Hierarchical nanostructured spherical carbon with hollow macroporous core in combination with mesoporous shell has been explored to support Pt cathode catalyst with high metal loading in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The hollow core-mesoporous shell carbon (HCMSC) has unique structural characteristics such as large specific surface area and mesoporous volume, ensuring uniform disp...

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) exploit the ability of microorganisms to generate electrical power during metabolism of substrates. However, the low efficiency of extracellular electron transfer from cells to the anode and the use of expensive rare metals as catalysts, such as platinum, limit their application and scalability. In this study we investigate the use of pristine graphene based electrod...

Synchrotron-based scanning transmission X-ray spectromicroscopy (STXM) was used to characterize the local chemical environment at and around the platinum particles in the membrane (PTIM) which form in operationally tested (end-of-life, EOL) catalyst coated membranes (CCMs) of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM-FC). The band of metallic Pt particles in operationally tested CCM membrane...

Title of Dissertation: ALD-ENABLED CATHODE-CATALYST ARCHITECTURES FOR LI-O2 BATTERIES Marshall Adam Schroeder, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Directed By: Professor Gary W. Rubloff Minta Martin Professor of Engineering Department of Materials Science and Engineering Institute for Systems Research The Li-O2 electrochemical redox couple is one of the prime candidates for next generation energy storag...

Ruthenium-based bimetallic electrocatalysts with non-noble metals such as Ti, Cr, Fe, Co and Pb were synthesized on a porous carbon support sing a chelation process. Rotating ring disk electrode measurements indicated that RuFeNx/C showed the catalytic activity and selectivity toward he four-electron reduction of oxygen to water comparable to those of the conventional Pt/C catalysts. The perfor...

Power output limitation is one of the main challenges that needs to be addressed for full-scale applications of the Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) technology. Previous studies have examined electrochemical performance of different cathode electrodes including the development of novel iron based electrocatalysts, however the long-term investigation into continuously operating systems is rare. This wo...

This paper reviews the chemical and electrochemical depositions of platinum group metals (PGMs) from aqueous solutions. With a brief introduction on the fundamental aspects of chemical/electrochemical depositions, the review describes recent advances in chemical and Abbreviations: CD, cathode current density expressed as amperes per cm2; CE, cathode current efficiency; dc, direct current; DMFC,...

Although maintaining polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) at temperatures below 80 C is desirable for extended durability and enhanced performance, the automotive application also requires the PEFC stacks to operate at elevated temperatures and meet the heat rejection constraint, stated as Q/DT < 1.45 kW/ C, where Q is the stack heat load for an 80-kWe net power PEFC system and DT is the diffe...

Methane is the primary end product from cathodic current in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) in the absence of methanogenic inhibitors, but little is known about the archaeal communities that develop in these systems. MECs containing cathodes made from different materials (carbon brushes, or plain graphite blocks or blocks coated with carbon black and platinum, stainless steel, nickel, ferri...