The transition to a low carbon economy to avoid climate crisis requires green hydrogen, fuel cells and carbon capture. These technologies are necessary for the decarbonization of the sectors of our economy that are inaccessible by renewable electrons, such as chemical synthesis, long-haul heavy duty commercial transportation, and massive, long duration energy storage. For the past 15+ years, my research group has focused on engineering, catalysis, and materials for hydroxide exchange membrane (HEM) based electrochemical devices including electrolyzers (HEMELs), fuel cells (HEMFCs), and carbon capture. The use of a HEM provides these electrochemical devices with an alkaline operating environment and thus eliminates the need for precious metal catalysts and expensive stack components like titanium bipolar plates and porous transport layers. In this presentation, I will share our efforts on the design, synthesis, and commercialization of polymer hydroxide exchange membranes that started in the mid-2000s, and the engineering and scale up of HEMELs and HEMFCs, and carbon capture.
References
1. Xiao, J. W.; Oliveira, A. M.; Wang, L.; Zhao, Y.; Wang, T.; Wang, J. H.; Setzler, B. P.; Yan, Y. S., Water-Fed Hydroxide Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer Enabled by a Fluoride-Incorporated Nickel-Iron Oxyhydroxide Oxygen Evolution Electrode. ACS CATALYSIS 2021, 11 (1), 264-270.
2. Wang, J. H.; Zhao, Y.; Setzler, B. P.; Rojas-Carbonell, S.; Ben Yehuda, C.; Amel, A.; Page, M.; Wang, L.; Hu, K.; Shi, L.; Gottesfeld, S.; Xu, B. J.; Yan, Y. S., Poly(aryl piperidinium) membranes and ionomers for hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells. NATURE ENERGY 2019, 4 (5), 392-398.
3. Setzler, B. P.; Zhuang, Z. B.; Wittkopf, J. A.; Yan, Y. S., Activity targets for nanostructured platinum group-metal-free catalysts in hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2016, 11 (12), 1020-1025.
4. Shi, L.; Zhao, Y.; Matz, S.; Gottesfeld, S.; Setzler, B. P.; Yan, Y. S., A shorted membrane electrochemical cell powered by hydrogen to remove CO2 from the air feed of hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells. NATURE ENERGY 2022, 7 (3), 238-247.
