Peter H. Aurora
Ph.D. Candidate
B.S.: Mechanical Engineering 2000, National University of Engineering, Lima-Peru
M.S.Eng.: Energy Engineering 2003, University of Massachusetts
Hydrogen is considered as an ideal fuel for the future. Hydrogen fuel can be produced using renewable resources and then used in a fuel cell to produce electricity, and thus its life cycle is environmental friendly. Solar and wind energies are the two major sources of renewable energy and they are also promising sources for clean hydrogen production. Solar-hydrogen or hydrogen generated from water using solar energy is a leading candidate for a renewable and environmental safe energy carrier.
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water decomposition using solar energy is the most promising method for the generation of hydrogen. The key element in a PEC device is the photoelectrode (PE), which currently needs further development to enhance its performance and achieve levels required for commercialization. My research is aimed towards to advance the development of stable and more efficient photoelectrochemical hydrogen production systems.
Chandra Sethu
Ph.D. Candidate
B.S.: Mechanical Engineering 2002, University of Madras, India
M.S.: Chemical Engineering 2006, University of Michigan
Hydrogen has the potential to be a flexible energy carrier for a variety of energy applications in the future. Due to the impending crisis of global warming and the depletion of hydrocarbon fuel resources, the promotion of increased energy efficiency and the diversification of fuel sources are essential. Advanced technology already exists for the large scale production of hydrogen for the petrochemical industry and others via steam reforming of natural gas. Though infrastructure exists, the safe and efficient transportation of hydrogen has many technical issues. Therefore small scale, distributed hydrogen generation has excellent promise for meeting future energy requirements.
My project involves the design, implementation and experimentation of a thermally integrated fuel processor which utilizes a variety of fuels like Methane, Ethanol and Biodiesel. Catalyst selection and evaluation are an integral part of research as these help to optimize the reformer performance by increasing efficiency and reducing CO concentrations. CO concentrations of less than 50 ppm are considered optimal for a fuel cell quality reformate.
Sonca Nguyen
Ph.D. Candidate
B.S.: Aeronautics and Astronautics 2004, University of Washington
M.S.Eng.: Aerospace Engineering 2006, University of Michigan
My research project is to experimentally investigate an unconventional method of hydrogen production by dissociating water molecules in a radio-frequency (RF) plasma source. The electron temperature is expected to be of a few electron volts and the density can be in a range between 1017 to 1019 m-3 depending on which mode (capacitive, inductive, or helicon) the plasma operates in. Consequently, highly reactive species in the plasma including electrons, ions, and radicals are speculated to enhance the water dissociation rate. This experiment is performed in a vacuum facility at the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL) at the University of Michigan. We have demonstrated the capability of dissociating water molecules in a RF plasma. The next step is to optimize this process and to obtain a kinetic code to understand the mechanisms of water vapor dissociation in a plasma source.
Adam Lausche
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate
B.S.: Chemical Engineering 2005, University of Washington
Methanol Steam Reforming is a key technology for the generation of hydrogen in small electronics. My work looks at the effect of sulfur poisoning on catalysts, which will help to discover new ways of making sulfur tolerant steam reforming catalysts.
Josh Schaidle
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate
B.S.: Chemical Engineering 2006, University of California, Santa Barbara
Due to rising petroleum prices and our country’s dependence on foreign oil, interest in the production of synthetic fuels has developed. The Fischer-Tropsch (FT) reaction converts synthesis gas (H2 and CO) into a variety of liquid hydrocarbons. A major benefit of this process is that the synthesis gas can be produced from not only fossil fuel resources such as coal and natural gas, but also renewable resources such as biomass. Additionally, the hydrocarbon fuels are typically of very high quality due to a very low aromaticity and zero sulfur content. The primary catalysts for FT reaction are cobalt, iron, and nickel.
The objective of this work is to determine the activity and selectivity of Mo2C, a novel catalyst material, for the FT reaction. Mo2C is highly active for a variety of reactions ranging from water gas shift and steam reforming to hydrogenation and desulfurization. Preliminary results indicate that Mo2C is active for the FT reaction. Along with this base material, our research group has developed a novel process to support other metals onto the surface of Mo2C. For the water gas shift reaction, this process has been shown to promote a synergistic effect between the metal and the support. Utilizing this process, Mo2C-supported metal catalysts will also be tested for the FT reaction.
Richard Ezike
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate
B.S.E.: Chemical Engineering 2005, North Carolina State
The reduction of nitrogen dioxides (NOx) from the emissions of engines is a widely researched problem in the environmental chemistry field. The reduction is conducted over the three-way catalytic converter in gasoline engines, but the converter cannot be used in diesel engines due to the presence of excess oxygen in the exhaust. In lieu of this problem, selective catalytic reduction (SCR), primarily with hydrocarbons, is a possible alternative. This method involves secondary injection of a hydrocarbon, typically from the fuel in the vehicle, to reduce NOx to N2.
Supported metal catalysts are the primary catalysts being studied for SCR. These catalysts consist of metals such as platinum group metals (Pt, Pd, Rh) or base metals (Cu, Ni, Fe, etc) supported on oxides such as alumina and titania. These catalysts have shown to be active at high temperatures; however, the temperature window is narrow and at low temperatures where diesel exhaust typically is (150-400 oC), they are not active. Studies to improve the low temperature activity have shown that the addition of hydrogen to the hydrocarbon feed increases the activity for silver-alumina catalysts. The hydrogen would likely be produced on board the vehicle through a fuel reformer. My work involves developing highly active and selective catalysts for SCR in reformate-rich environments.
Neil Schweitzer
Ph.D. Candidate
B.S.: Chemical Engineering 2004, University of Toledo
Molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) has been shown to be a highly active catalyst for several reactions, even rivaling the activity of precious metal catalysts such as platinum. Recently, a technique has been developed in which metal catalysts are loaded onto high surface area Mo2C supports. The resulting catalysts have been shown to exhibit very high activity when compared to the activity of the support and the metal alone, displaying a synergistic effect between the two.
The source of this effect is thought to occur due to chemical means, but the possibility exists that the effect arises from physical differences between the catalysts, i.e. particle size and dispersion of the loaded metal. Attempts to measure these properties in the past have been unsuccessful.
The purpose of this project is to develop a fundamental understanding of the use of carbide materials as metal catalyst supports. This will be accomplished by studying the two major areas of interest mentioned above: physical effects and chemical effects. In this study, a new method for the quantification of the physical properties of the carbide support is presented along with preliminary experiments in which to study its veracity. This method can then be used to study the sintering characteristics of the catalyst, which in turn will be compared with that of the traditional (SiO2, Al2O3) and nontraditional oxide supports (MoO3).
Once the role of the physical characteristics of the catalyst to its overall activity has been determined, any chemical or electronic synergy can then be studied. This information will help contribute to the overall goal of this project: to develop predictive trends concerning the use of transition metal carbide supported metal catalysts for a wide range of chemical reactions.
This study will encompass traditional experimental techniques (chemisorption techniques, temperature programmed reduction, x-ray diffraction), ultra-high vacuum surface science techniques (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy), and theoretical calculations (density functional theory) among other tools.
Leon Webster
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate
B.A. Physics 2004, Williams College
Photoelectrochemical cells can use a catalyst to convert light energy into chemical energy stored in hydrogen fuel. They can also be hybridized with photovoltaic devices to improve the efficiency of hydrogen production by collecting light transparent to the catalyst. My research is focused on making nanostructured semiconducting materials for more efficient photovoltaic devices, which may in turn be used in hybrid photoelectrochemical cells.
Binay Prasad
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate
Chemical Engineering
Josh Grilly
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate
Chemical Engineering
Kanako Okaida
Ph.D. Pre-Candidate
Chemical Engineering
Dongyun (Lana) Zhang
Exchange Graduate Student
B.S.: Chemical Engineering 2003, Zhejiang University, China
M.S.: Chemical Engineering 2005, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Keliang Wang
Exchange Graduate Student
B.S.: Lanzhou University of Technology, 2003,China
M.S.: Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, 2006, China
Ph.D. Candidate: South China University of Technology, 2006-present, China
Mike Chen
Graduate Student
B.S.: Chemical Engineering 2004, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shane Liu
Exchange Graduate Student
B.S. Tianjin University, Tianjin, China. Major: Materials Chemistry
M.S. Tianjin University, Tianjin, China. Major: Industry Catalysis.
Research direction: Direct carbon fuel cell
Ph.D. Candidate Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Research direction: Vanadium Redox Flow Battery
