Multi-functional catalysts and reactors for direct methane fuel cells

从理论上讲，拨款申请中描述的直接碳氢化合物燃料电池(DHFC)可以比目前的燃烧技术更节能。尽管化石燃料可能仍然是成本最低的能源，但它们的排放(颗粒物、二氧化碳等)。正在加速气候变化。人们越来越相信，目前的情况是不可持续的，需要做些什么。我们的研究目标是通过更有效地使用化石燃料(每单位化石燃料的能源更有用)来降低气候变化率，从而减少对化石燃料的需求。这项提议是关于将理论转化为实践，减少化石燃料对气候变化的影响。 因此，DHFs的成功运行将有许多优势。现有的基础设施可以用来提供化石燃料原料：城市的天然气(甲烷)、农村地区的液化石油气(LPG或丙烷)、汽油、柴油、喷气燃料。它们可以用来为大多数应用提供电力：交通能源(汽车、飞机)、固定电能(家庭、办公楼、中央发电厂)。 在DHFC中，燃料直接进入发生电化学反应的阳极，而不转化为氢或甲醇等中间物种。由于不需要中间物种，与氢燃料电池一起使用的燃料处理器也可以被淘汰，从而消除了氢燃料电池系统三分之一的资本成本。 我们的实验室将用我们实验室准备的含有膜电极组件的DHFC进行实验。MEAs是燃料电池中发生燃料电池反应的部分。它们包括阳极催化剂层、电解液层和阴极催化剂层。为了指导实验，将使用计算流体力学对燃料电池反应器进行建模，并使用密度泛函理论对燃料电池催化剂进行建模。预计燃料电池反应堆的几何结构和燃料电池催化剂成分将专门为直接碳氢燃料电池量身定做。 他说，如果高效的DHFC变得在商业上可行，化石燃料的使用量将大幅减少。排放到大气中的二氧化碳可以减少25%-50%。它将比任何其他单一技术更能减缓气候变化的速度。这将是一个重大的全球范式转变。

Theoretically the direct hydrocarbon fuel cells, DHFCs, described in this grant application can be much more energy efficient than the current combustion technologies.  Although fossil fuels are likely to continue to be the lowest cost energy source, their emissions (particulate matter, carbon dioxide, etc.) are accelerating climate change.  There is growing conviction that the present situation is not sustainable and that something needs to be done.  Our research objective is to decrease the rate of climate change by using fossil fuels in a more efficient manner (more useful energy per unit of fossil fuel) so less fossil fuel will be needed.  This proposal is about turning theory into practice and diminishing the impact of fossil fuels on climate change.     The successful operation of DHFs would have many advantages.  The existing infrastructure can be used to deliver fossil fuel feedstocks: natural gas (methane) in cities, liquefied petroleum gas, (LPG or propane) in rural areas, gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel.  They can be used to provide electrical power for most applications: energy for transportation (automobiles, airplanes), stationary electrical energy (homes, office buildings, central power generating plants).     In DHFCs the fuel is fed directly into the anode where the electrochemical reaction occurs, without conversion to an intermediate species like hydrogen or methanol.  Because the intermediate species are not needed, the fuel processor used with hydrogen fuel cells can also be eliminated, thereby eliminating one-third of the capital cost of hydrogen fuel cell systems.     Laboratory experiments will be performed with DHFCs containing membrane electrode assemblies, MEAs, that will be prepared in our laboratory.  MEAs are the part of the fuel cell where the fuel cell reactions occur.  They combine an anode catalyst layer, an electrolyte layer, and a cathode catalyst layer.  To guide the experiments the fuel cell reactor will be modeled using computational fluid dynamics and the fuel cell catalysts will be modeled using density functional theory.  The expectation is that the fuel cell reactor geometry and the fuel cell catalyst composition will be tailored specifically for direct hydrocarbon fuel cells.     If high efficiency DHFCs became commercially viable, substantially less fossil fuel would be used.  The carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere could decrease by 25 - 50 %.  It would diminish the rate of climate change more than any other single technology.  It would be a major paradigm shift.