Advanced Structured Electrodes for Electrochemical Systems
Digital Document
Document
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Handle
http://hdl.handle.net/11134/20002:860736912
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Persons |
Persons
Creator (cre): Arman, Md Tanvir Alam
Major Advisor (mja): Pasaogullari, Ugur
Associate Advisor (asa): Spendelow, Jacob S.
Associate Advisor (asa): Uddin, Md Aman
Associate Advisor (asa): Matheou, George
Associate Advisor (asa): Xu, Hongyi
Associate Advisor (asa): Jankovic, Jasna
Associate Advisor (asa): Bliznakov, Stoyan
Associate Advisor (asa): Xu, Hui
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Title |
Title
Title
Advanced Structured Electrodes for Electrochemical Systems
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Origin Information
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Parent Item
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Resource Type
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Digital Origin |
Digital Origin
born digital
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Description |
Description
Excessive use of fossil fuels to meet the ever-increasing energy demand is primarily responsible for green-house gases (GHG) that disrupt the global ecosystem's equilibrium. In this regard, replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy is an absolute necessity. Despite the enormous growth of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy due to significant cost reductions, favorable government policy, and a global campaign to decarbonize the energy business, fossil fuel still dominates mainly due to its cost-effectiveness. Producing green hydrogen from renewable energy cost-effectively, integrating a robust hydrogen storage system into the existing grid, and producing power from green hydrogen instead of fossil fuel can serve the intended purpose.
Proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), electrolyzers, and unitized reversible fuel cells (URFCs) provide a carbon-free, long-term solution to the GHG-free world. However, major cost reduction is required for these electrochemical devices to be commercially viable. In this study, advanced electrode structures are implemented in platinum group metal (PGM) free PEMFC electrodes and PGM-based URFC. In a thick PGM-free PEMFC cathode, the effects of anode and cathode GDL configurations on water management are investigated (MEA). Asymmetric GDL arrangements involving GDL with high permeability in the anode and GDL with low permeability in the cathode demonstrated superior performance compared to standard symmetric configurations. The improved performance is primarily attributable to lower liquid water saturation in the cathode and superior water management. A novel electrode structure named "Proton Channel Electrode" is also demonstrated to incorporate non-tortuous ionomer channels in the PGM-free PEMFC cathode. With increased ionic conductivity, compared to thin and tortuous ionomer films in the conventional electrodes, it exhibits much higher performance compared to the conventional electrode. Finally, another advanced structured electrode named "Coaxial Nanowire Electrode" (CANE) is demonstrated for URFC. CANE URFC electrode performs significantly better than conventional flat baseline for URFC. CANE URFC electrode performs significantly better than conventional flat baseline in both fuel cell and electrolyzer mode. With increased roughness, better transport pathways, and better reaction distribution, CANE effectively decreases the loading of platinum group metal (PGMs) based catalysts in URFC. Overall, this study successfully demonstrated effective ideas of electrode design for electrochemical devices, which can decrease the cost and helps the quicker adoption of renewable energy. |
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Organizations
Degree granting institution (dgg): University of Connecticut
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Rights Statement
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Use and Reproduction |
Use and Reproduction
These Materials are provided for educational and research purposes only.
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Degree Name |
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
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Degree Level |
Degree Level
Ph.D.
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Degree Discipline |
Degree Discipline
Mechanical Engineering
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Local Identifier |
Local Identifier
S_34831580
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