Phys.org April 15, 2024 Researchers at the University of Virginia have developed an iminium-based organoelectrocatalyst (im+) for oxygen reduction reaction with trifluoroacetic acid as a proton source in acetonitrile solution under both electrochemical and spectrochemical conditions using decamethylferrocene as a chemical reductant. Under spectrochemical conditions, H2O2 was the primary reaction product. They attributed this difference in selectivity to the interception of the free superoxide intermediate under electrochemical conditions by the reduced catalyst… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Tag Archives: Fuel cells
Three-dimensional structure control technology enables high-performance fuel cells with higher stability
Nanowerk July 26, 2023 Over the past few decades, considerable advances have been achieved in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) based on the development of material technology. Recently, an emerging multiscale architecting technology covering nanometer, micrometer, and millimeter scales has been regarded as an alternative strategy to overcome the hindrance to achieving high-performance and reliable PEMFCs. In their review article researchers in South Korea provided summaries of progress in the key components of PEMFCs based on a novel architecture strategy. In the first section, diverse architectural methods for patterning the membrane surface with random, single-scale, and multiscale structures as […]
Supercomputer simulations transform coal-like material to amorphous graphite and nanotubes
Nanowerk January 6, 2023 To explore how coal can be converted into valuable materials like graphite researchers at Ohio University simulated the substances in computer software. They created a simplified “coal” that consisted of only carbon atoms in random position and exposed them to pressure and high temperature — about 3,000 Kelvin. They formed sheets, but the carbon atoms didn’t entirely develop simple, six-carbon rings. A fraction of the rings had five carbons; others had seven. While six-carbon rings were flat, five- and seven-membered carbon rings puckered. The conditions in these simulations caused the sheets to curve in on themselves […]
New faster charging hydrogen fuel cell developed
Science Daily August 12, 2022 Metal hydrides (MH) have large hydrogen storage capacity, low operating pressure, and high safety. However, their slow hydrogen absorption kinetics significantly decreases storage performance. Researchers in Australia designed and optimized a semi-cylindrical coil for hydrogen storage and embedded it as an internal heat exchanger with air as the heat transfer fluid (HTF). They analyzed and compared it with normal helical coil geometry, based on various pitch sizes, investigated the operating parameters of MH storage and HTF to obtain optimal values. Results from this study demonstrated that MH storage performance is significantly improved by using a […]
Light could boost performance of fuel cells, lithium batteries and other devices
Phys.org January 14, 2022 In solid electrolytes the ionic conductivity is often markedly degraded by the fact that the ions get blocked at the crystallite grains boundaries. An international team of researchers (Spain, Germany, USA – MIT, Japan) has shown how light can be used to lower the barrier height that ions encounter at grain boundaries and enhance the flow of the ions by orders of magnitude by optimizing the system. They demonstrated the effect of light on the movement of oxygen ions through solid electrolyte composed of ceria and gadolinium. According to the researchers the process can be applied […]
Engineers develop new fuel cells with twice the operating voltage as hydrogen
EurekAlert June 17, 2020 Researchers at Washington University have developed high-power direct borohydride fuel cells that operate at double the voltage of conventional hydrogen fuel cells. They pioneered a reactant identifying an optimal range of flow rates, flow field architectures and residence times that enable high power operation ensuring proper fuel and oxidant distribution and the mitigation of parasitic reactions. They demonstrated a single-cell operating voltage of 1.4 or greater, double that obtained in conventional hydrogen fuel cells, with peak powers approaching 1 watt/cm2. Doubling the voltage would allow for a smaller, lighter, more efficient fuel cell design. Their approach […]
Researchers advance fuel cell technology
Science Daily June 8, 2020 A team of researchers in the US (Washington State University, UMass Lowell, Stony Brook, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) used an inexpensive catalyst made from nickel and then added molybdenum nanoparticles as a dopant to make a fuel cell. In tests the fuel cell was able to run for 24 hours straight without failing. The system was resistant to carbon build-up and sulfur poisoning. Fuel cells that run on gasoline tend to build up carbon within the cell, stopping the conversion reaction. Other chemicals that are common in liquid fuels, such as sulfur, […]