A Multiscale Approach to Catalyst Development for Hydrogen Production and Conversion Systems

这项研究的科学目标是设计催化活性层，以实现热传递、质量传递、电荷传递、动力学活性和催化剂寿命之间的完美平衡。这项工作的成果可以用于许多方面，但我将重点介绍一些可持续的技术应用，其中涉及氢作为一种清洁燃料和一种可以从可再生能源中生产的资源。例如，通过优化天然气、沼气或传统液体燃料的蒸汽重整提高氢气生产效率，利用最大限度地将热量输送到反应现场的优化催化层；通过在聚合物电解质膜电解槽的电极处的催化层高效地生产氢气来储存可再生风能和太阳能；利用氢气在燃料电池中制造清洁电力，该燃料电池具有优化的催化电极层，其成本更低，寿命更长；在专业催化剂层上利用氢进行脂肪酸异构化，这些催化剂层生产凝固点足够低的生物油产品，这些产品可在加拿大冬季使用。所有这些应用都涉及生产或使用氢气，以减少温室气体排放，减少不可再生资源的使用，并鼓励开发具有商业竞争力的清洁能源技术。加拿大人将受益，因为他们消耗的能源将产生更少的有害污染物和更少的温室气体。通过在清洁能源技术方面建立竞争优势，加拿大可以创造新的商业活动，从而创造高质量的就业机会。

The scientific objective of this research is the design of catalytically active layers that achieve the perfect balance between heat transfer, mass transfer, charge transfer, kinetic activity and catalyst lifetime. The results from this work can be used in many ways but I will focus on a number of sustainable technology applications involving hydrogen as a clean fuel and a resource that can be produced from renewable energy sources. Some examples are; improving the efficiency of hydrogen production by steam reforming of natural gas, biogas, or conventional liquid fuels through the use of optimized catalyst layers that maximize the delivery of heat to the reaction sites; storing renewable wind and solar energy by efficiently producing hydrogen by the electrolysis of water at catalytic layers at the electrodes in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysers; using hydrogen to make clean electricity in fuel cells that have optimized catalytic electrode layers that cost less and last longer; using hydrogen in the isomerization of fatty acids on specialized catalyst layers that produce bio-oil products with a low enough freezing point that they can be used during Canadian winters. All of these applications involve the production or use of hydrogen to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the use of non-renewable resources and encourage the development of commercially competitive clean energy technologies. Canadians will benefit because the energy they consume will be generating fewer harmful pollutants and less greenhouse gas. By establishing a competitive edge in clean energy technologies, new commercial activity can be created in Canada that will result in high quality jobs being generated.