催化衍生的碳酸氢根阴离子的天然形态。该项目还将模拟这种二氧化碳分离反应堆作为500兆瓦燃煤电厂的集成部件的行为，并将评估其当前和未来的经济可行性。因此，这项工作的智力驱动力将包括材料和电化学系统的物理科学，以及工程设计和经济考虑。除了眼前的努力，这项研究还将在材料、催化和电化学领域以及碳捕获和化石能源技术经济学的更广泛领域具有相关性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The project will explore electrochemical reactor technology capable of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power plants. Through a research collaboration between the University of South Carolina, the Pennsylvania State University, and Proton OnSite - a Connecticut small business that is a specialist at bringing electrochemical technologies to market - the project will combine elements of reactor design, catalysis, and separations to make critical scientific and engineering advances required for commercialization of CO2 capture at the industrial scale. The project will also provide opportunities for young researchers - including both high school and college students - to learn about electrochemistry, polymer science and applications of CO2 in academic, industrial and global contexts. The combined research and educational aspects of the study will help secure our Nation's future as a leader in clean energy technologies. The project aims to advance anion-exchange membrane (AEM) based CO2 separation reactors through: 1) realization of advanced catalysts that improve the rate of CO2 reaction and separation; 2) design of membranes that can control the chemical pathways in the cell; 3) high-performance cell design - aided by computer modeling; and 4) construction of commercial-fidelity reactors for testing under realistic environments. The research combines engineered materials, catalysts, and membranes to control the chemical state of CO2 as it is transported through the AEM. This is important because the reaction kinetics dictate the operating voltage and a combination of mass transport and thermodynamics act to control the power requirements through the anionic balance in the AEM - with hydroxide, bicarbonate and carbonate anions all being present. Bicarbonate anions are the preferred species for CO2 separation. On the catalyst side, the surface chemistry of transition metal oxide catalysts will be investigated to uncover the reaction mechanisms for direct electrocatalytic (bi)carbonate formation. On the polymer side, new alkaline ionomers will be synthesized to control the effective base dissociation constant (pKb) of the polymer at levels needed to maintain the electrocatalytically derived bicarbonate anion in its native form during transport through the reactor. The project will also simulate the behavior of such a CO2 separation reactor as an integrated component of a 500 MW coal-fired power plant, and will assess its current and future economic feasibility. Thus, the intellectual drivers of this work will encompass both the physical science of materials and electrochemical systems, as well as engineering design and economic considerations. Beyond the immediate thrusts, the research will have relevance in the materials, catalysis, and electrochemical communities as well as broader areas of carbon capture and economics of fossil energy technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.