Advanced imaging for clean electrochemical energy conversion

减缓人为气候变化和实现地缘政治能源平等取决于有效地储存和生产清洁电力以及减缓或恢复大气二氧化碳（CO2）水平。为了消除能源浪费，我们必须在可以利用或廉价生产能源时储存能源，并在需要时有效和清洁地分配能源。为了降低或恢复大气中的二氧化碳水平，我们必须使用可再生能源，并将二氧化碳排放转化为有用的化学产品，同时封存二氧化碳。通过燃料电池和电解槽等设备，电化学能量转换对于有效管理碳排放以及使用和分配世界能源资源至关重要。然而，燃料电池和电解槽面临着在微米级和纳米级上对热量和质量传输的无效管理，这些问题为解决全球能源和气候挑战所急需的下一代设计提供了障碍。微米级和纳米级多孔材料为传热和传质目的提供了许多优点，例如高表面积、热储存和多相输送;然而，在燃料电池和电解槽中，多孔材料通常起到多个、同时和并列的作用。除了这些相反的传输机制之外，这些装置是不透明的，传输行为是高度动态的，并且对不能通过常规手段可视化的操作条件动态敏感。拟议的研究计划旨在推进燃料电池和电解槽技术的建模，测试和操作成像，这些技术将推动燃料电池和电解槽的按需燃料电池功率和大气CO2减排。

Mitigating anthropogenic climate change and achieving geopolitical energy equality hinge on efficiently storing and generating clean power and slowing or reverting atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. In order to eliminate energy waste, we must store energy when it can be harnessed or produced cheaply and distribute the energy efficiently and cleanly when it is needed. To reduce or revert atmospheric CO2 levels, we must both use renewable energy sources as well as convert CO2 emissions into useful chemical products that simultaneously sequester the CO2. Through devices such as fuel cells and electrolyzers, electrochemical energy conversion is vital for efficiently managing carbon emissions and using and distributing the world's energy resources. However, fuel cells and electrolyzers are faced with ineffective management of heat and mass transport at the microscale and nanoscale, and these challents provide barriers to next generation designs that are so vitally needed to address global energy and climate challenges. Microscale and nanoscale porous materials provide a multitude of advantages for heat and mass transfer purposes, such as high surface areas, thermal storage, and multiphase transport; however, in fuel cells and electrolzyers, porous materials typically serve multiple, simultaneous, and juxtaposed roles. In addition to these opposing transport mechanisms, the devices are opaque with transport behaviours that are highly dynamic and sensitive to operating conditions dynamics that cannot be visualized through conventional means. The proposed research program aims to advance modelling, testing, and in operando imaging of fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies that will advance both fuel cells and electrolyzers for on-demand fuel cell power and atmospheric CO2 reduction.